HP - New monitor or graphics card?

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Hello. 

 

I have an HP Pavillion. Mom & Dad got it for me a couple of years ago for my birthday. One of those Walmart everything in a bundle. I'm not slighting that.

 

For various reasons, I didn't unbox and set it up until late last /early this year. 

 

She died in Feburary. Would not boot; dive would attempt to turn, and that was it. The technician said she was a good machine, but she'd needed two cleanouts, and it was obvious the cats had peed and sprayed where they shouldn't. She suggested getting the computer higher and turning it off and covering it with a towel when I wasn't using her. I missed the latter a few times, but thought I was doing well. Until this recent problem. 

 

I was playing in the Facebook Game Room, when suddenly, it was like a fog on the monitor. I could kind of see, but not clearly. Then the monitor went into different colored lines and test patterns. 

 

I think I finally hard rebooted, and things came up fine. Stayed that way for a few days, until this morning, when I turned the monitor on. Again with the fog, and the flashing, changing patterns. This time nothing has stopped them or cleared things up. 

 

I turn the monitor off a lot. I'm old school; I got my degrees with the old CRT monitors, where you don't want ghost images, etc. 

 

I've tried rebooting. I've tried unplugging and replugging power to the monitor. I've unplugged and plugged the computer cable on both ends. I've reset to factory settings, just in case the cats had goofed something. I tried to run HP's diagnostics, but I can't see well enough for that. I don't have another monitor to try, except an old CRT that will take a bit to get to. 

 

Is there something else I should try before a trip to the technician? Is there a way to tell what it's more likely to be, a monitor error or a graphics card problem? That's all I can think it could be. 

 

There is a chance that this could be a heat-caused problem. I've had trouble with that before. There's nowhere else to put the computer, though. 

 

I want to either fix the problem, or at least be able to discuss it intellgently. I have some pictures and a short video I took with my phone. I'll try attaching a couple of the shots. 

 

Thanks,

Theresa

 

 

[DevTech]

16 minutes ago, Theresa Ramseyer said:

Hello. 

 

I have an HP Pavillion. Mom & Dad got it for me a couple of years ago for my birthday. One of those Walmart everything in a bundle. I'm not slighting that.

 

For various reasons, I didn't unbox and set it up until late last /early this year. 

 

She died in Feburary. Would not boot; dive would attempt to turn, and that was it. The technician said she was a good machine, but she'd needed two cleanouts, and it was obvious the cats had peed and sprayed where they shouldn't. She suggested getting the computer higher and turning it off and covering it with a towel when I wasn't using her. I missed the latter a few times, but thought I was doing well. Until this recent problem. 

 

I was playing in the Facebook Game Room, when suddenly, it was like a fog on the monitor. I could kind of see, but not clearly. Then the monitor went into different colored lines and test patterns. 

 

I think I finally hard rebooted, and things came up fine. Stayed that way for a few days, until this morning, when I turned the monitor on. Again with the fog, and the flashing, changing patterns. This time nothing has stopped them or cleared things up. 

 

I turn the monitor off a lot. I'm old school; I got my degrees with the old CRT monitors, where you don't want ghost images, etc. 

 

I've tried rebooting. I've tried unplugging and replugging power to the monitor. I've unplugged and plugged the computer cable on both ends. I've reset to factory settings, just in case the cats had goofed something. I tried to run HP's diagnostics, but I can't see well enough for that. I don't have another monitor to try, except an old CRT that will take a bit to get to. 

 

Is there something else I should try before a trip to the technician? Is there a way to tell what it's more likely to be, a monitor error or a graphics card problem? That's all I can think it could be. 

 

There is a chance that this could be a heat-caused problem. I've had trouble with that before. There's nowhere else to put the computer, though. 

 

I want to either fix the problem, or at least be able to discuss it intellgently. I have some pictures and a short video I took with my phone. I'll try attaching a couple of the shots. 

 

Thanks,

Theresa

 

 

 

You are in the right place for technical help and if you are patient, we can walk you through the steps required.

 

To start with, please provide the exact model number and the basic specs of the hardware along with O/S Version and the model number of the Monitor.

 

[DevTech]

For starters, the green bands on the monitor are more symptomatic of a monitor failure than a GPU failure.

 

On the other hand, Urine is Uric Acid which would have possible ongoing nasty effects on any electronics if it splashed onto a circuit board.

 

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Morning

Thanks for the replies. You're fast!

 

+DevTech, I have to leave in about 5 minutes. I will find the box etc. after I get home tonight.  OS is Windows 10, that's as far as I can go off the top of my head. This year has been chaotic. 

 

I am leaning towards a monitor problem. I did a hard computer shutdown a minute ago because I won't be home today. Tried the monitor, it is still doing the same thing.

 

Corinthian, I'm not sure I have another cable. I may have from an older machine; I'm hard on computers. Have at least 4 dead ones in my closet right now; been hoping someday to get hard drives pulled and shelled to use.

 

Have a good day. 

 

Theresa

[DevTech]

1 hour ago, Theresa Ramseyer said:

Morning

Thanks for the replies. You're fast!

 

+DevTech, I have to leave in about 5 minutes. I will find the box etc. after I get home tonight.  OS is Windows 10, that's as far as I can go off the top of my head. This year has been chaotic. 

 

I am leaning towards a monitor problem. I did a hard computer shutdown a minute ago because I won't be home today. Tried the monitor, it is still doing the same thing.

 

Corinthian, I'm not sure I have another cable. I may have from an older machine; I'm hard on computers. Have at least 4 dead ones in my closet right now; been hoping someday to get hard drives pulled and shelled to use.

 

Have a good day. 

 

Theresa

If the computer is turned off and the monitor is showing the same defects such as when trying to access the monitor's built-in menu etc then you can simply conclude:

 

1. The problem is NOT the computer.

 

2. With the computer turned off the cable goes nowhere and so it is NOT the cable.

 

3. Your monitor needs to be repaired or replaced. If you have a budget available, you could benefit from examining the list of monitor suggestions I provided in this post, (although gaining benefit requires NOT completely ignoring all sensible advice like the person in that thread):

 

 

4. There are hints in your description such as the Over-Heating, and Acid-Damage that you may have a SECOND set of problems with the computer itself and we can continue work on fixing that if you want after the monitor situation is resolved.

 

5. If you have some sort para-normal or supra-normal situation that delivers computers to their Ultimate Doom per the mass-grave in your closet, then you may have (or just your Digital Friends have) an OCP (Outside Context Problem) as sometimes encountered in the Culture series of novels by Ian M. Banks.

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excession#Outside_Context_Problem

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture_(series)

 

 

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Thanks +Devtech 

Yes, I felt really stupid yesterday morning when I realized I hadn't tried shutting off the computer and checking. Probably wasn't a need to post at all, was there ?😡 at myself, I'm usually much more on the ball. 

 

I have to run Mom somewhere, will read the article while waiting on her. 

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Wow. That Asus at Amazon is an eyeopener. I wish I had the $ and a good place for it. 

 

Thanks for the thread. I had not known about the panels. I will research today. 

 

Do you find that eye care is useful instead of just a selling gimmick? I wear glasses. I have to use them with the monitor I have now. I have to be careful both at home and at the library to watch my time and take regular breaks, otherwise I get sick. I don't have to use my glasses with cell phones.

 

As for the other, when we get back home, I'll clean up a bit and then post at least a picture so you can see what I have. 

 

Thanks,

Theresa

 

[DevTech]

13 minutes ago, Theresa Ramseyer said:

Wow. That Asus at Amazon is an eyeopener. I wish I had the $ and a good place for it. 

 

Thanks for the thread. I had not known about the panels. I will research today. 

 

Do you find that eye care is useful instead of just a selling gimmick? I wear glasses. I have to use them with the monitor I have now. I have to be careful both at home and at the library to watch my time and take regular breaks, otherwise I get sick. I don't have to use my glasses with cell phones.

 

As for the other, when we get back home, I'll clean up a bit and then post at least a picture so you can see what I have. 

 

Thanks,

Theresa

 

1. EyeCare/Blue Spectrum

 

it is a stupid gimic or not depending what you think about the science behind it. Building the feature into the monitor means that it is always available even when connecting other devices to the monitor. Other than that, you can add free utilities to Windows to do the same thing.

 

The idea is that during the middle of the day, there is more blue light in the spectrum and as sunset approaches, the blue part of the spectrum diminishes and along with other signals, life on Earth uses that to detect the day/night cycle. So if you use TV or computers or tablets late at night, the blue light coming from these devices could disrupt your sleep cycle.

 

Other than discontinuing the usage of modern electronics many hours before sleep, the devices themselves can be setup to gradually reduce the amount of blue spectrum to mimic what natural daylight does.

 

Many people have taken this concept to extremes and feel that the amount of BLUE in all devices should be reduced at all times.

 

Personally, I like a disrupted sleep cycle and HATE the idea that any device is not giving me 100% accurate color rendition at all times, so I would turn off any feature like that.

 

 

2. Glasses

 

You are not specifying if you have otherwise good vision (such as 20/20) and wear glasses specifically to combat nausea with electronic displays.

 

2.A) Resolution/Pixel Density - If you have a modern cell phone near the top end, it has a very high resolution display in a 6 inch size giving High Pixel Density that is a lot easier on the eyes than typical older computer monitors. The measurement is Dots Per Inch (DPI) or Pixels Per Inch (PPI) - same thing - and seeking out a computer monitor with high density could be a solution for you. Which means a 4K monitor in the smallest size you can find.

 

2.B) Refresh Rate - Some people are also bothered by the refresh rate of the monitor and using a high refresh rate can help but is harder to find in general than a standard refresh rate 4K monitor.

 

2.C) Evil Fluorescent Lighting - Some people are affected by the interference interaction between fluorescent lighting and the monitor refresh rate. This is actually quite common. The solution is to eliminate ALL fluorescent lighting in your environment. That means those 4 foot overhead bulbs and the compact fluorescents designed to replace normal light bulbs to save energy. REPLACE ALL OF THAT with LED lighting.

 

(Rant alert: Some people complain that they have no control in a workplace environment but I have yet to see a place that won't let workers pay for the replacement bulbs themselves to achieve better productivity. Although the workplace should pay, the overriding consideration is that the cost is a pittance compared to health.)

 

2.D) Glare - Some people don't pay attention to other light sources in the room reflecting off the monitor's surface in ways that can even lead to bad headaches. Turn off the monitor and pay careful attention to what light sorces you see reflected in the screen - cover or eliminate them or move the angle of the monitor.

 

2.E) Ambient Rear Lighting - To reduce eye strain, there should be a dim light source behind the monitor, similar in brightness to 1 or 2 "night lights" particularly if the monitor has a wall directly behind it. Of course a Window behind the monitor is the opposite problem and the monitor needs to be relocated so that theres is no window behind it (or in front of it re Glare)

 

 

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Afternoon. 

 

Nuts about the eye care. I have heard about the blue light and have played with that little program, fmlight?, that's supposed to adjust based on time. I haven't seen much difference. I was hoping there was something different.

 

Based on the thread, I should mention that I have an extremely low budget right now. Barring a miracle,things will be fairly tight the next few months at least. I'm still going to check the panels and follow your other suggestions, I just don't want to go down the expensive rabbit hole and waste everyone's time. 

 

Glasses: I wear them often, can't really drive without them. I see better w/o them closer than far away. My right eye is much better than my left. I don't wear them just for monitor problems; it's a every day wear prescription. 

 

Density:  My phone is a Axia QS5509a. It's a 480x854 resolution. 

 

I had a Samsung Galaxy J7, but I misjudged my pocket and it got baptized last year. Works when it wants to, hence the Axia. I actually like the Axia better, less bloat. The Samsung was always complaining about memory, the Axia doesn't, though they are supposed to match at 16GB total. 

 

Lights: I have one bare bulb in my ceiling, which is behind and east of my desk. I bought an $11 desk lamp that is LED awhile back for paperwork and has a USB charger in it - one of those $11 from Walmarts. You'll see it in the picture. 

 

At almost 4 PM, there isn't any other reflections. But, as the room's door is slightly behind me and to the west, the hallway and bathroom lights can shine in at night. I'll have to wait until dark to check if any light falls from outside the windows, on the east wall. 

 

Would a rope light be ambient enough? I hadn't heard about lights behind the monitor. I used to have some cheap white rope lights;always thought they were pretty, but others teased me for them, claimed they were a fire hazard, etc. I may still have them. 

 

Have you seen the tiny fairy lights or the LED ropes that are used to frame the TVs, monitors, etc.? I'll be by a light fixture store Tuesday morning, and can see what they have. 

 

Thanks

Theresa

 

 

 

 

 

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Here are pictures of my setup. I had the computer on a roller, but that wasn't high enough off the ground. My old dollbed came in handy. I took the wheels off the roller and set it all in the dollbed. 

 

Darn. Both of my pics are too big. Let me get pets and people taken care of and fed, and I'll take more. 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

haven't heard of fmlight but f.lux has always been one of the best bluelight apps if you'd like to give that a try

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Thanks Brandon. That's what I meant. I knew it started with an f ...

 

Darn. Not letting me upload, even though less than 2 mb. 

 

 

 

 

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Here we go :). 

It's a regular setup, nothing drastic about it. 

 

Except a couple of my computers have died because of too much heat, the techs said. One worked fine at the shop after it died here one night. Never worked here again. And so on ..... 

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

30 minutes ago, Theresa Ramseyer said:

I knew it started with an f ...

"f" word, good job, bro...

[DevTech]

2 minutes ago, Theresa Ramseyer said:

Here we go :). 

It's a regular setup, nothing drastic about it. 

 

Except a couple of my computers have died because of too much heat, the techs said. One worked fine at the shop after it died here one night. Never worked here again. And so on ..... 

That looks like a basement or garage workbench.

 

If you have enough room to the left or right on the "table" that would be a better place for the computer.

 

If you don't mind, it would help to know approximately where in the world you live, since Death By Heat is usually associated with places like Egypt etc. And your rough location would also give me an idea of what type of stores are available to you.

 

As a minor note, I have built all sorts of work surfaces over the years. Your work surface will be more pleasant if you painted it with cheap paint, or even glued photos or dyed flowers or whatever art would be fun and then the secret ingredient is to cover whatever you make with a high quality "Clearcoat" Polyurethane for which they have "single coat coverage" these days...

 

 

 

[DevTech]

11 minutes ago, Theresa Ramseyer said:

Except a couple of my computers have died because of too much heat, the techs said. One worked fine at the shop after it died here one night. Never worked here again. And so on ..... 

So, all our work will be to no avail if this happens again.

 

We need to add it to the problem list and nail it dead. Cooling down computers is the first thing a tech hobbyist plays with because they can't perform right of they are running hot. So lots of expertise here on cooling.

 

Again we need to get a picture of your ambient temperature. 

 

Also, you still have NOT provided the model number and specs of the computer.

 

And look in back of the monitor at the tag and provide the monitor model number as well.

 

[DevTech]

1 hour ago, Theresa Ramseyer said:

Afternoon. 

 

Nuts about the eye care. I have heard about the blue light and have played with that little program, fmlight?, that's supposed to adjust based on time. I haven't seen much difference. I was hoping there was something different.

 

Based on the thread, I should mention that I have an extremely low budget right now. Barring a miracle,things will be fairly tight the next few months at least. I'm still going to check the panels and follow your other suggestions, I just don't want to go down the expensive rabbit hole and waste everyone's time. 

 

Glasses: I wear them often, can't really drive without them. I see better w/o them closer than far away. My right eye is much better than my left. I don't wear them just for monitor problems; it's a every day wear prescription. 

 

Density:  My phone is a Axia QS5509a. It's a 480x854 resolution. 

 

I had a Samsung Galaxy J7, but I misjudged my pocket and it got baptized last year. Works when it wants to, hence the Axia. I actually like the Axia better, less bloat. The Samsung was always complaining about memory, the Axia doesn't, though they are supposed to match at 16GB total. 

 

Lights: I have one bare bulb in my ceiling, which is behind and east of my desk. I bought an $11 desk lamp that is LED awhile back for paperwork and has a USB charger in it - one of those $11 from Walmarts. You'll see it in the picture. 

 

At almost 4 PM, there isn't any other reflections. But, as the room's door is slightly behind me and to the west, the hallway and bathroom lights can shine in at night. I'll have to wait until dark to check if any light falls from outside the windows, on the east wall. 

 

Would a rope light be ambient enough? I hadn't heard about lights behind the monitor. I used to have some cheap white rope lights;always thought they were pretty, but others teased me for them, claimed they were a fire hazard, etc. I may still have them. 

 

Have you seen the tiny fairy lights or the LED ropes that are used to frame the TVs, monitors, etc.? I'll be by a light fixture store Tuesday morning, and can see what they have. 

 

Thanks

Theresa

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Your cell phone does NOT have high pixel density so that is NOT a factor in your eye strain issue.

 

If you have a local Dollar Store chain from China, you can buy a LED night light. Cover the light sensor with tape and it will turn on all the time with a 4 watt brightness.

 

The old rope lights used incandescent bulbs and could get hot and so they usually came with a warning for Outside Use Only. The modern equivalent is a LED Light Strip and those are way wacko fun and many come with a remote control!

 

Your #1 Priority is a new Monitor and we can advise you on specific models and even used models to fit any budget. Assuming you are really tight, a used Dell UltraSharp at 24 or 25 inches and a 1920 x 1200 resolution could look a lot nicer than most new monitors and is probably larger than what you have to reduce eye strain.

 

 

 

 

[DevTech]

19 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

"f" word, good job, bro...

Oh good grief. Lets focus on finding a used or new monitor for the OP once we find out what stores are available.

 

There is a nice kind of non-esoteric roll up the sleeves hobby vibe to this set of interesting interlocking issues!

 

[+Warwagon MVC]

23 minutes ago, DevTech said:

 

If you don't mind, it would help to know approximately where in the world you live, since Death By Heat is usually associated with places like Egypt etc. And your rough location would also give me an idea of what type of stores are available to you.

I'm going to guess Missouri

[DevTech]

10 minutes ago, warwagon said:

I'm going to guess Missouri

Ha! As a child I went camping in the Ozarks somewhere near Kansas and it was HOT.

 

All the waters were dark mud brown like the landscape itself had melted and merged into the rivers...

 

[Theresa Ramseyer]

4 hours ago, Mindovermaster said:

"f" word, good job, bro...

 

4 hours ago, DevTech said:

So, all our work will be to no avail if this happens again.

 

We need to add it to the problem list and nail it dead. Cooling down computers is the first thing a tech hobbyist plays with because they can't perform right of they are running hot. So lots of expertise here on cooling.

 

Again we need to get a picture of your ambient temperature. 

 

Also, you still have NOT provided the model number and specs of the computer.

 

And look in back of the monitor at the tag and provide the monitor model number as well.

 

Oh. Sorry. I thought we were just focusing now on the monitor. 

 

Computer is an HP Pavilion 550-153wb. Monitor is a 23" full HD IPS LED Monitor. The back of the monitor doesn't have any stickers, but has HDMI and VGA and another other connector space. Sorry for the dust. 

 

Windows 10 home for the OS. 4th gen Intel core i3-4170 processor. 6GB DDR system memory. 1 TB hard drive. Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 and Wireless Lan. Intel HD graphics 4400, systems memory is used for graphics/video. (Ok, so I was lazy and did not go dig the box out to doublecheck before I first posted either.)  HP 7-in-one micro card reader. 

 

That's the basics from the box. I switched to a wireless keyboard and bought new $20 speakers. 

 

I've never had monitor problems before. This is my second one in totality. I had a big CRT for over a decade before it finally gave up the ghost. I don't recall having an instruction book, or anything aside from a page for putting the monitor together, and then the big foldout to get everything together correctly and in order. 

 

Yes, I'm in Missouri. SW corner of the state. Joplin is the closest town that is likely to be on a map. Carl Junction is a bedroom town a few miles away. 

 

If you're into the US Civil War, I drive by Radar's Farm quite a bit. Carthage isn't too far away, and Wilson's Creek is few minutes more. 

 

We've had crazy weather this year. It's been cooler than usual, we even had a frost/freeze warning the other night. Kansas City had snow and ice, they're about 4 hours north. Crazy. 

 

+DevTech, where at in the Ozarks? You were probably pretty close. 

 

Right now it's 9:30 at night. Depending on which one I'm checking, it's either 62 or 58 F outside. I have no idea what it is in here. I can find or get a thermometer if you'd like. 

 

[DevTech]

5 hours ago, Theresa Ramseyer said:

Based on the thread, I should mention that I have an extremely low budget right now. Barring a miracle,things will be fairly tight the next few months at least. I'm still going to check the panels and follow your other suggestions, I just don't want to go down the expensive rabbit hole and waste everyone's time. 

Here is an example of a low cost Premium Monitor from 2012, a Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24-Inch that is still better than most monitors today for under $80:

 

$77 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-UltraSharp-U2412M-24-inch-Black-Full-HD-16-10-1920-x-1200-LED-LCD-Monitor/303135978048?epid=108867251&hash=item46944ff240:g:oGEAAOSwNixcxEU6

 

$75 https://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSharp-24-Inch-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B005JN9310

 

 

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Dawned on me to flip the monitor down on it's front. Sticker is on the bottom edge. Hp 23 vx 23 inch ips led backlit monitor. Manufactured nov. 2015. Product number: m6v67aa. Assembly part no: 702820-060. Rev. Rim111 serial 3cm546055L. 

 

 

[Theresa Ramseyer]

Wow. With the way things have been going lately, I was sure it was going to be super expensive. Probably at least a few hundred. 

 

Thanks :). 

 

I'm learning a lot too, always a good thing!

 

[DevTech]

6 minutes ago, Theresa Ramseyer said:

 

Oh. Sorry. I thought we were just focusing now on the monitor. 

 

Computer is an HP Pavilion 550-153wb. Monitor is a 23" full HD IPS LED Monitor. The back of the monitor doesn't have any stickers, but has HDMI and VGA and another other connector space. Sorry for the dust. 

 

Windows 10 home for the OS. 4th gen Intel core i3-4170 processor. 6GB DDR system memory. 1 TB hard drive. Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 and Wireless Lan. Intel HD graphics 4400, systems memory is used for graphics/video. (Ok, so I was lazy and did not go dig the box out to doublecheck before I first posted either.)  HP 7-in-one micro card reader. 

 

That's the basics from the box. I switched to a wireless keyboard and bought new $20 speakers. 

 

I've never had monitor problems before. This is my second one in totality. I had a big CRT for over a decade before it finally gave up the ghost. I don't recall having an instruction book, or anything aside from a page for putting the monitor together, and then the big foldout to get everything together correctly and in order. 

 

Yes, I'm in Missouri. SW corner of the state. Joplin is the closest town that is likely to be on a map. Carl Junction is a bedroom town a few miles away. 

 

We've had crazy weather this year. It's been cooler than usual, we even had a frost/freeze warning the other night. Kansas City had snow and ice, they're about 4 hours north. Crazy. 

 

+DevTech, where at in the Ozarks? You were probably pretty close. 

 

Right now it's 9:30 at night. Depending on which one I'm checking, it's either 62 or 58 F outside. I have no idea what it is in here. I can find or get a thermometer if you'd like. 

 

 

1. Monitor

 

- repair or replace

- I have started with a suggestion for low cost, we will see what you think of it and what your budget is

 

 

2. Sargasso of Dead Computers

 

- ok, so you live in a "temperate" climate i.e . NOT Death Valley, California.

- do you use air conditioning in the summer? if not, did your computers die in summer?

- describe the situations in which your current computer seems to overheat

- you mentioned Facebook Games - can you list the games you play? or better yet are any of them 3D?

 

 

3. Ozarks

 

- long time ago, not sure how I could find out, my Dad passed away, my Mom still alive but not the sort of thing she payed attention to...

- but I have strong memories and somewhere, even home movies!