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Recently thin horizontal bands (grey in color) have appeared on my screen. When I’m in Internet Explorer, these bands coincide with the text displayed on the screen (even when i am typing this question). Also, the ‘Back’ button which is green appears nearly fluorescently green instead of the usual green.

If this problem appears, You can try replacing the monitor data cable. It probably won’t amount to anything useful, but it could be the cable. If it isn’t, I’d say just get a new monitor because it is definitely a manufacturer hardware problem. Definitely try to test a different monitor out before you buy a new one, because if the other monitor is fine then you’ve singled out the problem.

The monitor only will run on default mode and it won’t let me adjust resolution, and can’t play games and can’t even download sbc virus protections. I would suggest that you re-install the video driver, or download the most current from dell.com. I am assuming that you are using windows and know how to adjust your desktop settings. If you do not, then right click on your desktop, and select propertys, and then settings. You will then be able to select a higher resolution. If you can not, then, Select advanced, and then the monitor tab.

Verify that the monitor is listed correctly, if not go to the HP website, and look for the correct driver for the monitor, and download and install it. This should open up your choices for resolutions, color depths and refresh rates.

When I first boot the computer the monitor works fine, however, after a short time it goes blank (flickers then goes blank-gray). If I give it a whack or two on the top with the palm of my hand the display reappears and stays on without any further interruption. Is there something loose or stuck closed inside the monitor?

Please don’t do anything to your display anymore, you can cause more damage. The issue is that a solder joint has failed on the pc board within the display. Most repair centers, TV or Computer, can repair this type of issue fairly cheaply. I would recommend doing this as soon as you can, since the intermittant failure can cause other issues.

My pc system is 18 months old and has been running perfectly on Windows XP. The last 4 days the monitor has switched itself off and on repeatedly when the system is booted up. The on/off button on the monitor doesn’t function; it just lights for 1 second, then the screen flicks on for 1/10 second then it switches off, light on switch included, for another second. It will do this for hours. Nothing seems to help; rebooting (difficult if you can’t see the screen), disconnecting power to the monitor. Then, suddenly, the screen appears and the monitor functions perfectly.

Is this a monitor or cpu/system issue? The pc has full service cover but the company who would repair the cpu say its a monitor issue and pass me to the monitor company while the monitor company say its a cpu issue and will not exchange the monitor.

If I understand your description correctly, the monitor will restore its self if you unplug it. That being the case I would suspect that the driver for your video card is suspect. I would try downloading the latest drivers for the mother board, video card, and monitor. If this fails then either the Monitor has its lowest resolution decoder chip failing or the video card is failing. The reason the monitor is flicking off and on is that it is not sure that it is getting a vertical and horizontal signal from the PC. It then goes into shut down.

The only reason this may be an errant diagnosys, is that the led on the front of the monitor, “Light”, turns off as well. If it is turning amber or yellow, then this is the correct diagnosys, and the video card is likely the cause. Also be sure that the data cable from the monitor to the PC is fastened tightly to both connectors if you have connectors at both ends, if not at the PC.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.PCSupplies.info/ . PCSupplies.info carries the best selection of computer accessories and PC supplies on the market. Start shopping by category here: http://www.PCSupplies.info/menu/category.html

When does a trend become the accepted way for things to get done? Is it when everyone jumps on the bandwagon? Perhaps, just when the major players do? Whatever the case, the computer television trend might no longer be considered one. It’s become a fact of life, the new frontier for developers and creators.

With just about every major network in the United States, cable and regular broadcast alike, and a whole host of other networks worldwide all taking part in offering computer television, there’s no denying the marriage between TV and the computer has been sealed.

This provides both good and bad news for TV fans. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of computer television:

Pros

* Variety. It’s virtually impossible for a regular cable or even satellite company to beat the variety that’s offered by computer television. With stations coming in from all over the world as they air or on demand, online viewing just provides a whole lot of choice. Plus, there’s the fact there’s a lot of independent developers out there, providing more choice.

* Added content. Many networks air their shows as they would on broadcast, and then add to the content via online means. This means special web episodes, comic books, blogs and a whole bunch of other vehicles that advance the plotline outside of regular means. This gives fans something to check out in between regular airing and also helps writers and creators develop better show storylines.

* Pricing. Computer television is perhaps the cheapest way going to get the most content. You can’t beat the package deals out there on streaming TV or the per episode costs versus having to buy an entire season on DVD to pick up that one show you missed!

* Freedom. Since federal regulators haven’t put their fingers in the pot as of yet, the content online can follow more natural conclusions. There’s not as big of a fear of censor retribution online.

Cons

* If you’re a TV fan and you don’t happen to have a computer and a broadband connection, you could be missing a lot about your favorite shows.

* Almost too much. It’s hard to say whether this one is a pro or con, but the fact is there is a lot out there to watch, a whole lot. Making choices can be difficult!

* Quality. Not all computer television is of the highest quality, or even legal for that matter. To ensure high quality, services are often the best route to go. Streaming video can be fantastic, but sometimes there will be hiccups even when viewed directly from the network in question. Downloads generally provide a bit of a higher quality.

* Legalities. Some computer television simply isn’t legal. There are those out there that take copyrighted material and put it online without permissions. This is unethical and illegal. The real problem is it can be difficult to tell the difference.

Computer television has been embraced by networks all over the world and is being pushed as the natural progression of this medium. The fact is the trend is no more; computer television is here to stay.

Top 3 sources for computer TV today:

http://www.tvshowdirect.com

I was wondering if you could possibly give some advice on what i should do regarding my current PC. I am leaning towards a new computer all together but was wondering if maybe a few simple upgrades would get my current pc up to scratch?

My Curret PC has the following specs:AMD Athlon XP 3200+, 2200 MHz,512 MB Ram, NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200
150GB Hard Drive and i have an NTFS file system (if you needed that)

It is a home pc that is mainly IE browsing / storage of music. films ect and games. I dont play any shooters / racing games that require rapid FPS but often system draining strategy games that have tons of units on screen or games that have huge databases (football manager ect)

If you’re just looking for a bit more performance out of what you’ve already got, then another stick of RAM is the easiest solution. Just be sure to get a stick that is of the same type as what is already installed for the best results. Judging by the specs you’ve mentioned I’m betting you’ve got DDR right now, so you just need to find the speed.

Open up the case and have a look inside. you might be able to see the label on the stick without having to remove it. You’re looking for something along the lines of “DDR 400″ or “PC3200″ which indicate the speed.

If you can’t see the tag then you’re going to have to take it out. So:

1. Turn off the power.
2. Touch the metal of your case to discharge any static you might has built up.
3. Press down on the little tabs on either side of the RAM slot simultaneously. You might have to press them a bit hard, but the RAM should pop up in the slot and be easily removable. It’s also best to turn your case on its side so you can work down onto the components from above so you don’t have to worry about the case tipping over.
4. When removing and handling your RAM try to handle it by the edges, and avoid touching the metal contact pins as much as possible.

I really reccommend against taking the RAM with you to the store unless you have an anti-static bag to carry it in. I’ve seen some very well-meaning folks ruin perfectly good RAM by putting it in a plastic grocery bag [very staticky] or straight into their pocket.

After all that installing the RAM is pretty much the same process in reverse, just be sure to match up the notch in the pins with the little nubby-thing inside the RAM slot. And if you’ve never installed RAM before… yeah, you’ve really got to push on it to get it in sometimes.

And that, my friend, is what people sometimes pay technicians upwards of $40 to do. Put a stick in a slot. What you really need to know is what most common speed for ddr now is 400mhz and as for the processor AMD has a slightly different way of calulating their clock speed e.g. I have an AMD 3800+ but the actual clock speed is 2.4 ghz

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.PCSupplies.info/ . PCSupplies.info carries the best selection of computer accessories and PC supplies on the market. Start shopping by category here: http://www.PCSupplies.info/menu/category.html

I turn on my laptop and it loads to the login screen. I have Windows XP Professional and the laptop is a Satelite M35X-S109 from Toshiba. When I login about less than 1 minute the computer freezes. I tried to turn the computer on and off, but it frezzes. I think I had somthing to do when i downloaded virus protection from sbc dsl.

Try rebooting and using “Safe Mode”, this is accessible by pressing the F8 key repeatedly before Windows starts to load (you know you have it right when a menu pops up that asks if you want to load windows or run in safe mode along with a few other options), choose Safe Mode (not safe mode command prompt only or safe mode with Networking Support). The touch pad (or trackball) will probably not work and the screen will look funny. Go into the control panel and remove that software and reboot. That may fix it, if not while in safe mode run system restore (Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore) and choose a date prior to installing that software.

I own a Sony Vaio Laptop and I am having CD drive problems. I insert a CD and now it doesn’t recognise it being inserted on the computer. Have tried multiple CDs, checked My Computer numerous times and still nothing.

You’ve probably been told already, but a CD lens cleaner can work wonders. You might also try a blast of Spray air in the side. If there’s a hair or dust on the lens it will not be able to “see” the Disc. Other than this, the laser may be out of alignment.

The screen display has turned from landscape to portrait and I am having to turn my head to wiew the screen.

Sounds like the display settings got changed. Right click an empty spot on your desktop and choose properties from the menu that opens. This will open the display properties window. Somewhere in there should be a setting for screen rotation or similar worded setting that will allow you to change the orientation.

I have a Gateway laptop that’s just barely a year old. The other day, I went to turn it on, and nothing happened! It was working fine prior to that day. Someone said that it could be a surge problem. Any ideas?

You could try to remove the battery and try getting it to work on AC power alone. If that works then try plugging the battery in and turning it back on. If it doesn’t work with the battery and works without it then I suspect the battery may be defective. Modern laptop batteries have circuits inside to tell the computer how much charge they have. Batteries are the weakest link on all notebooks. If it doesn’t work even on AC power with no battery, then get a multimeter and check the output of the adapter and compare it with the specs printed on it. It should be no lower than .1 volts from the specified range, for example, if it says 14.2 volts and you measure 13.5 then there is a good change it’s bad.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.PCSupplies.info/ . PCSupplies.info carries the best selection of computer accessories and PC supplies on the market. Start shopping by category here: http://www.PCSupplies.info/menu/category.html

So what could a tyro do in this remarkable wonderland of computers? Whereas on the one hand, toddlers seem to be moving out of their mother’s womb, ready with familiarity of advanced techniques online, old-timers like me struggle to comprehend the basic concepts. Take for instance my travails with an inkjet cartridge. Tell me, is it not logical that a printer should not be priced lower than its consumable. For instance, why should a a vacuum cleaner bag to be much more expensive than the vacuum cleaner itself? Well, that is what happens when you buy a acquire inkjet printer. You need to go and get not too expensive cartridges that can overtake the price of the printer in a very short time. Probably the way out is to refill older printer cartridges.

Armed with this deep knowledge of inkjet printers, I ventured out into the the maze that we call the Internet and tried to find my way around. So, I visited site after site after site – well you get the idea – just to find that there are a lot of people who want me to perform a lot of online duties. One of the most common duties is to download wallpapers. I can get all kinds of wallpapers, be they about fishes, celebrities, movies, scantily clad women, flowers, and a whole lot more. I do not get it. Why do people want me to download wallpapers? Especially since they all want me to download wallpapers for free. Surely you cannot beat that price. But, still why should I have to look up particular wallpapers? Is this some kind of mass hypnosis, where all the characters in the wallpapers will suddenly come alive and make me do their bidding? Of course what adds to this nuttiness is the offer for me to download a bunch of smileys. These are little smiling faces which have now gotten animated and rather noisy.

In any case, I tread through the path of life soaking in the deep philosophical learning of inkjet printers and wallpapers. On to my abortive progress in life to have my own website…

If you thought that learning about inkjet cartridges was amusing, wait till you hear about my endeavors at hosting. Though you may never have realized it, but there is actually a computer somewhere that “hosts” your site. It literally has all the stuff that you create – called web pages. Hosting can be your friend or it can be your enemy. If you go to see a good hosting service that esteems good technology and excellent customer service, you will get a good night sleep in the knowledge that your servers will not be neglected.

Ajeet Khurana is scared of technology, but you do not have to be. Visit these sites: Web Hosting Company at http://www.hostbrains.com Inkjet Cartridges at http://www.anlj.com Free Desktop Wallpapers at http://www.desktopwallpaperfree.com