Monitor issue...

I have a Dell flat panel monitor that is maybe 18 months old. When I turned the computer on yesterday, parts of what was on my screen had a pink tint. NOT the entire screen -- just things like certain buttons and boxes and such. When I went into Adobe CS3, some of the things I placed on a page (photos, for example) had a pink tint. Others (some advertisements) did not.

ANY clue? I'm assuming it can't be the monitor itself, since the whole thing isn't pink. However, I've tried restoring factory settings, no luck. I've tried restarting the computer, unplugging and replugging the monitor, etc. I'm at a loss to figure this out.

One example -- the box I'm typing in now is white. However, the area surrounding it (with the smilies, fonts, sizes, etc.) is pink. When I pull up some websites, the background is pink.

One note: I've read that I should degausse my monitor. I've tried every setting on the menu button on the monitor to no avail, and there's no button that looks like a magnet so I guess I can't try that approach.

EEK!

Jen

 

If the "pinkishness" (if that's a word ) is in the same general area of the screen each time it appears, then degaussing is probably the answer.
If it sharply defined to a particular item (such as an input box, for example) then degaussing will have no effect.

Degaussers are readily available at any Radio Shack store.

 

It's defined to specific things like input boxes, yep.

Very strange!

Jen

 

Try doing a screencapture and post the results.
That way we can see if the pink shows up and determine if the problem is actually with the monitor or not.

 

Okay... tell me how to do that, exactly?

Jen

 

First call up a screen where the pink is showing.
Press the "Print Screen" button (Usually above the numeric keypad buttons on a desktop keyboard. On a laptop it usually is in the upper right portion of your keyboard. It may be labeled "PRT SCR" or something similar.)
Open any graphics editor you have. (If you don't have a commercial one like photoshop or paint shop pro, you can use MS Paint, located by pressing Start>All Programs>Accessories>Paint)
Then "paste as a new image".
This should give you an image of your computer screen.
Save the file as a jpg.
Upload it to your post. (click on the "paper clip" icon on your message box)

 

Here you go. This is a spread I was building, you can see that the pictures, which should be b/w, are pinkish. The work area around the page I was building has a pink background, which I didn't set!!

Hope that helps.

 

Actually I can't see any pink tinge.
It appears on my screen as a B/W image.
This means that it is definitely your monitor that is misinterpretting the grayscale colors.
What is the make and model of the monitor?
Perhaps the manufacturer has a setup guide listed online that would help address this issue.

 

Interesting!! The monitor is a Dell, but I don't know the model number offhand. I'm on deadline at the moment, so I'll try to find a userguide online somewhere later on... in the meantime, let me know if you have any other thoughts, and thank you SO much for the help!

Jen

 

Okay, you're absolutely right that it has to do with grayscale. I found a grayscale reader thing on a photography website, and although the black looks correct, the other shades are all tints of pink instead of gray.

Is there a simple way to correct this, or is my monitor just done doing the gray thing from now on?

Jen

 

There may be some adjustment in your monitor setup, but without a model number I can't get a manual to check.
You can try right clicking on an empty spot of your desktop>properties>settings>advanced. This might tell you the details of your monitor. (some will, some won't)
If not, the model number should be printed somewhere on the monitor itself (Back? Bottom?)

 

Okay... it says "128MB ATI Radeon X1300." Interestingly, it's listed as Plug and Play, which I had never noticed before. I tried to change that setting but it just goes back to plug and play.

 

Sorry to say that is the name of your video adapter (video card), not the monitor itself.

 

Okay. Well, unfortunately I can't find anything on the monitor that says what it is. All I know is that it says Dell on it, and has a bunch of tiny type on a metal plate on the back, but nothing else. Grr.

 

I am assuming that you system is XP

I just checked the ATI website and they recommend the driver located on this page
http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx?p=xp/radeonx-xp

You might want to install this driver and see if it doesn't fix the problem.
The page also offers something called "Catalyst" that it says it allows you to:

I've never used this program myself, but it may have a feature that would help you correct the colors.

 

Thank you for all your help... I still can't seem to fix the problem, though I've downloaded the stuff you recommended. Question... could it be that I need a new video card? Is it likely that the monitor just can no longer read grayscale for some reason?

 

It is very difficult to determine which is the problem: Monitor or Video Card.
I just spent some time perusing the Dell support forums looking at grayscale issues.
http://www.dellcommunity.com/suppor...NCwXAfAH_-1&q=grayscale&submitted=true&page=1
It seems that there are some people with similar (but not exactly) the problem you have.
I see Blue, Green even Brown variations, but no pink .

The best advice I see here is to

 

Not that I'd expect this is a problem on an LCD, but have the connections been checked?

Not sure if this means power or data connection.

It happens all the time with CRTs: the connection to the computer loosens, and the display takes on a red, green or blue tint. Had that happen to one of my users this morning, in fact.

Is it possible to test the monitor on another computer that's known to have a good working video system? That would tell us whether it was a monitor or graphics card issue.

P.S.: you can only degauss a CRT monitor. An LCD doesn't have the magnetic plates inside.