VGA LCD Monitor gone blank

Hello, I have two Dell 17" lcd monitors plugged into the ATI Radeon X300 of my Dell Dimension 9100, running Windows XP SP3. The primary is plugged into the vga port and the secondary is in the dvi port using a vga adapter. The secondary monitor, the one in question, is a few years older than the other.

When I booted up the computer today the power led of the secondary monitor was green, but the screen was blank. On closer examination, I realized the screen is actually still working. I can shine a flashlight on the screen and see the picture. I tried swapping the monitor' ports on the video card but nothing changed. I can still use the menu of the monitor, barely, so I tried doing a Factory Reset of all settings, but it didn't help.

If this is an internal hardware issue, what are my options? I love having two monitors but I can't afford to replace it right now. I found guides to replacing the backlight or the inverter but I don't have the tools to do so.

Any help or advice is always appreciated!

Shawn

 

You could get a VGA cable and go from the VGA port on your computer to the VGA port on the monitor.

If that still fails, then I would hook up your working monitor to the same VGA port on your computer that you have your secondary one on now and see if the same thing happens.

If it does, your VGA port is basically shot. if not, then it's the monitor.

 

Thanks for the prompt reply! I swapped vga cables from the monitors themselves, and also swapped the ports they were plugged into, but the picture never changed. The working monitor worked fine while using the broken one's vga cable and port.

I guess the monitor is shot, then?

 

Does the monitor have any physical way of adjusting brightness and/or contrast? Some models have small access ports on the back, through which you can adjust the various pots...

 

There are no access ports or knobs on the back, but using the monitor's menu I can still adjust the brightness, contrast, etc. I just have to shine the flashlight on the screen and lean in close so I can see it, haha. Needless to say, altering the settings doesn't change a thing.

 

I'd have to agree with you and motc7, then, about it being shot - unless you can find a repair shop that can nail the problem quickly, it's probably cost-ineffective to try to repair it...

 

Yes, I suppose you're right, though it's disappointing. There are how-to guides for replacing the backlight very cheaply, such as this one: http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/BacklightFix/Page1.aspx
I lack the tools and expertise to pull that off though. Maybe I'll watch for a second hand replacement that I can get cheap.

Thanks for the help though!