Stuck Pixels

admin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:33:16 +0000

One of the most annoying problems that you can encounter whilst using a computer is a stuck or dead pixel on your monitor. In the case of the former you will be left with one pixel of your screen being a completely different colour and if you suffer from the latter the pixel will be always off, hence appearing black.

I bought a TV last year that arrived with one of the pixels constantly stuck as a bright green. You would imagine that with 2,073,600 pixels having one of them a different colour wouldn’t be a problem but unfortunately it was – I found myself constantly staring at this one pixel whilst ignoring the 2,073,599 ones which were functioning perfectly. I sent it back for a replacement as fortunately the law states that if you purchase a product by mail order that you automatically get 14 days in which you can return it for any reason whatsoever, even if you simply decide that you don’t want it. Once outside this period you start to enter a grey area; many manufacturers won’t consider a stuck or dead pixel to qualify as a warranty issue unless you are suffering from a number of them.

As LCD TV’s and LCD Monitors are now regular household items, this problem is likely to affect many readers at some stage. Dead pixels are irrecoverable as they are caused by a complete lack of power going to that particular section of the screen however stuck pixels are often a different matter. Many people have reported success using these methods on screens where a given pixel is permanently stuck on one particular colour although it is worth noting that they are not guaranteed cures.

Software method – Download Undead Pixel 2.2 from www.freewarefiles.com and set it up to run a very small, rapidly changing window over the immediate area surrounding the stuck pixel. The application will rapidly change the colour of this section of the screen to hopefully unstick the offending dot.

Pressure method – Turn off your computer monitor and grab a damp cloth which has been folded once. Take a ballpoint pen (or any other instrument with a focused but dull point) then apply pressure through the washcloth on the exact point of the stuck pixel. While still applying pressure turn the monitor back on and with any luck this method would have cured the problem. Clearly care should be taken not to apply too much pressure.

Tapping method – Turn the monitor on and display a static colour image that contrasts well with the stuck pixel so that you can accurately locate it on your screen. Using the other end of the pen used in the pressure method start gently tapping where the stuck pixel is – you want to be tapping just hard enough that a small white glow can be seen under the point of contact. Gradually increase the pressure over 5-10 taps and repeat if necessary.

Of course, it goes without saying that whilst you are unlikely to cause any damage to the screen using the software method that the two suggestions that involve physical contact do carry an element of risk if not performed carefully and correctly. If the pixel remains stuck and your warranty doesn’t cover a replacement then the fault may be something you may have to live whilst maintaining hope that the incredibly unlikely will occur and the pixel will eventually unstick itself.

Readers Questions and Answers

admin — Sat, 20 Oct 2001 14:42:47 +0000

This week I will again answer some of the mail that I have been receiving recently in the hope that it will resolve a number of problems that my readers have been having.

I read with interest your article a few weeks ago concerning connecting laptops through mobile phones to the Internet. I currently have a Nokia 6150e and will be going to the Med next year on a boat.

I hope to be able to connect to the net via laptop and mobile phone and would appreciate any info you can provide that will allow access. I had hoped to just have ‘Pay as you go’ but you said this does not work. Why?

Also if it’s not possible to connect via our system of Pay as you go, is it possible to use the Spanish system instead? I’ve tried to find information on the Net but have not had much luck.

I have found the ISP providers that are free in Spain and hope to use one of them for my net connection, instead of phoning back to the UK for my e-mails.

Terry, via e-mail.

Matthew Rhys-Davies of Carphone Warehouse Torquay replies:

The Nokia 6150 is data compatible but requires a Nokia Cellular Data Suite for it to communicate with your laptop which usually costs around £89.99 as the phone itself doesn’t have an internal modem.

Assuming your phone is unlocked (meaning that it can take any SIMcard) then you should be able to use it on another network; unfortunately however I don’t believe that data is supported abroad on pay as you go as it’s such a basic service. Foreign SIM cards typically cost around £20 – £30 and would allow you to benefit from cheaper calls when abroad however as data is a bit of a grey area to be honest and although I am very doubtful it would work, I would not be able to confirm this 100% unless I were to go out there and test it for myself.

Please also bear in mind that if it did work, very few networks support 0800 access and if using a Spanish SIM card then you would require a Spanish ISP to get the cheaper call costs.

For a while I have been meaning to design my own webpage to put onto the Internet but am increasingly confused with what I have to buy in order to make the process as painless and economical as possible. I know that I require to buy a web address but am not sure where to go from there. Any help you could give on designing a webpage would be most appreciated.

John Mills, Roselands.

Since this is a question I am often asked, I have decided that it probably warrants running a series of articles on the subject. You are correct that you do require a website address in order to set up a homepage and so it would probably be best if you or any other people that are considering designing a webpage were to get this situation sorted before the series kicks off next week.

There are many ways in order to gain a website address, probably the cheapest would be use the space that comes free with your ISP (Internet Provider), however there are a number of disadvantages which you should be made aware of:

- You would be obliged to continue using this ISP for the entire time that you required your website to be on the Internet – If you left their service then you would more than likely lose the website address.

- The web address would more than likely have a very cumbersome name. For example instead of www.johnmills.co.uk you may be issued with an address such as www.freeserve.co.uk/johnmills which obviously doesn’t look as professional.

Because of these reasons, I suggest you register your own personal name on the Internet, such as in the first instance (www.johnmills.co.uk) which is incredibly simple and surprisingly affordable.

My personal favourite for this task is a company called Redstation Internet (www.redstation.co.uk) which allows you to register a name of your choosing for £9.40 all inclusive. If you wish to follow this series over the next couple of weeks then I suggest that you get your Internet name registered this week so it will be ready for use when we continue next Saturday.

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Stuck Pixels

Readers Questions and Answers