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Laptop Monitor, what's happened?


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#1
manu08

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I have a very old laptop, Toshiba Portege 7200. Suddenly, the monitor has stopped displaying all the colors. Have a look at the attached picture pls. In the game (freecell) the card that I have selected (Ten of Diamonds) seems to show the colors ideally, red and white, however all other unselected cards are being displayed in black and some sort of either green for spades and clubs or some kind of white for hearts and diamonds. I've just included the game to prove the point that the montior 'can' display all the colors but is not for some reason. You can see in the attached picture that even the taskbar, desktop etc. are not showing any colors. Anyone know what has happened and how to fix it? It's running Windows XP Pro btw and the laptop has been set to the default Windows XP theme with the 'silver' color scheme.
Thanks in advance for any help.

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Edited by manu08, 30 November 2006 - 03:57 PM.

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#2
Facedown98

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Well, it looks like for some reason, your screen has left the regular display mode, and is showing a negative shot... That's why everything looks silver and blue, etc. Have you made any changes to the system recently? This issue looks interesting...
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#3
manu08

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No, none that I can think of. Actually I had shut the lid of my laptop, came back after about 15 or so minutes and the monitor displayed this screen. Restarted the machine a few times, gave it a few days thinking it might revert but nothing really. Any clues of how this can be fixed ? Also, most probably is my monitor damaged or just some settings that need to be changed? What do you think?
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#4
Facedown98

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Well, I'm concerned. This could happen due to file corruption, accidentally changed files, hardware issues, or, the dreaded Malware... I would first suggest running a System Restore to a day or so before this started. Keep in mind, this may remove any applications you have recently installed. Please read the following directions...

Items in blue which are underlined are clickable to give more information about the process

Start the System Restore Utility at a command prompt

1. Restart your computer, and keep tapping F8 during the initial start-up until you get options, select Safe Mode with a Command Prompt then press enter.

2. Log on to your computer with an administrator account or with an account that has administrator credentials.

3. Type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to restore your computer to an earlier state.

Look for the most recent system checkpoint created before the errors to restore from

For additional information about the Safe mode with a command prompt, click 315222 to see a description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP

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#5
manu08

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System restore didn't change anything. The monitor even when after the system was restored to a date before this problem came showed the colors as show in the picture attached with my initial post. I have taken a picture of the 'windows xp startup screen', have a look and see whether maybe it helps you decide it's a hardware fault.
I will run an online virus/adware/malware scan by TrendMicro just to make sure there are no viruses, adware or malware on the laptop. IF so, maybe removing them might resolve the problem. If not, im back to square one I guess. Any other suggestions?

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#6
Facedown98

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Wow, that's strange. Well, we'll shoot for Malware... You can run an online scanner if you wish, but I would suggest posting in our Malware forum... Here's some directions for that...

Please go to the malware forum in my signature and follow the instructions at the top....Especially the CLICK HERE .

That will give you several steps that will help you clean up 70 percent of all problems by yourself. If at the end of the process you are still having difficulty--and you may not be-- then post a hijackthis log in THAT forum.

If you are still having problems after getting a clean bill of health from the malware expert, please return to this thread.
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#7
manu08

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No malware was visible on the laptop. Any other suggestions?
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#8
Facedown98

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Did you have a Malware specialist go over your log already?
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#9
manu08

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I created a new topic in the malware forum. Posted my results and a specialist only replied and said there is no malware visible.
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#10
kewal2913d`

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do a driver update...
see if it works
repairing windows installation is a n idea but see if anything works out first
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#11
ultimateslacker2

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maybe your laptop display is saying I quit.


Let's see what others say first.
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#12
Facedown98

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Let's check a few more things out... I did some research and I want you to try this:

First, check your color settings. Right-click on the desktop, and select properties. In the window that displays, click on Settings. Tell me what your colors are set to.

Also, please start in Safe Mode. You can do this by pressing the F8 key a few times as windows starts to boot.

Lastly, please:

Click on Start. Click on Run, and type
devmgmt.msc
press enter

The Device Manager will appear. Click on the plus (+) sign next to Display Adapters. In the new expansion that appears, do you see any yellow exclamation points (!) ?
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#13
manu08

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Colors are set to "Highest (32 bit)". No there were no exclamation points and yes I have tried reinstalling the driver. I reinstalled Windows actually and the problem still exists. I've heard that in CRT's there is an option as 'De-gas'. Is there any way of doing such a thing in an LCD?
Thanks for all the help.
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#14
manu08

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Colors are set to "Highest (32 bit)". No there were no exclamation points and yes I have tried reinstalling the driver. I reinstalled Windows actually and the problem still exists. I've heard that in CRT's there is an option as 'De-gas'. Is there any way of doing such a thing in an LCD?
Thanks for all the help.
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#15
fnark

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You are probably referring to "de-gause", which is, i believe, to do with magnetic fields and is normally (i think) only supported by hardware, for example a degause button on your screen. The problem you are experiencing, since you seem to have looked at all other options, is probably due to hardware. On my laptop the colors go all funny sometimes and it is due to the ribbon cable connecting the monitor to the laptop. Unless your experienced in laptops, i wouldnt suggest opening it up but it could just be a case of a broken wire or a dodgy connection.
Hope you get it sorted, Fnark.
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