Flat screen monitor wont work on my PC

I was given a flat screen monitor and it just wont stay on, keeps flickering on and off..I am a complete computer novice...help please, any advice welcome.

 

First, welcome to MajorGeeks! :major
Second, is it the picture that flickers on and off? Or the power flickering on and off? If it's just the picture (meaning the screen goes black, but the power light stays on), then it could be the refresh rate is set too high. Most LCD's can't handle high refresh rates. So, boot up in Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key repeatedly when the PC is turned on; start pressing it right after the PC logo screen goes away. You should get a Windows Boot Options menu. Using the arrow up and down keys, select Safe Mode. When the PC loads to the desktop, the colors should be kind of strange and different; it's normal for safe mode. If the desktop stays up and picture doesn't go out, then we know the screen is OK, and that the problem is either the refresh rate or the resolution, or the driver. Right click My Computer, select Properties, click Hardware, click Device Manager. Look for Display Adapters in the list and click the little plus sign next to it. Write down what it says. It should say something like "NVidia Geforce FX5200" or maybe "Intel 82810 Graphic Controller" or something similar. Anyway, write it down, then right click on it and select Uninstall. It'll ask "Are you sure?" and you'll say "Yes". Restart the PC. With any luck, Windows will start up and reload the video driver for you. If it doesn't you'll need to go online to download the driver for the device you wrote down. If you can't find it online, or the above steps didn't work, post again, and we'll go from there.

NOTE- most computer parts that are given away, are usually given away for a reason. Very few people will give away a perfectly good, functional flat screen... I'm not trying to be mean or negative, I'm just making a statement gleaned from years of computer experience...