My new Dell 2408WFP monitor won't wake up.

You are absolutely correct. I use the monitor with 3 different PC and it exhibits this fault with all of them. My main PC has 2 monitors, this Dell and an NEC. The NEC runs perfectly all the time, it is just the Dell that goes blank when it is cold.

I'm afraid Dell are now just too big to worry about customer service such as this and it is for this reason that I have taken my custom elsewhere for my latest PCs.

No solution to the problem but a new twist on symptoms.

No change on how it works on my older laptop running XP.

However, on the new PC running Windows 7 with Nvidia graphics cards I have the 2408 connected via the HDMI port because I wanted the sound capability on the monitor.  To do this I set the monitor to allow sound when it is in power save mode (see the menu otems on the monitor).  I am guessing that apparently this "prevents" the monitor from going into its complete power save mode.  Whatever it does, the monitor wakes up like it is supposed to! Everything looks like it powers down - the power light changes colors, the screen goes completely blank, but sound still is playing.  When I press any key or move my mouse it wakes up.

There are other WINDOWS 7 related problems with waking up displays that could be mistaken for monitor problems, but they are not related to the monitor.  WINDOWS 7 has a very nasty habbit of almost waking up multiple displays on occasion after Windows goes to sleep.  The monitor may or may not be in power save mode - it doesn't matter.  You get a black screen on all connected monitors when Windows 7 wakes up but the monitors are actuall completely awake and trying to display information.  The problem is that WINDOWS 7 is not sending anything.  The screens are completely black but the power on lights on the monitors are all active.  I have three monitors, an HP, and two different Dell models,  attached and they all act the same.  They are attached via HDMI, DVI, and analog and it doesn't make any difference.  So far no help from the PC maker, MS, or the graphics card makers.  Everyone says its the other one's problem.  To recover, unfortunately, the ONLY way is to do a HARD POWER OFF restart.  WIndows 7 handles this better than XP so I haven't destroyed the file system yet. Meanwhile my MAC doesn't have any of these problems - - it has other more exciting problems.

As my brother in law says ... " .. computers are not here to stay, they are just a fad .." :)

Totally agree, this is a problem with the Dell 2408WFP monitors.

I have two 2408WFP (A02) Monitors on 2 different computers.

One computer is running Windows XP sp3 with an ATI 9800 Pro video card and up to date drivers, the other is a Vista 64 bit with a Nvidia 8800GTS video card with up to date drivers.

If the monitors are turned on after the computers go into the windows boot sequence (not the BIOS boot sequence) I just get a blank display and an orange power button light. If I recycle power on the computer (they go through a windows shutdown and start up) I get the normal performing display.

One monitor has recently begun having a blank boot display even if it is turned on prior to booting turning the computer on.

Also, occasionly, after performing "normally" for variable amounts of time (usually within the first 30 minutes of starting to perform "normally") the screen blanks for about a second and then comes back on.

For the PREMIUM price paid for these monitors, I find this unacceptable

If anyone from Dell is monitoring these messages - What is Dell's solution to this problem?

dell had this issue on early versions of these panels, but product shipped after july 25th 2008 was supposed to be fixed. Call tech support and have them search for an article titled: 2408WFP Does Not Wake From Power Save

JMW432,

* The mouse and keyboard must be plugged into USB ports on the rear of the computer, not the monitor
* When the PC goes into Sleep Mode, do NOT turn the monitor off. Instead, just let the monitor go into its own sleep mode. Then, when you awake the PC, the monitor will wake up
* If you already allowed the PC to go into Sleep Mode and turned the monitor off and now it will not wake up
- Power off the PC
- Power off the monitor
- Disconnect the power cord from the monitor
- Disconnect all monitor cords from the PC (USB, DVI, VGA, DisplayPort, HDMI, etc.)
- While disconnected, press and hold the monitor power button down for 5 seconds
- Reconnect the DVI cord to the monitor and to the PC video card
- Reconnect the power cord to the monitor
- Power on the monitor if it does not power on by itself
- Power on the PC
- Press the monitor Input Source Select button and choose DVI

Chris,

Thanks for getting back.  

I DO NOT power down the monitor so it is already on - just in power save mode. It just won't wake up. On the laptop I use the built in mouse and keyboard - no help.  On the PC I have tried all combinations of USB and the old fashioned PS2 ports.  No help.  In both cases the laptop and PC are awake - only the monitor is dead.

It is absolutely not practical to go through the process of disconnecting everything and powering everything off everytime this happens.  Besides, powering off Windows XP unexpectedly is asking for trouble.

My solution is to use my HP monitor as the primary monitor so that I can at least have a reliable monitor when the PC wakes up.

I have purchased a new PC (not a Dell) and purchased HP monitors and they work just fine.  I am very hesitant about purchasing anything Dell in the future.  There are too many other excellent choices to continually have to hassle with this problem.

Don

Hi Chris,

Is your recommended process Dell's solution to this problem?

Do I have to stand on my head while doing this?

A previous message on this blog (reybeast1: "dell had this issue on early versions of these panels, but product shipped after july 25th 2008 was supposed to be fixed. Call tech support and have them search for...") mentioned an article titled: "2408WFP Does Not Wake From Power Save". Since I have been unable to get "customer service" to read me this article over the phone, would you be good enough to post the article on this blog? Thanks.

btw:  In the last few days after determining that this is a monitor problem I've been experimenting with the problem's characteristics. After powering on the monitor, If the monitors power button light goes orange for too long due to the computer not handshakeing with it (recognizing it), then the monitor will remain blank during the computers entire boot sequence and thereafter. It will cycle between a green power button and an orange one with the message "entering power save" at the transition to the orange button. To recover from this I turn off the monitor and the computer (the ACPI feature on the computer permits me to turn off the computer with a normal Windows exit by holding down the power button for ~4sec., thus not corrupting the os.

Does Dell have a firmware patch for this problem?

What is the 2408WFP A02 monitor button pushing sequence to display the monitor's manufacturing data?

Thanks

JMW432,

Is your recommended process Dell's solution to this problem?
* Yes.

Do I have to stand on my head while doing this?
* That is up to you.

Since I have been unable to get customer service to read me this article over the phone, would you be good enough to post the article on this blog?
* Version A00 of the 2408WFP had trouble recovering from sleep state with some older graphics cards. This issue was due to a delay setting in the flat panel firmware. This delay setting has been changed from 150ms to 250ms in version A01 to resolve this issue.
(I see that your A02s still have issues. Checking with engineering to see if we tested this monitor on those older video cards)

Does Dell have a firmware patch for this problem?
* No.

What is the 2408WFP A02 monitor button pushing sequence to display the monitor's manufacturing data?
* I can look it up. Send me the monitor PPID number in a private message.

Chris, This is nothing to do with older video cards. I am using a brand new Windows 7 machine with a brand new ATI HD4800 video card. Two displays are connected to it, the Dell 2408WFP (Version A01) and an older NEC LCD2170NX. When I power up my PC the Dell is sometimes blank and goes into powersave mode ( the NEC is fine). I can clear the problem by just  resetting the monitor using its power button. Switching it on and off a couple of times usually does it.

The problem always goes away once the monitor warms up so there must be some component in it which is just not functioning properly when cold.

Interestingly enough my original screen which was version A00 never gave me a problem but I had to swap it for a reconditioned one when it went wrong. My second monitor was continually going into powersave so that that was replaced after a week. This third one therefore sounds as though it is better than some so I am sticking with it even though it is not perfect.

My 2408 is rev A02.  It has the problem with my older PC and the laptop. Both are running Wxp some version of ATI cards.  It does not have the problem with the new PC running W7 with Nvidia 2xx graphics cards. So far it behaves like it supposed to.  Goes into Power Save, sleep, etc. and wakes up just like it is supposed to.

The only problem I have with the new setup is that it will NOT automatically select the input source.  I don't know if it supposed to but my other monitors select source just fine. It just means that I am going to wear out the source select button on the 2408 since I have to push it 9 times everytime I need to switch monitors.  I generaly switch monitors several times a day.  In W7 you can "Extend desktop to this display" or "Disconnect this display" from the Screen Resolution app.  Selecting "Disconnect" certainly turns off the source to the 2408 but when I reselect it using "Extend desktop to this display" I was hoping that it would force the 2408 to auto select the new source.  It does not.  I have to go through the 9 button routine to get the right source selected.

Is there anyway to make it do this automatically?

Don

Which monitor is the Primary in the dual setup? Have you switched them to see if the issue remains?

The Dell is the primary monitor. I have not switched the monitors but I have operated the NEC by itself and the issue disappears.

Is the monitor forgetting your chosen input?
If your using DVI and the monitor doesn't wake up, press the monitor Input Select button, does it say DVI or VGA?

If your using HDMI and the monitor doesn't wake up, press the monitor Input Select button, does it say HDMI or VGA?

I have the very same problem and I am running a 3007WFP-HC.