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Help! 1704FPT Screen Keeps Going Black
Hi!
I bought a 1704FPT from Dell back in June. It's been working great, and we've been very happy with the monitor.
A couple days ago, my son reported that, while working on the PC, the monitor just went black and wouldn't come back. After a couple turn ons and offs, the monitor came back.
Just last night when I was working on my PC, the monitor went black once again. I turned it off and back on, the monitor came on for a few seconds, then blacked out again. When it was going on and off, the "usb sound" came on and off. The monitor is on for now, but I wonder how long it'll take before it blacks out again? (It's not the screensaver..checked that).
I checked all the connections, and cannot find anything that seems to be a wry. My monitor is connected to my Dimension 8400 using the digital cable. I have one usb device plugged into the montor (my mouse) and that's it.
Does anyone know what could be causing this? Is the monitor going bad?
Thanks!
suefracc
41 Posts
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September 23rd, 2005 16:00
lfetcher
3 Posts
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November 8th, 2005 02:00
suefracc
41 Posts
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November 8th, 2005 09:00
Hi there!
Sorry to hear you're having the same troubles with your monitor! Very, very frustrating isn't it?
I did various trouble-shooting steps, including detaching the monitor altogether from my PC, just to rule out video board issues, screen saver/powersave issues.
Turns out, my monitor was bad. I called Dell support a few times, and after they put me through the same "tests" I had run myself, it was determined that my monitor was bad, so Dell shipped out a replacement.
Things have been great since. I spoke with one of the guys in my IT group, and he mentioned sometimes a module inside the monitor itself goes bad, and will cause the monitor to cycle off if it gets too hot.
I wish I had a "try this!" response for you, but unfortunately, I don't.
I would recommend, however, that you detach your LCD and, if you still have one kicking around in the attic, attach an old CRT and work with it for a few days to see if the same thing happens. For me, it was definitely the monitor, but you need to also check the powersave options/screen saver settings on your PC, and then, test with the CRT to rule out any video board problems.
Good luck!
-Sue-
NolansMom
2 Posts
0
November 11th, 2005 19:00
Is your system still under warranty. I am having the same problem and purchased my system in June. Wondering what they will do if no warranty? They won't even speak to me unless I pay them $40.
Very frustrating!
suefracc
41 Posts
0
November 11th, 2005 20:00
Yes, my system was still under warranty. Isn't yours? I think Dell's standard warranty is one year, no?
I did buy the monitor separate from my system, and it has a 3-year standard warranty.
You're probably ok warranty-wise.
Call Dell..they can check your warranty status from your service tag. You can probably check it yourself on the website.
Good luck...I know the frustration you're going through! Hang in there!
NolansMom
2 Posts
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November 11th, 2005 22:00
suefracc
41 Posts
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November 12th, 2005 09:00
That really stinks! That's usually the luck I get...the day AFTER my warranty expires is when something dies. I'm really surprised that Dell won't stand by their product...especially if it was only 4 months old.
I would try to complain until someone listens...maybe start writing some letters. This definitely isn't right!
If it's any concession to you, the price of the monitors have been coming down. I got the one I'm using now for $279, and, this is what I don't get, it comes with a 3-year warranty!
I wish you the best...I really hate when a fine details ends up screwing you over in the end.
Protist
45 Posts
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December 31st, 2006 02:00
ulyssescpt
10 Posts
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November 10th, 2012 16:00
A few years ago, my boss gave me an Acer monitor that would power on fine, but during startup, sometimes the monitor would show something and other times it wouldn't. Eventually, the screen stayed black. I found out about a company that sells a repair kit online. The description on the site was similar to the problems I was experiencing. So I bought the repair kit. Basically, the repair kit is a series of capacitors. I followed the instructions, I used a solder gun to remove then replace the capacitors from the power board on the monitor. And it worked. I still use the monitor, its as good as new.
A monitor may fail for a few reasons, some parts can't be replaced. But if the problem is the capacitors, you have a good chance to fix it. Just find your monitor model number (ACER AL1704a or whatever), do a search on the internet for a repair kit, and you may find a company or two who can sell you the parts. Some, you can send them the monitor, but letting them repair the monitor could get expensive. By the way, the repair kit I purchased was $12. Not bad.