Acer Aspire 5630 Laptop screen/display problem

In news:nPCdnUJ5cPNFr27UnZ2dnUVZ8rOdnZ2d@bt.com,
Pete Zahut typed on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:57:11 +0100:
> BillW50 wrote:
>> In news:Ia-dnXKVIM0nuG7UnZ2dnUVZ8oKdnZ2d@bt.com,
>> Pete Zahut typed on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:01:12 +0100:
>>> BillW50 wrote:
>>>> In news:dLudnVzWl4cdnW7UnZ2dnUVZ8tqdnZ2d@bt.com,
>>>> Pete Zahut typed on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:22:24 +0100:
>>>>> Pete Zahut wrote:
>>>>>> BillW50 wrote:
>>>>>>> In news:29OdnZ-joswuWW3UnZ2dnUVZ8uqdnZ2d@bt.com,
>>>>>>> Pete Zahut typed on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:42:46 +0100:
>>>>>>>> Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with the
>>>>>>>> screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand side
>>>>>>>> of the display that's gone dark. Applications open up properly
>>>>>>>> and you can see the whole width of the app, but it doesn't go
>>>>>>>> the whole width of the screen - sort of full display but not
>>>>>>>> full screen if you see what I mean. Also, don't know if it's
>>>>>>>> relevant or not but the taskbar at the bottom seems to be
>>>>>>>> twice as tall as normal and isn't drag-able back to it's usual
>>>>>>>> size - cursor also distorts in this area. I'm not explaining
>>>>>>>> it very well, so have a look at this photo:
>>>>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop1.jpg
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> At first I thought it may be a display driver issue but I've
>>>>>>>> uninstalled and reinstalled without success. I've also used a
>>>>>>>> program called #1-TuffTest Pro
>>>>>>>> (http://www.tufftest.com/ttp01.htm) that is self-booting,
>>>>>>>> operating system independent and never goes anywhere near
>>>>>>>> Windows, but shows the same results, so I would say that that
>>>>>>>> rules out any Windows driver issues. Picture of that test here:
>>>>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop2.jpg
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> TIA,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi Pete! Wow that is weird. An external monitor I can see this
>>>>>>> happening. Internal monitor, I never saw this. Any chance you
>>>>>>> can hook it up to an external? I suspect the same result.
>>>>>>> Although you may adjust it to display correctly. In either
>>>>>>> case, I believe you have to take it in for service. It is still
>>>>>>> under warrantee, right?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I haven't as yet hooked it up to an external monitor, but will do
>>>>>> later today when I have chance, and let you know what I find.
>>>>>> Unfortunately, it's not in warranty so whatever it is, I'll have
>>>>>> to pay for the repair if it's a hardware fault (
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks Bill
>>>>>
>>>>> Bill (and anyone else who's interested, of course), further to the
>>>>> above I've now hooked it up to an external monitor and the display
>>>>> on the external monitor is perfect.
>>>>>
>>>>> Photo at
>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=laptop2a.jpg
>>>>>
>>>>> Don't know what that means though (
>>>>
>>>> Hi Pete! Well now we know. I doubt this laptop has a separate video
>>>> card and it is all on the motherboard. If somebody knows
>>>> differently, please let us know. Wait... I found a picture of the
>>>> motherboard...
>>>> http://www.notebooksolutions.ca/zc/i...oducts_id=2775
>>>>
>>>> Nope, it looks like it is on the motherboard to me. Well after the
>>>> external video jack (which is analog video), it gets converted to
>>>> digital and fed to the LCD display. So we are talking about the
>>>> motherboard, ribbon cable, and the LCD display itself. And I don't
>>>> think it could be the last two, but I could be wrong. So that is
>>>> what I think anyway.
>>>
>>> Thanks for that Bill, looks like a very expensive repair that isn't
>>> really worth it - not yet anyway.
>>>
>>> Cheers my friend,
>>>
>>> Pete
>>
>> Hi Pete! Well another ribbon cable should be cheap enough to try. I
>> don't think it is that though. If it were me, I would find one on
>> eBay working or with some other problem. Best if the other problem
>> wasn't something wrong with the motherboard. That way you could swap
>> parts until you find out which one of the three it was. I really
>> think it is the motherboard though.
>>
>> I don't know what you want to do with it. But if you are not
>> interested in it, I would sell it or something. As somebody can use
>> it as is or with an external monitor. Or even fix it. <grin>
>
> Oh I'll keep it, it's quite useable as it is, just annoying )

Yup, that would be my choice too Pete. <grin>

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 701G4 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Windows XP SP2

Pete Zahut wrote:
> BillW50 wrote:
>> In news:Ia-dnXKVIM0nuG7UnZ2dnUVZ8oKdnZ2d@bt.com,
>> Pete Zahut typed on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:01:12 +0100:
>>> BillW50 wrote:
>>>> In news:dLudnVzWl4cdnW7UnZ2dnUVZ8tqdnZ2d@bt.com,
>>>> Pete Zahut typed on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:22:24 +0100:
>>>>> Pete Zahut wrote:
>>>>>> BillW50 wrote:
>>>>>>> In news:29OdnZ-joswuWW3UnZ2dnUVZ8uqdnZ2d@bt.com,
>>>>>>> Pete Zahut typed on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:42:46 +0100:
>>>>>>>> Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with the
>>>>>>>> screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand side of
>>>>>>>> the display that's gone dark. Applications open up properly and
>>>>>>>> you can see the whole width of the app, but it doesn't go the
>>>>>>>> whole width of the screen - sort of full display but not full
>>>>>>>> screen if you see what I mean. Also, don't know if it's relevant
>>>>>>>> or not but the taskbar at the bottom seems to be twice as tall
>>>>>>>> as normal and isn't drag-able back to it's usual size - cursor
>>>>>>>> also distorts in this area. I'm not explaining it very well, so
>>>>>>>> have a look at this photo:
>>>>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop1.jpg
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> At first I thought it may be a display driver issue but I've
>>>>>>>> uninstalled and reinstalled without success. I've also used a
>>>>>>>> program called #1-TuffTest Pro
>>>>>>>> (http://www.tufftest.com/ttp01.htm) that is self-booting,
>>>>>>>> operating system independent and never goes anywhere near
>>>>>>>> Windows, but shows the same results, so I would say that that
>>>>>>>> rules out any Windows driver issues. Picture of that test here:
>>>>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop2.jpg
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> TIA,
>>>>>>> Hi Pete! Wow that is weird. An external monitor I can see this
>>>>>>> happening. Internal monitor, I never saw this. Any chance you can
>>>>>>> hook it up to an external? I suspect the same result. Although
>>>>>>> you may adjust it to display correctly. In either case, I
>>>>>>> believe you have to take it in for service. It is still under
>>>>>>> warrantee, right?
>>>>>> I haven't as yet hooked it up to an external monitor, but will do
>>>>>> later today when I have chance, and let you know what I find.
>>>>>> Unfortunately, it's not in warranty so whatever it is, I'll have
>>>>>> to pay for the repair if it's a hardware fault (
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks Bill
>>>>> Bill (and anyone else who's interested, of course), further to the
>>>>> above I've now hooked it up to an external monitor and the display
>>>>> on the external monitor is perfect.
>>>>>
>>>>> Photo at
>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=laptop2a.jpg
>>>>>
>>>>> Don't know what that means though (
>>>> Hi Pete! Well now we know. I doubt this laptop has a separate video
>>>> card and it is all on the motherboard. If somebody knows
>>>> differently, please let us know. Wait... I found a picture of the
>>>> motherboard...
>>>> http://www.notebooksolutions.ca/zc/i...oducts_id=2775
>>>>
>>>> Nope, it looks like it is on the motherboard to me. Well after the
>>>> external video jack (which is analog video), it gets converted to
>>>> digital and fed to the LCD display. So we are talking about the
>>>> motherboard, ribbon cable, and the LCD display itself. And I don't
>>>> think it could be the last two, but I could be wrong. So that is
>>>> what I think anyway.
>>> Thanks for that Bill, looks like a very expensive repair that isn't
>>> really worth it - not yet anyway.
>>>
>>> Cheers my friend,
>>>
>>> Pete
>> Hi Pete! Well another ribbon cable should be cheap enough to try. I
>> don't think it is that though. If it were me, I would find one on eBay
>> working or with some other problem. Best if the other problem wasn't
>> something wrong with the motherboard. That way you could swap parts
>> until you find out which one of the three it was. I really think it is
>> the motherboard though.
>>
>> I don't know what you want to do with it. But if you are not
>> interested in it, I would sell it or something. As somebody can use
>> it as is or with an external monitor. Or even fix it. <grin>
>
> Oh I'll keep it, it's quite useable as it is, just annoying )

When you bought the laptop, the panel may have been declared as "1440x900"
or the like. What does the control panel currently claim for the resolution
setting ? Do you see any "tearing" in the screen, as if there is resampling
of the image, in order to squish it into a smaller area on the screen ?
Do the resolution numbers add up ?

Another test you can try, is to boot a Linux LiveCD and do some testing
there. If the same weird effect is present, then the problem is hardware
(panel doing something it shouldn't). If the machine appears to work normally,
running something like Knoppix Linux, then that would suggest the driver
is doing something strange in Windows.

Paul

"Pete Zahut" <dont@bother> wrote in message
news:9qidnbzMK-EsA2zUnZ2dnUVZ8vSdnZ2d@bt.com...
> Paul wrote:
>> Pete Zahut wrote:
>>> Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with the
>>> screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand side of the
>>> display that's gone dark. Applications open up properly and you can
>>> see the whole width of the app, but it doesn't go the whole width of
>>> the screen - sort of full display but not full screen if you see
>>> what I mean. Also, don't know if it's relevant or not but the
>>> taskbar at the bottom seems to be twice as tall as normal and isn't
>>> drag-able back to it's usual size - cursor also distorts in this
>>> area. I'm not explaining it very well, so have a look at this photo:
>>>
>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop1.jpg
>>>
>>> At first I thought it may be a display driver issue but I've
>>> uninstalled and reinstalled without success. I've also used a
>>> program called #1-TuffTest Pro (http://www.tufftest.com/ttp01.htm)
>>> that is self-booting, operating system independent and never goes
>>> anywhere near Windows, but shows the same results, so I would say
>>> that that rules out any Windows driver issues. Picture of that test
>>> here:
>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop2.jpg
>>>
>>> Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?
>>>
>>> TIA,
>>>
>>> Pete
>>
>> Have you done a graphics driver update recently ?
>
> No - uninstalled and reinstalled driver to try to fix the problem, but not
> updated.
>
>> It looks like a mismatch, between the actual LCD panel,
>> and what the software thinks it is driving.
>>
>> Paul
>
> Yeah, I'd agree with you there Paul - except for the fact that I've even
> used the Recovery CD/Partition to restore the laptop to the state it was
> in when it left the factory and the display is still faulty even then.
>
Look for a new driver anyway, and keep playing with the screen settings.
Assuming it is a faulty video card, they usually throw the entire display
out of sync. I went nuts with my Acer the other day when I couldn't move
the mouse. Turned out to be an accidental function key hit that kept its
setting even when restarted and even held after using system recovery.

Re: "Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with the
screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand side of the
display that's gone dark. Applications open up properly and you can see
the whole width of the app, but it doesn't go the whole width of the
screen - sort of full display but not full screen if you see what I mean."

That is a driver problem. As an example, if I move a hard drive from a
Toshiba 1415 to a 2415 (or vice-versa), I have seen the same problem.
Sometimes reinstalling the driver fixes it, sometimes I have to
reinstall WINDOWS. The 1415 and 2415 are substantially identical
computers but one has a Celeron and the other a full Pentium 4. No
explanation, but it's a driver issue (the resolution is set to an odd
[TRULY odd] value and cannot be reset to the correct value).


Pete Zahut wrote:
> Pete Zahut wrote:
>> BillW50 wrote:
>>> In news:29OdnZ-joswuWW3UnZ2dnUVZ8uqdnZ2d@bt.com,
>>> Pete Zahut typed on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:42:46 +0100:
>>>> Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with the
>>>> screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand side of the
>>>> display that's gone dark. Applications open up properly and you can
>>>> see the whole width of the app, but it doesn't go the whole width of
>>>> the screen - sort of full display but not full screen if you see
>>>> what I mean. Also, don't know if it's relevant or not but the
>>>> taskbar at the bottom seems to be twice as tall as normal and isn't
>>>> drag-able back to it's usual size - cursor also distorts in this
>>>> area. I'm not explaining it very well, so have a look at this photo:
>>>>
>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop1.jpg
>>>>
>>>> At first I thought it may be a display driver issue but I've
>>>> uninstalled and reinstalled without success. I've also used a
>>>> program called #1-TuffTest Pro (http://www.tufftest.com/ttp01.htm)
>>>> that is self-booting, operating system independent and never goes
>>>> anywhere near Windows, but shows the same results, so I would say
>>>> that that rules out any Windows driver issues. Picture of that test
>>>> here:
>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop2.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?
>>>>
>>>> TIA,
>>> Hi Pete! Wow that is weird. An external monitor I can see this
>>> happening. Internal monitor, I never saw this. Any chance you can
>>> hook it up to an external? I suspect the same result. Although you
>>> may adjust it to display correctly. In either case, I believe you
>>> have to take it in for service. It is still under warrantee, right?
>> I haven't as yet hooked it up to an external monitor, but will do
>> later today when I have chance, and let you know what I find.
>> Unfortunately, it's not in warranty so whatever it is, I'll have to
>> pay for the repair if it's a hardware fault (
>>
>> Thanks Bill
>
> Bill (and anyone else who's interested, of course), further to the above
> I've now hooked it up to an external monitor and the display on the external
> monitor is perfect.
>
> Photo at
> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=laptop2a.jpg
>
> Don't know what that means though (
>
> Pete
>
>

Re: "Well after the external video jack (which is analog video), it gets
converted to digital and fed to the LCD display."

This is a driver issue, but that explanation of how things work is wrong
(although irrelevant to the issue). The digital video is produced
natively. The analog video is then produced from that. Not the other
way around.

In news:U9PIl.87027$GU6.14111@newsfe09.iad,
Barry Watzman typed on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:55:00 -0400:
> Re: "Well after the external video jack (which is analog video), it
> gets converted to digital and fed to the LCD display."
>
> This is a driver issue, but that explanation of how things work is
> wrong (although irrelevant to the issue). The digital video is
> produced natively. The analog video is then produced from that. Not
> the other way around.

But Pete (the OP), also stated on the 23rd that he booted up with :
"TuffTest Pro (http://www.tufftest.com/ttp01.htm) that is self-booting,
operating system independent and never goes anywhere near Windows". So
how can it be a Windows driver issue if the problem still exists without
Windows?

And it is converted to digital, to analog, and back partially into
digital (a mix of the two). Same thing happens when you plug into an
external LCD monitor as well. As the pixels live in a digital matrix,
while the contrast is controlled by analog means.

--
Bill
Gateway MX6124 - Windows XP SP2

"Pete Zahut" <dont@bother> wrote in message
news:9qidnbzMK-EsA2zUnZ2dnUVZ8vSdnZ2d@bt.com...
> Paul wrote:
>> Pete Zahut wrote:
>>> Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with the
>>> screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand side of the
>>> display that's gone dark. Applications open up properly and you can
>>> see the whole width of the app, but it doesn't go the whole width of
>>> the screen - sort of full display but not full screen if you see
>>> what I mean. Also, don't know if it's relevant or not but the
>>> taskbar at the bottom seems to be twice as tall as normal and isn't
>>> drag-able back to it's usual size - cursor also distorts in this
>>> area. I'm not explaining it very well, so have a look at this photo:
>>>
>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop1.jpg
>>>
>>> At first I thought it may be a display driver issue but I've
>>> uninstalled and reinstalled without success. I've also used a
>>> program called #1-TuffTest Pro (http://www.tufftest.com/ttp01.htm)
>>> that is self-booting, operating system independent and never goes
>>> anywhere near Windows, but shows the same results, so I would say
>>> that that rules out any Windows driver issues. Picture of that test
>>> here:
>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop2.jpg
>>>
>>> Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?
>>>
>>> TIA,
>>>
>>> Pete
>>
>> Have you done a graphics driver update recently ?
>
> No - uninstalled and reinstalled driver to try to fix the problem, but not
> updated.
>
>> It looks like a mismatch, between the actual LCD panel,
>> and what the software thinks it is driving.
>>
>> Paul
>
> Yeah, I'd agree with you there Paul - except for the fact that I've even
> used the Recovery CD/Partition to restore the laptop to the state it was
> in when it left the factory and the display is still faulty even then.
>


Ok the way to tell if its hardware or software causing the problem is when
the machine starts to boot drop into the BIOS whatever it is for your
laptop, F2 for Dells , Del for some others but anyway whatever it is for
your machine. If the problem is there in when you look in the BIOS its the
LCD panel or Cable or Motherboard port. IF it's not there then it's a
driver/application, error. Of course you could also connect it to an
external monitor and again if its there then its the grapghics card or
motherboard port or software/drivers and if its not there then it's the LCD
or cable

Paul wrote:
> Pete Zahut wrote:
>> BillW50 wrote:
>>> In news:Ia-dnXKVIM0nuG7UnZ2dnUVZ8oKdnZ2d@bt.com,
>>> Pete Zahut typed on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:01:12 +0100:
>>>> BillW50 wrote:
>>>>> In news:dLudnVzWl4cdnW7UnZ2dnUVZ8tqdnZ2d@bt.com,
>>>>> Pete Zahut typed on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:22:24 +0100:
>>>>>> Pete Zahut wrote:
>>>>>>> BillW50 wrote:
>>>>>>>> In news:29OdnZ-joswuWW3UnZ2dnUVZ8uqdnZ2d@bt.com,
>>>>>>>> Pete Zahut typed on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:42:46 +0100:
>>>>>>>>> Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with
>>>>>>>>> the screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand
>>>>>>>>> side of the display that's gone dark. Applications open up
>>>>>>>>> properly and you can see the whole width of the app, but it
>>>>>>>>> doesn't go the whole width of the screen - sort of full
>>>>>>>>> display but not full screen if you see what I mean. Also,
>>>>>>>>> don't know if it's relevant or not but the taskbar at the
>>>>>>>>> bottom seems to be twice as tall as normal and isn't
>>>>>>>>> drag-able back to it's usual size - cursor also distorts in
>>>>>>>>> this area. I'm not explaining it very well, so have a look at
>>>>>>>>> this photo:
>>>>>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop1.jpg
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> At first I thought it may be a display driver issue but I've
>>>>>>>>> uninstalled and reinstalled without success. I've also used a
>>>>>>>>> program called #1-TuffTest Pro
>>>>>>>>> (http://www.tufftest.com/ttp01.htm) that is self-booting,
>>>>>>>>> operating system independent and never goes anywhere near
>>>>>>>>> Windows, but shows the same results, so I would say that that
>>>>>>>>> rules out any Windows driver issues. Picture of that test
>>>>>>>>> here:
>>>>>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop2.jpg
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> TIA,
>>>>>>>> Hi Pete! Wow that is weird. An external monitor I can see this
>>>>>>>> happening. Internal monitor, I never saw this. Any chance you
>>>>>>>> can hook it up to an external? I suspect the same result.
>>>>>>>> Although you may adjust it to display correctly. In either
>>>>>>>> case, I believe you have to take it in for service. It is
>>>>>>>> still under warrantee, right?
>>>>>>> I haven't as yet hooked it up to an external monitor, but will
>>>>>>> do later today when I have chance, and let you know what I find.
>>>>>>> Unfortunately, it's not in warranty so whatever it is, I'll have
>>>>>>> to pay for the repair if it's a hardware fault (
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks Bill
>>>>>> Bill (and anyone else who's interested, of course), further to
>>>>>> the above I've now hooked it up to an external monitor and the
>>>>>> display on the external monitor is perfect.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Photo at
>>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=laptop2a.jpg
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Don't know what that means though (
>>>>> Hi Pete! Well now we know. I doubt this laptop has a separate
>>>>> video card and it is all on the motherboard. If somebody knows
>>>>> differently, please let us know. Wait... I found a picture of the
>>>>> motherboard...
>>>>> http://www.notebooksolutions.ca/zc/i...oducts_id=2775
>>>>>
>>>>> Nope, it looks like it is on the motherboard to me. Well after the
>>>>> external video jack (which is analog video), it gets converted to
>>>>> digital and fed to the LCD display. So we are talking about the
>>>>> motherboard, ribbon cable, and the LCD display itself. And I don't
>>>>> think it could be the last two, but I could be wrong. So that is
>>>>> what I think anyway.
>>>> Thanks for that Bill, looks like a very expensive repair that isn't
>>>> really worth it - not yet anyway.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers my friend,
>>>>
>>>> Pete
>>> Hi Pete! Well another ribbon cable should be cheap enough to try. I
>>> don't think it is that though. If it were me, I would find one on
>>> eBay working or with some other problem. Best if the other problem
>>> wasn't something wrong with the motherboard. That way you could
>>> swap parts until you find out which one of the three it was. I
>>> really think it is the motherboard though.
>>>
>>> I don't know what you want to do with it. But if you are not
>>> interested in it, I would sell it or something. As somebody can use
>>> it as is or with an external monitor. Or even fix it. <grin>
>>
>> Oh I'll keep it, it's quite useable as it is, just annoying )
>
> When you bought the laptop, the panel may have been declared as
> "1440x900" or the like. What does the control panel currently claim for
> the
> resolution setting ?

Actually the laptop belongs to my niece (or it did until recently when she
decided to get a new one and gave this one to me )) so I don't know what
it was declared as when new. When I look in Control Panel, there's a choice
of only two resolutions, 800x600 and 1024x768. There's a tick-box with the
words "Hide resolutions that this panel cannot display" (or something to
that effect) and there is currently a tick in that box. When I deselect that
choice, other resolutions become available, but selecting any of them makes
no change to the width of the display - that 65mm strip of "darkness" is
still there.

Do you see any "tearing" in the screen, as if
> there is resampling of the image, in order to squish it into a
> smaller area on the screen ?

No

> Do the resolution numbers add up ?
>
> Another test you can try, is to boot a Linux LiveCD and do some
> testing there. If the same weird effect is present, then the problem
> is hardware (panel doing something it shouldn't). If the machine
> appears to work normally, running something like Knoppix Linux, then
> that would suggest the driver is doing something strange in Windows.

I tried a Linux LiveCD as you suggested Paul and there's no change, the
problem is still there - so it's hardware then. Oh dear (

Cheers mate,

Pete

Barry Watzman wrote:
> Re: "Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with the
> screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand side of the
> display that's gone dark. Applications open up properly and you can
> see the whole width of the app, but it doesn't go the whole width of
> the screen - sort of full display but not full screen if you see what
> I mean."
> That is a driver problem. As an example, if I move a hard drive from
> a Toshiba 1415 to a 2415 (or vice-versa), I have seen the same
> problem. Sometimes reinstalling the driver fixes it, sometimes I have
> to reinstall WINDOWS. The 1415 and 2415 are substantially identical
> computers but one has a Celeron and the other a full Pentium 4. No
> explanation, but it's a driver issue (the resolution is set to an odd
> [TRULY odd] value and cannot be reset to the correct value).
>
>
> Pete Zahut wrote:
>> Pete Zahut wrote:
>>> BillW50 wrote:
>>>> In news:29OdnZ-joswuWW3UnZ2dnUVZ8uqdnZ2d@bt.com,
>>>> Pete Zahut typed on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:42:46 +0100:
>>>>> Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with the
>>>>> screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand side of
>>>>> the display that's gone dark. Applications open up properly and
>>>>> you can see the whole width of the app, but it doesn't go the
>>>>> whole width of the screen - sort of full display but not full
>>>>> screen if you see what I mean. Also, don't know if it's relevant
>>>>> or not but the taskbar at the bottom seems to be twice as tall as
>>>>> normal and isn't drag-able back to it's usual size - cursor also
>>>>> distorts in this area. I'm not explaining it very well, so have a
>>>>> look at this photo:
>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop1.jpg
>>>>>

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
>>>>> At first I thought it may be a display driver issue but I've
>>>>> uninstalled and reinstalled without success. I've also used a
>>>>> program called #1-TuffTest Pro (http://www.tufftest.com/ttp01.htm)
>>>>> that is self-booting, operating system independent and never goes
>>>>> anywhere near Windows, but shows the same results, so I would say
>>>>> that that rules out any Windows driver issues. Picture of that
>>>>> test here:
>>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop2.jpg
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

>>>>>
>>>>> Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?
>>>>>
>>>>> TIA,
>>>> Hi Pete! Wow that is weird. An external monitor I can see this
>>>> happening. Internal monitor, I never saw this. Any chance you can
>>>> hook it up to an external? I suspect the same result. Although you
>>>> may adjust it to display correctly. In either case, I believe you
>>>> have to take it in for service. It is still under warrantee, right?
>>> I haven't as yet hooked it up to an external monitor, but will do
>>> later today when I have chance, and let you know what I find.
>>> Unfortunately, it's not in warranty so whatever it is, I'll have to
>>> pay for the repair if it's a hardware fault (
>>>
>>> Thanks Bill
>>
>> Bill (and anyone else who's interested, of course), further to the
>> above I've now hooked it up to an external monitor and the display
>> on the external monitor is perfect.
>>
>> Photo at
>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=laptop2a.jpg
>>
>> Don't know what that means though (
>>
>> Pete

Problem is though Barry, I've tried it outside of Windows as I explain above
(delineated with &&&&&). I also get the same result if I just go into the
BIOS at bootup or run a Linux LiveCD as suggested by Paul, so I'm
unfortunately resigned to it being an expensive hardware problem now. Thanks
anyway mate.

Pete

Fixer wrote:
> "Pete Zahut" <dont@bother> wrote in message
> news:9qidnbzMK-EsA2zUnZ2dnUVZ8vSdnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Paul wrote:
>>> Pete Zahut wrote:
>>>> Got the above laptop and it's just developed a problem with the
>>>> screen/display - there's a 65mm column at the right-hand side of
>>>> the display that's gone dark. Applications open up properly and
>>>> you can see the whole width of the app, but it doesn't go the
>>>> whole width of the screen - sort of full display but not full
>>>> screen if you see what I mean. Also, don't know if it's relevant
>>>> or not but the taskbar at the bottom seems to be twice as tall as
>>>> normal and isn't drag-able back to it's usual size - cursor also
>>>> distorts in this area. I'm not explaining it very well, so have a
>>>> look at this photo:
>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop1.jpg
>>>>
>>>> At first I thought it may be a display driver issue but I've
>>>> uninstalled and reinstalled without success. I've also used a
>>>> program called #1-TuffTest Pro (http://www.tufftest.com/ttp01.htm)
>>>> that is self-booting, operating system independent and never goes
>>>> anywhere near Windows, but shows the same results, so I would say
>>>> that that rules out any Windows driver issues. Picture of that test
>>>> here:
>>>> http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=laptop2.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?
>>>>
>>>> TIA,
>>>>
>>>> Pete
>>>
>>> Have you done a graphics driver update recently ?
>>
>> No - uninstalled and reinstalled driver to try to fix the problem,
>> but not updated.
>>
>>> It looks like a mismatch, between the actual LCD panel,
>>> and what the software thinks it is driving.
>>>
>>> Paul
>>
>> Yeah, I'd agree with you there Paul - except for the fact that I've
>> even used the Recovery CD/Partition to restore the laptop to the
>> state it was in when it left the factory and the display is still
>> faulty even then.
>
>
> Ok the way to tell if its hardware or software causing the problem
> is when the machine starts to boot drop into the BIOS whatever it is
> for your laptop, F2 for Dells , Del for some others but anyway
> whatever it is for your machine. If the problem is there in when you
> look in the BIOS its the LCD panel or Cable or Motherboard port. IF
> it's not there then it's a driver/application, error. Of course you
> could also connect it to an external monitor and again if its there
> then its the grapghics card or motherboard port or software/drivers
> and if its not there then it's the LCD or cable

Thanks Fixer. The problem is still there when looking in the BIOS and even
when running a Linux LiveCD so it's not a Windows driver issue. The problem
is *NOT* there when viewing on an external monitor, so thanks to your
suggestions I'll try a new screen cable first as that's the cheapest )

Thanks mate,

Pete