Trying to use old monitor...doesn't work

[Guest rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com]

I know this may have a simple explanation, but it is unknown to me.

My two-year-old (I think) monitor began to have some problem, and

no longer works (sort of cheap I think...Insignia brand). Anyway,

I thought I'd hook up an old circa 1993 monitor I have in storage to

my two-year-old HP computer. It works fine while Windows is starting

up, but when it gets to the main interface where the wallpaper,

application

icons etc., are, things gets really messy and totally unusable.

 

I've gone into BIOS at the beginning to see if I could see any way

to maybe sorta get a clue on how to make the old monitor work, but

no mention of it as far as I can see. The plug from the monitor that

I had been using has more pins than the plug for the old monitor,

so is this the problem? Should I just go and buy a new monitor?

Thanks!

[Guest Onsokumaru]

Re: Trying to use old monitor...doesn't work

 

 

<rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:dd3039bd-d376-49fe-90f7-fd761466f142@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...

>I know this may have a simple explanation, but it is unknown to me.

> My two-year-old (I think) monitor began to have some problem, and

> no longer works (sort of cheap I think...Insignia brand). Anyway,

> I thought I'd hook up an old circa 1993 monitor I have in storage to

> my two-year-old HP computer. It works fine while Windows is starting

> up, but when it gets to the main interface where the wallpaper,

> application

> icons etc., are, things gets really messy and totally unusable.

>

> I've gone into BIOS at the beginning to see if I could see any way

> to maybe sorta get a clue on how to make the old monitor work, but

> no mention of it as far as I can see. The plug from the monitor that

> I had been using has more pins than the plug for the old monitor,

> so is this the problem? Should I just go and buy a new monitor?

> Thanks!

 

Without knowing the size and type of either monitor, it sounds like the

computer is still trying to use the resolution which the old monitor doesn't

support.

 

Nothing to do with the BIOS, just right click on the desktop and select

properties, then settings tab.

 

Select a resolution suitable for your monitor, then click OK.

 

You may need to reset the font sizes, windows style, etc - it's hard to know

without knowing what customisations you made using your broken monitor.

 

If it still looks "messy", right click on the desktop again and select

"Arrange Icons by". If you choose "align to grid" the icons will not overlap

each other. Again, I don't know how many icons you have on the desktop, but

some people have thousands of them.

[Guest philo]

Re: Trying to use old monitor...doesn't work

 

 

"Onsokumaru" <onsok-sama@ninja.village.jp> wrote in message

news:47e49561$0$6832$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...

>

> <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> news:dd3039bd-d376-49fe-90f7-fd761466f142@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...

> >I know this may have a simple explanation, but it is unknown to me.

> > My two-year-old (I think) monitor began to have some problem, and

> > no longer works (sort of cheap I think...Insignia brand). Anyway,

> > I thought I'd hook up an old circa 1993 monitor I have in storage to

> > my two-year-old HP computer. It works fine while Windows is starting

> > up, but when it gets to the main interface where the wallpaper,

> > application

> > icons etc., are, things gets really messy and totally unusable.

> >

> > I've gone into BIOS at the beginning to see if I could see any way

> > to maybe sorta get a clue on how to make the old monitor work, but

> > no mention of it as far as I can see. The plug from the monitor that

> > I had been using has more pins than the plug for the old monitor,

> > so is this the problem? Should I just go and buy a new monitor?

> > Thanks!

>

> Without knowing the size and type of either monitor, it sounds like the

> computer is still trying to use the resolution which the old monitor

doesn't

> support.

>

> Nothing to do with the BIOS, just right click on the desktop and select

> properties, then settings tab.

>

> Select a resolution suitable for your monitor, then click OK.

>

> You may need to reset the font sizes, windows style, etc - it's hard to

know

> without knowing what customisations you made using your broken monitor.

>

> If it still looks "messy", right click on the desktop again and select

> "Arrange Icons by". If you choose "align to grid" the icons will not

overlap

> each other. Again, I don't know how many icons you have on the desktop,

but

> some people have thousands of them.

>

>

 

Correct...

and if the screen is to hard to read to even do that,

boot to safe mode.

 

but the bottom line is a new monitor will be needed

as one from 1993 would probably not have the high resoltion capabilities now

needed

[Guest Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM]

Re: Trying to use old monitor...doesn't work

 

<rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:dd3039bd-d376-49fe-90f7-fd761466f142@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...

>I know this may have a simple explanation, but it is unknown to me.

> My two-year-old (I think) monitor began to have some problem, and

> no longer works (sort of cheap I think...Insignia brand). Anyway,

> I thought I'd hook up an old circa 1993 monitor I have in storage to

> my two-year-old HP computer. It works fine while Windows is starting

> up, but when it gets to the main interface where the wallpaper,

> application

> icons etc., are, things gets really messy and totally unusable.

>

> I've gone into BIOS at the beginning to see if I could see any way

> to maybe sorta get a clue on how to make the old monitor work, but

> no mention of it as far as I can see. The plug from the monitor that

> I had been using has more pins than the plug for the old monitor,

> so is this the problem? Should I just go and buy a new monitor?

> Thanks!

 

When the computer is turned on keep tapping F8 until a menu shows up.

Choose Safe Mode.

If this works then your screen resolution is probably set too high for the

monitor. Change it.

 

--

Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM

http://www.fjsmjs.com

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