Scary snap noise

Just gave myself a fright & still don't know why?

After relocating and upgrading my computer at same time I just hooked up my trusty old 21 inch flatscreen monitor to my upgraded computer. Suddenly there was a loud snap noise inside the monitor and eveything went black. BUT!!!!! when I turned off the computer and tried to fire up the monitor again I got a screen message confirming that the monitor was working (for a few seconds) then the message disappeared. Same thing happened when I did it again.

Any advice about what I should do next would be most welcome as there is no technician anywhere near here.

I guess one reason for this could be the change in environment as I have relocated to northern vietnam and its the wet season (ie extremely humid), right? But the monitor has been in storage in Hanoi for about 6 months -- shouldn't that be plenty of time for it to adjust (or does it have to be switched on to adjust?)

Maybe another reason is the change in graphic card as i have swapped out my old motherboard for a new intel core duo system?

Could the noise be caused by low voltage (though am running through a big stabiliser)?

Is there any risk that the monitor could blow itself (and me) up?

Could I do any damage to the monitor or myself by plugging it into another computer to see if the same problem repeats itself?

Or should I just leave it switched on for 24 hours to adjust to the new (humid) environment then try again?