Dead Monitor

I have a pretty old Dell 27" monitor that appears to have died yesterday. I was doing something, and the screen went black. A reboot didn't change anything, so I swapped in a different monitor, and all was well.

I was in a bit of a frantic rush with swapping in that other monitor, and haven't fully gotten the work station back into order, but I thought I might ask on here whether there is any hope for that old monitor, or whether it is likely just dead?

I must say that I've gotten my money's worth out of the monitor. I was thinking that I bought it when I was in Florida, but I don't think 27" flat screens even existed back then. It certainly is old. I shelled out $700 for that monitor, as it was quite good, and that was a good price for a 27" monitor at the time that I bought it. Naturally, I can replace it for a small fraction of that amount, so I'm not overly concerned. Still, I'd rehab it if people thought there was any hope for it.

There was no 'white smoke', or any noise at all, the screen just went black. Lights were still on, to some extent. The power button was still lit, and when I rebooted, I could tell the difference between unpowered and powered on, but the image was black.

Does that sound fatal, or is there something I should try?

It sounds like the backlight may have died. Those are generally replaceable. Post the exact model number and we can check to see what one might cost, and how much trouble it might be to replace.

For grins, do you have another pc you can test the monitor on?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jdc2000

It sounds like the backlight may have died. Those are generally replaceable. Post the exact model number and we can check to see what one might cost, and how much trouble it might be to replace.

---

I'll have to get back to you on that, once I get home.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steve R Jones

For grins, do you have another pc you can test the monitor on?

---

Now that I think about it, I might have one lying about. The monitor is so old that it doesn't have any of the newer video inputs, and I might not be able to cobble together cables, but I do believe I have an older computer that I could use for a test.

Adapters:

https://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-A.../dp/B01GPMRYNM

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters.../dp/B00879DM56

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-.../dp/B000067SOH

The monitor is a Dell 2405 FPW from back in 2005. Not as old as I thought....but still old.

I tried it out on a different computer, and the screen was black. The monitor appeared to come on, based on the LED in the power button lighting up and turning green, but the screen stayed black.

Possibly useful links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZE_R8CPtM0

https://www.dell.com/community/Monit...t/td-p/3380775

https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1...s-alive-again/

https://www.ebay.com/itm/123897324412

https://www.google.com/search?q=dell...client=gws-wiz

We had an LG monitor at the office going black and the issue was the monitor power adapter.
If it is an outer power adapter you might be in luck and changing it might fix the issue. If it is an inner one, well, couldn't hurt to try another cable or check you power plugs.
Also are you able to do a factory reset? This does not require a PC plugged in.
Other than that, if the screen goes green, the monitor might by useful for old Hercules PC games! :wave:
You can get a cheap 200-300$ one tho and give that for recycling (always recycle). Also since you are in US the 200-300$ monitors I have in mind, might cost even less there.
BTW I know the feeling. I have an 6 years 27 LG-TV monitor that I use for all purposes and I really would want it to go bad as the newer ones does not seem to have the TV option (or at least not the ones that I was looking for). It has some burned pixels (the most obvious one, for some kind of season mini bugs (actual living bugs) that went into the monitor and I kindly squashed one of them , resulting into a dead pixel (the other bugs went to it's funeral so they left the house) ) but you have to get very close to notice, so, I'm also a keeper till deader.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker

The monitor is a Dell 2405 FPW from back in 2005. Not as old as I thought....but still old.

I tried it out on a different computer, and the screen was black. The monitor appeared to come on, based on the LED in the power button lighting up and turning green, but the screen stayed black.

---

That's a 24", not 27" :bigyello:
And probably VGA and DVI-Slots only (maybe these funny 3 RGB-plugs as well)
Question: Is the OSD-menu working? As in: if you push the Button for the screens own Menu (for settings, language, brightness, contrast etc.) does it appear?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zvoni

That's a 24", not 27" :bigyello:

---

All these years, I've thought it was a 27" monitor, but after reading up on the model number, it didn't seem possible. I measured it this morning, and it really is a 24" monitor. It's a bit of a monster, as well. It's heavy and large for a 24", but the screen really is 24" diagonal. That was a surprise.

Quote:

---

And probably VGA and DVI-Slots only (maybe these funny 3 RGB-plugs as well)
Question: Is the OSD-menu working? As in: if you push the Button for the screens own Menu (for settings, language, brightness, contrast etc.) does it appear?

---

Yeah, those are the plugs it has.

As for the question: Nothing is showing up. No menu.

Sadly not worth fixing. You could replace the power supply, the LEDs or fluorescent tubes and the logic board in turn, 30-40 GBP each if you are lucky. One of them has died and I suspect it is the power supply.

Lots of screws to undo, several layers of plastic and a few plugs to undo. The main issue is getting the parts and the schematic. Checking voltages will indicate the PSU as the culprit or not. Big caps may need replacing.

If it is fluorescent tubes, chuck it. If it is LEDs there might be a small daughterboard where you need to check the 12/24v.

If it is the logic board then that will be the hardest part to find and the most expensive.

If you strip it, it will be a good source of LED strips for under shelf lighting.

There's always the question of whether or not it is worth fixing. With prices so cheap these days, and realizing that it was only a 24" monitor in a massive container, the cost of fixing it is hard to justify. If it is just the backlight, and the symptoms do match that pretty well, then the cost of a replacement part would be around $40. If that is not the case, then I'd be chasing part after part. Considering that I can get a 27" monitor for around $150, it's a bit of a conundrum. After all, the monitor is 17 years old, by now.

In terms of considering a new monitor, bear in mind that technology has moved on in various ways - an important one being that energy usage for near-identical models has reduced massively (from what I've seen, it tends to be roughly 70% less electricity now than 17 years ago), so it is likely that getting a new monitor will save you money on electricity (how much that saves you depends on the monitors, your electricity prices, and how many hours the screen tends to be on).

Given the age of the monitor, getting a new one could potentially be cheaper overall than fixing the current one.

Might worth boosting the price a little, 50-100$ to get a better 27'' monitor. Don't go to the absolute low,.
Also, for a monitor, that you can actually make the comparison to other ones by yourself (aka , your eyes), I would suggest a visit to a local mega store...And then of course buy it online....Just, no Levono ones, alright?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by si_the_geek

In terms of considering a new monitor, bear in mind that technology has moved on in various ways - an important one being that energy usage for near-identical models has reduced massively (from what I've seen, it tends to be roughly 70% less electricity now than 17 years ago), so it is likely that getting a new monitor will save you money on electricity (how much that saves you depends on the monitors, your electricity prices, and how many hours the screen tends to be on).

Given the age of the monitor, getting a new one could potentially be cheaper overall than fixing the current one.

---

That's a very good comment. That monitor tends to be on an average of...oh, perhaps 28.5 hours per day. Well, not really, of course, but yeah, I use it a LOT. My electricity is pretty cheap, but I'd still be happy to use less.

I'm actually leaning towards following both strategies: Replace the monitor with a new one, but also repair the old one, just to try it out.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sapator

Might worth boosting the price a little, 50-100$ to get a better 27'' monitor. Don't go to the absolute low,.
Also, for a monitor, that you can actually make the comparison to other ones by yourself (aka , your eyes), I would suggest a visit to a local mega store...And then of course buy it online....Just, no Levono ones, alright?

---

Not sure what the Lenovo comment is about. Is it because they're now a Chinese company? I didn't even know they made monitors, and haven't seen any in my brief look around, but I'll take your word for it.

In my case, I have a size constraint such that I'm not sure that I can even go with a 27" monitor. Might go with another 24". I'm currently using a 27" in place of the dead one, and it seems okay, but barely so. The desk is the limitation. It's not a great desk, as far as material quality is concerned. It's one of those that would dissolve if it encountered water. However, I'm using every inch of surface on it, and I couldn't easily replace it with a wider one due to space limitations in the room.

I totally agree with seeing them in person. Monitors can vary so greatly in image quality and color. I have one at work which is useless for certain tasks because the contrast simply doesn't go high enough to be useful. Works fine for most of what I do, though, so I haven't bothered replacing it.

I probably WILL go with the buying in person, though. Are you thinking I'd get better deals online? You might be right about that, but not by much, in my case, and maybe not at all.

Get something new with no flickering, good color reproduction and if it is for development and work - try to find something 16:10 if available.

At Costco today and saw a 27" LG on sale for $140.

Quote:

---

In my case, I have a size constraint such that I'm not sure that I can even go with a 27" monitor. Might go with another 24". I'm currently using a 27" in place of the dead one, and it seems okay, but barely so. The desk is the limitation. It's not a great desk, as far as material quality is concerned. It's one of those that would dissolve if it encountered water. However, I'm using every inch of surface on it, and I couldn't easily replace it with a wider one due to space limitations in the room.

---

Mount it on the wall. Go crazy, get as big as you want.

An extra 3" is not something to complain about.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker

Not sure what the Lenovo comment is about. Is it because they're now a Chinese company? I didn't even know they made monitors, and haven't seen any in my brief look around, but I'll take your word for it.. Are you thinking I'd get better deals online? You might be right about that, but not by much, in my case, and maybe not at all.

---

In this case I would highly insist of taking my words for it. Back in the company we have a storage room packed with broken monitors...You don't want to know how many Lenovo's are in there.Granted they are cheap 21'' but since you are looking for something close to that...
In Greece you can get better deals online.I was looking for a phone, since my current is going on it's 8th year. I was in the 500-600Euro range and the mega stores have those I was looking for , for 500-600, while online acknowledge stores have them for 100Euro less, again, granted we have a specific road in Athens that is a "computer and electronics land" so I can probably get something in person for a cheaper price than the mega stores but not less than online stores.
For a Monitor, it's also the shipping price so it might equalize with a shop, unless I go and pick it up from their storage.

My 2 cents for the monitor. If you don't play games you don't have to worry about a super high refresh rate or response time. I would focus on the color smoothness and brightness, true black etc and get the correct size from desk distance. There is no reason to get a 27'' monitor if you are putting it on you desk. Get a 24'' with a better quality....Said the person that has a 27'' monitor on his desk :D

Agree with the Lenovo-Comment.
Same in the company i work for. Don't know how many we threw away.
I'll add Dell-Monitors to the Lenovo-Comment.
I just don't like them.

From my side: We have (company-provided) Samsungs 24"/27", and we're pretty satisfied with them.
No idea about those "quality"-properties mentioned (Refresh rate etc.), since we're a trading company.
Meaning: ERP, Office, Internet, EMails, and some special programs on specific Workstations (CAD, DMS etc.)

:D:D:D
Boss: "Make me money"
Me: "OK Boss. How about that 55"-Screen for my Office?"
Boss: "Will you be able to make more money with it?"
Me: "Not sure..."
Boss: "Denied!"

Personally, instead of one 27" monitor I prefer a couple of smaller ones.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wes4dbt

Mount it on the wall. Go crazy, get as big as you want.

---

I considered that, actually, but decided against it. The desk is pretty good, despite being cheaply made. The drawback is that I can only have two monitors on it. The positive is that I can store a lot of stuff on it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sapator

In this case I would highly insist of taking my words for it. Back in the company we have a storage room packed with broken monitors...You don't want to know how many Lenovo's are in there.Granted they are cheap 21'' but since you are looking for something close to that...
In Greece you can get better deals online.I was looking for a phone, since my current is going on it's 8th year. I was in the 500-600Euro range and the mega stores have those I was looking for , for 500-600, while online acknowledge stores have them for 100Euro less, again, granted we have a specific road in Athens that is a "computer and electronics land" so I can probably get something in person for a cheaper price than the mega stores but not less than online stores.
For a Monitor, it's also the shipping price so it might equalize with a shop, unless I go and pick it up from their storage.

My 2 cents for the monitor. If you don't play games you don't have to worry about a super high refresh rate or response time. I would focus on the color smoothness and brightness, true black etc and get the correct size from desk distance. There is no reason to get a 27'' monitor if you are putting it on you desk. Get a 24'' with a better quality....Said the person that has a 27'' monitor on his desk :D

---

Good to know. I'll be taking a tape measure to the store with me. I think the price difference between online and in person isn't worth the wait, to me. I want the 27" monitor that I am currently using, back on the computer I took it from. It was part of a matched pair of Acer 27" monitors. I wouldn't be opposed to getting another one of them, though, as they've been pretty good.

I'll be looking at 27", if they are narrow enough to fit, and 24".