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Topic: Everything On My Monitor SHRINKS! |
Richard Damron
From:
Gallatin, Tennessee, USA (deceased)
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Posted 21 Jul 2010 8:18 am |
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Hey folks -
Y'all know that I visit periodically, lurk in the shadows and have nothing to contribute so ya don't even know that I'm around. UNTIL - disaster strikes! Like now!
Basic info: Dell XPS410, Windows Vista, IE8, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD.
Figure THIS one out: Everything is rockin' along nicely - then - the screen blinks - the dreaded black screen appears for a couple of seconds - the page reappears - but the text and graphics are shrunk. Really small for these old eyes, folks! Further, my desktop has shrunk to about 70% of normal. I have arranged my icons in three neat rows along the left side. They are now in some random order and crammed into the upper left hand corner.
The zoom indicator in the lower right hand corner says "100%". Under the "Page" drop-down menu, the Text Size is "Medium" and "Zoom" is, as you would expect, 100%.
To complicate matters further, I periodically get a pop-up window which says "Parsing error in file C:\ProgramFiles\HP\DigitalImaging\bin\hpqsloc\1033.xml". This is always followed by a nondescript screen seemingly associated with HP and stays but for a couple of seconds before disappearing. Yes, I use an HP printer. Have uninstalled the software and reinstalled it but to no avail.
Its' been suggested that I stay away from a System Restore but that is the only way that I can get things to return to normal. I judiciously pick the Restore Point which coincides with known good performance.
Any advice or suggestions would be most welcome.
Respectfully,
Richard |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2010 11:58 am
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Try system restore. Keep going back in time to try to find a point that fixes the display issues. If none fix the shrinking, it may be caused by a bad or loose video cable, a failing video card/chipset, overheating inside the case, a corrupted video driver, or a failing monitor.
Contact Dell for the latest video driver for your model and serial number. Download and install it, then reboot. That may fix it on the spot.
If the display jumps as you touch the video cable, make sure it is screwed in tightly at both ends. If so, the cable may be bad. Buy a replacement at a computer store.
If the monitor is suspect, borrow another similar one, hook it up and see if the problem goes away. If so, buy a new monitor.
Open the case with the power disconnected and vacuum out hair and dust bunnies. Use a snout attachment to get dust off vents and fans, especially the heatsink and fan on the CPU. Alternately, get a can of compressed air and blow away the dust from the heatsink, then vacuum it out of the case.
If installing the latest video driver or following the previous steps doesn't fix the problem, it may be an internal video chipset problem, or the solder joints on the video output jack may have come loose. check your warranty to see if it is still in force. If so, request an RMA ticket, then ship the PC back to Dell. Make sure the RMA code is on the box.
If your PC is out of warranty, buy a plug-in video card that has connectors compatible with your Dell motherboard. Remove a metal cover from the slot where you will be placing the new card. Install the video card, seating it firmly into its socket and fasten a securing screw to the case. Reboot and insert the driver disk. When Windows detects the new hardware, dismiss the new hardware wizard. Run the installation from the disk supplied with the video card. Reboot into your BIOS (tapping the designated key), then disable the failed onboard video chipset. Set the add-on card as the new video device, save and exit the BIOS, then turn off the PC. Move the video cable to the new card's output connector, then restart the computer. If you did everything right you will see text and graphics onscreen as the PC boots into Windows.
You should now be able to adjust your settings from within Windows.
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
Twitter: @Wizcrafts
Main web pages: Wiztunes Steel Guitar website | Wiz's Security Blog | My Webmaster Services | Wiz's Security Blog |
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Chris Dorch
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2010 12:14 pm
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| Perhaps this will solve the error, but not the monitor issue.. |
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Richard Damron
From:
Gallatin, Tennessee, USA (deceased)
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Posted 21 Jul 2010 4:14 pm
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Wiz and Chris -
My many thanks for your efforts. Will attempt these fixes as soon as time allows. Will give you a progress report.
Respectfully,
Richard |
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