Dell SP2208WFP

I have the same monitor and have had no issues for around 3 years from the date of purchase until about 3 months ago when the monitor would randomly enter the "power save mode" without being prompted to do so.  I have an XPS 420 w/ quad core q6600 @ 2.4 GHz with a Dell installed ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT video card.  I have been researching this issue for a while now and have yet to find any concrete asnwers on why this is a problem or how to fix it.  As of right now, I am at the mercy of my monitor deciding how long I can use my computer.  You would think that after spending around $1300 dollars at the time to buy it, I would be able to use my computer for at least 5 years or longer.  I used to have a gateway and it lasted for 7 years and I only "upgraded" to the Dell because the gateway was becoming a dinosaur in terms of technology.

If anyone has an idea whether it is the monitor or the video card, I would appreciate the help.  I have already tried the "simple" fixes of adjusting the power settings, checking the vidoe card, cleaning, unplugging, etc.  Any ideas?

skyline,
Disconnect all monitor cables from the PC and then turn the monitor on. If it stays on with the Self-Test screen, the monitor is fine. If not, it should be replaced by Dell if under warranty.

kaj0732,
Disconnect all of the monitor USB cables from the PC. Leave only either DVI or VGA. Disable all operating system powersave settings. Does the monitor still enter powersave?

I have a similar problem with my monitor which seems to be locked in sleep mode.

I had been having a problem with losing the display briefly when working on my desktop but then it would recover; however now I have no display at all - all I get is 'enetering sleep mode' even when I try booting up the computer.

I have a Dell XPS 420 running Windows Vista

NVidia 8800GTX graphics card

Dell E228WFP monitor

Can anyone offer me some help as to whether its a monitor;  graphics card or driver issue?

rossco23,

* Switch the monitor off
* Disconnect all monitor cabling from the PC (VGA, DVI, HDMI, DP, USB, etc.)
* Disconnect the monitor power cord from the rear of the monitor
* Press and hold the monitor power button in for 5 seconds
* Reconnect the monitor power cord to the rear of the monitor
* Switch the monitor on
* The floating red/green/blue/white dialog box should appear on screen against a black background. If it does, the monitor is functioning

Gr8 thanks for the info; this confirmed the monitor was fine; I ended up getting a new graphics card to tide me over (Geforce GT440) this did the trick display back up and running

Thanks

Hi there. I am having the same problem, where the image comes on for 3seconds and then goes black. The problem skyline24 and I are both having must be the same - but if I look very closely into the monitor screen after it goes dim, I can still see the image in the background with NO backlighting, as well as the monitor menus can be seen very dim in the background. I only noticed this after sitting inches away from the monitor. It is connected to my laptop via HDMI and the faint image I see is live, because when I move about on the computer, I can see the image change on the monitor very very closely. The monitor is NOT in Powersave mode because the light remains blue, it would have turned amber would it have gone to power saving mode.

Test it using the VGA and DVI.