How do I troubleshoot my monitor if the colors are changing?

Question

For the past month or so, my monitor has been changing colors, such as when I get to the desktop screen instead of it being the normal blue, it has been a yellow-green color and it stays that way, no matter where I go on the computer. Also, instead of the full screen being visible, the bottom part of the screen condenses, which makes it hard for me to see the entire screen. A few times, the picture has condensed to one single horizontal line in the middle of the monitor and the rest of the screen was black. Some of the questions I answered earlier before this, I am unsure of such as hard-drive space.

Answer

This question was answered on June 15, 2007. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

If the monitor is a CRT, then you could try degaussing it. It can be done from a button with a small horse-shoe shaped magnet engraved on it. The monitor may be going bad. The tube's Ray Gun is shorting out and buildup of dust can cause this as well as high heat. Cable from Monitor to PC could have a short. Your graphics card could be acting up. Sometimes a graphics card will have a short or some kind of problem either with the plug (where you plug in the monitor) or with the chipset where it will not be able to produce the right signal for the colors. If possible, plug the monitor into another computer and see what happens. If you are still getting the same problems, check the cable on the monitor and see if any pins are bent or wearing down. If you still have problems, just go buy another monitor, CRT monitors are pretty cheap, look on Ebay for a new one, not used. I would recommened View Sonic, they are the best...Or you could just upgrade and get an LCD. Hope this helps.

Author

Posted by John of Chandler-Gilbert Community College on June 15, 2007