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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.

Seasons Greetings.

admin — Sat, 21 Dec 2002 16:14:42 +0000

Since we’re on the run up to Christmas I thought we’d take a lighthearted break this week from learning about Firewalls, Anti-Virus programs and LCD Monitors and instead I’ve decided to publish the following e-mail which landed in my inbox this week. Finding any computer related jokes that’s slightly funny is an arduous task but this one put a little smile across my face. With the business that seems to come associated with Christmas, publishing this e-mail will also save me the smallest amount of time that can be used to allow me to give one final push in order to get my customers machines finished and PC problems resolved in time for the big day.

A language instructor was explaining to her class that in French, nouns unlike their English counterparts, are grammatically designated as masculine or feminine.

“House,” in French, is feminine-”la mansion.”

“Pencil,” in French, is masculine – “le crayon.”

One puzzled student asked, “…What gender is computer?…”

The teacher did not know, and the word wasn’t in her French dictionary.

So for fun she split the class into two groups appropriately enough, by gender, and asked them to decide whether “computer” should be a masculine or feminine noun. Both groups were required to give four reasons for their recommendation.

The men’s group decided that computers should definitely be of the feminine gender (“la computer”), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your pay check on accessories for it.

The women’s group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine (“le computer”), because:

1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but they are still clueless;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you’d waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

So all that’s left for me to do now is to wish all of you a very happy Christmas wherever and however you decide to spend it and I’ll see you next week for one final article before the new year is upon us. For those of you who are lucky enough to get new computer equipment at this festive time of the year, don’t forget that help from Click is always just an e-mail away.

Seasons Greetings

LCD monitors vs. CRT Monitors

admin — Sat, 23 Nov 2002 15:59:44 +0000

Whilst the PC industry steams forward increasing the specification of the machines that we use, giving us the fastest processors and the biggest hard disks which offer us the ultimate in efficiency to get our work done as quickly as possible, a lot of users seem to neglect one area of the PC – The user interface.

The user interface is generally regarded as the keyboard, mouse and monitor as these are the peripherals that you use to actually interface with the machine. If you were to present to me the fastest PC on the market with a small, hard to read monitor, an awkward keyboard and a cumbersome mouse I wouldn’t appreciate half as much as one that wasn’t quite as fast but a pleasure to use due to the quality of the user interface devices provided.

One area in particular that you should pay attention to is the display you use on a daily basis; I get called out to many homes but would not be able to use some of the monitors that I’ve seen for an extended period of time. Using a monitor that flickers, is blurred or just has a general bad picture can be the cause of many easily avoidable ailments such as nausea, dizziness and headaches and spending a large portion of my day using a PC I want to avoid such things.

There is one specific type of monitor that has been designed in order to offer you the best viewing picture that will keep headaches and fatigue caused by viewing the display for an extended period of time at a minimum and this is the LCD monitor.

A Liquid Crystal Display monitor is a fraction of the weight and size of a conventional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor, which is found on the majority of PC’s – This is true to the extend that the size of the unit is only a couple of centimetres in depth and the average weight only around 3kg. There’s not sufficient room in this article to explain how a LCD monitor works but since you don’t really need to know this in order to use one, I’ll just explain that advantages that an LCD display can offer you.

On top of the space saving aspect that I’ve already mentioned, LCD monitors release less radiation than CRT monitors, flicker less and have a higher focus of picture. The colour representation can often be worse than a conventional monitor but this still leaves far more advantages to a LCD than disadvantages. Over the past couple of years the quality of these displays has increased dramatically and continues to do so at an alarming rate whilst at the same time the price of these units continues to go through the floor. You can now pick up a 15” LCD monitor for just a touch over £200 all inclusive which is around a third of the price you would be looking to pay only a few years ago.

When looking to buy an LCD, there are a few things that you should look out for. Firstly, try to get one with the widest possible viewing angle – Equal to or greater than 120 degrees vertically at least. The second point and possible the most important consideration is the warranty offered on the monitor. I have seen several LCD monitors that after a short period of time develop a single ‘dead’ pixel; this results in a single black or white spot being displayed continuously on the screen. These can become very distracting and some manufacturers will refuse to replace the monitor unless you have a certain number of dead pixels, for example, you may need at least 8 dead pixels before they will consider a replacement. Ideally, you’d like to find a manufacturer or supplier who will offer to replace the monitor if a single dead pixel develops.

Without the use of pictures, it is possible that those of you who still haven’t seen or heard about LCD monitors are still not entirely sure what it is that I’m reviewing this week. Because of this I recommend that you get yourself to your nearest computer store or visit the website of any monitor manufacturer (for example, Iiyama – www.iiyama.co.uk) and have a look at some pictures of current displays they have to offer you.

I will conclude by saying that if you spend a lot of time on the computer then even from a health point of view, it is definitely worth considering the purchase of a LCD display.