Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Destroyer]

I have been using my LCD TV as second monitor for two weeks now with no problems. Last night I turned it on like normal and it would only show a frozen shot of my desktop with a few random messed up pixels (green horizontal lines, purple dots). My laptop screen functioned as normal but anything I did on it would not show up on the TV screen.

Can anyone offer advice on this problem?

I've exhausted my meager store of computer knowledge by messing with the resolution, rebooting, checking to see if there are any hardware conflicts, driver errors, blah blah blah. Always a frozen screen with a few mixed pixels. Cable works fine, xbox works fine, DVD player works fine.

[gsxr750r]

Sounds like it could be your graphics card.

[Destroyer]

Thanks for such a quick response gsxr750r!!

My graphics card is listed as: Intel 855GME but I can't find much more information than that. No one else complaining of problems. I do know that my PC is not so hot at 3D games and stuff, 64mb shared memory, would this also effect its ability to use an external monitor? I thought that was pretty straight forward.

If it is my graphics card, what can I do about it? Also, why doesn't my computer say it is having a problem with the graphics card when it is obviously not working?

Also, also, why would it work for two weeks and then suddenly stop working? overheating??

[gsxr750r]

Well, you said you played with drivers... wondering if rollling back and reinstalling the driver might help? Maybe you tried that? Drivers can be damaged, even after working fine for a while. It's not uncommon. If the monitor worked before, then it's not a memory problem. 64 is pretty small, but doable, if it worked before. Just not for games.

Hardware can just go bad, you know... could be that.

So you say the monitor works fine through other sources using that same input?

[Destroyer]

I did a system restore to a week ago (when it worked fine) but that isn't the same as rolling back the drivers, is it... Tonight I will directly update the driver from Intel's website and see what happens.

I've also been reading about some function on the graphics chip called "dual display clone" and I will see if that does anything. Perhaps it was just a fluke that the monitor worked like it did without me going through the proper procedures to make two monitors work??

The tv, dvd and xbox are on different inputs, the PC runs through a standard 15 pin monitor port. I've unplugged and all that jazz, still a frozen screen. And if that cable or the port was broken, WTF would a single screen get through?

My wife has got a tech guy from the TV manufacturer coming by tonight or tomorrow so I might just have to make monkey noises while he solves the problem.

I shall post the results whether favorable or foul. Might just be time to get a dedicated PC for this TV.

Thanks for yr. help gsxr750r. You put me on the trail of the graphics card, which I favor as being the problem over anything else...

[gsxr750r]

Uninstall and replace the driver.

Dual display clone simply means it outputs the identical desktop on both monitors.

It could be your port, too. Is there a way to output to another monitor port? Try that.

Or, bad cable. That is very possible as well. One pin breaks, bends out of place, or a wire inside snaps, and it can do all kinds of weird things like this.