Do old computer monitors die slow deaths?
 

I've got a CRT from a 2001 Dell. Twice in the last two days the screen has shrunk, inwards, from side to side. The margins of my "screen" no longer reach the edge of the viewable area on my monitor.

I played with all the adjustments. The "H-size" is maxed out. But I've got a 1/2 inch (maybe more) of dead space on each side of my screen.

Nothing goes black, it just shrinks in a split second.

Is this a sign of some impending failure, or just some bizarre result of user idiocy?

is it plugged in correctly?

It's ****ed.

The tube is going bad. Happens on all CRT sets eventually.

super

but timely, I've been looking for a new computer, guess this will finally get me to pony up...

"...rage! rage against the dying of the porn!"

You CRT has lost it's second level burst.

I bought this Dell in 2001 for just under $1000:

20 GB hard drive
1.4 GHz Pentium
256 MB RAM
15 inch CRT

Never turned it off, except when I moved. Never had a single problem in 5 years.

Now, for between $500-$700 I can get:

160 GB hard drive
2.8 GHz Pentium (with "hyperthreading" whatever that means)
1 GB RAM
17-19 inch flat panel

god bless progress...(yeah, I know, If I built myself yadda yadda....cheaper...better)

I preface with saying that I don't recommend this.

Most CRT's have adjustment knobs somewhere on the inside that may help. You'd literally have to remove the top cover and look around. They're often glued in place. Basically it's a factory adjustment system.

The problem with this is that it may or may not help your situation. On top of that, you really can't adjust them with the monitor off, and there's all sorts of high-voltage crap in there that you could give yourself a pretty good jolt.

So buy a new monitor. :D

thanks, but I don't want any part of the inside of anything electrical...I've more than got my money's worth out of this and I'll shed no tears as I pitch it for something new....

The window for opportunity is quickly closing on your computer components.

You should draft a new flat panel monitor in the first round.

You can get a wide screen 19" LCD for around $200 now. I bought one a few months ago, and love it.

I was thinking of ditching my older 4:3 CRT for a flat panel 16:9 widescreen. My question is, will the display still only show a 4:3 ratio? I assume that the PC itself puts out either 4:3 or 16:9. Is there a way to change that?

XP Home.

You haven't turned it off in 5 years? Yeah, it's definitely just getting weaker. Time to get a new one.

computers are for suckers

Most video cards will let you change to a 16:9 widescreen resolution, like 1280x768, when you attach a widescreen monitor.