Carpal Tunnel Clan

So a question for you guys. I have a tiny, not even pin-prick, light green dot on my brand new monitor that lives permanently in the middle-left part of the screen. It's not really that big of a deal to me, but would you guys consider sending this monitor back because of this? For all I know, there's probably a proceedure to fix this, but at times, and if I'm not concentrating on the game, I will get distracted and try to find the stupid dot if it whizzes by me while I'm playing. Isn't that just fucking stupid or what...lol. Maybe I should call Gateway and ask them what the deal is. Well, I'm off to rock and roll practice. I'll catch you guys later tonight...thanks!

Mike,
That's a stuck pixel. I would call gateway and talk to them about it. Some places have a certain policy on stuck/dead pixels. Newegg, for example, requires that you have eight or more before it will take a return. When you call Gateway, remind them that you're a loyal customer, that you just bought this thing and that you have come to expect better products from them than this.

This is the reason why I prefer to buy some stuff at brick and mortar stores. I bought my monitor at Best Buy. They have a no questions asked return policy... If I had one dead pixel, they'll take it back. I paid maybe $40 more than if I bought it online, but that is worth it to me.

WWJD? I don't know, he lived a long time ago. WSMD (what should Mike do)? Make a big stink!

Check this little free application:

http://www.dataproductservices.com/dpt

Especially the pixel exerciser. Here's a quote from that page:

There has been some talk on the web of a video that can cure stuck pixels on the PSP, which works by rapidly changing the colour of the pixels. I can not verify or deny if this works, but for fun I wrote my own pixel exerciser. This will bring up another moveable window, that you can put over the stuck pixel(s) which will randomly change the colour of the pixel. Different places say different things on the effectiveness of this, but most leave it running for several hours before they see a result.

I'd play around with this and see if it helps. Set it up, then go to work or go eat dinner. Check the results when you return, then call Gateway and piss in their ear if the problem is still there.

ROFL!!!!! Did you just say 'piss in their ear'? That's hilarious I'm trying to visualize it

Or maybe someone is messing with and useing a laser pointer.........

You are a wealth of knowledge Jimmy. OK, I'm running the pixel tester now. I've got a tennis date right now so I'll check it when I get back...about 2 hours. Thanks for the heads-up...amazing stuff if this works...

Mike, make sure that windows is not set to power down your monitor while you run this test, and also turn off any screen saver.

I recently had an issue with stuck pixels on an ACER 24" monitor I bought. I actually replaced the monitor four (yes four!) times and finally got one without a stuck pixel. All three prior had either a red, blue, or green stuck pixel. Even the floor model had a stuck pixel. I did try to remedy the problem; I ran two versions of the stuck pixel excerciser and even tried the "press" and "tap" methods. Unfortunately, nothing worked. I liked the monitor because it was the only 24" that could fit in my desk; all other 24 inchers were too tall. After the third time the lady at Circuit City refused replacement, but I remained steadfast and got one. Luckily it had no defects!

The monitor manufacturers are now getting cute and are stating that stuck pixels do not warrant a defect. In my manual, it actually states the following:

"The LCD screen has effective pixels of 99.99% or more. It may include blemishes of 0.01% or less such as a missing pixel or a pixel lit all of the time. The LCD unit is produced with high-precision manufacturing techniques. Nevertheless, some pixels may occasionally misfire or appear as black or red dots. This has no effect on the recorded image and does not constitute a malfunction."

Fuck that. I am not paying $400 to stare at a neon green dot. I would definitely return if I were you, granted if the store you purchased it at has a liberal return policy. I am not sure what Jesus would do; if he could turn water into wine then he, unlike me, could probably fix his stuck pixel. Best of luck to you Mike.

Damn it Jim, I didn't get your message in time. My screen saver is actually set for 7 minutes. Looks like I'm trying this again...I'll let you know what happens...

And make sure the power settings (control panel - power) doesn't turn off your monitor too.

Looks like a no-go on the pixel fixer. I'm going to run it this evening when I hit the hay and let it run for a while. I guess I should get ready to call Gateway tomorrow...M

Does not constitute a malfunction? My ass. Take it back.

MikeFiend wrote:Looks like a no-go on the pixel fixer. I'm going to run it this evening when I hit the hay and let it run for a while. I guess I should get ready to call Gateway tomorrow...M

Make sure that while running it, you put your right foot in, your left foot out, do the hokey pokey and shake it all about. That should be about as useful in fixing your stuck pixel as the "pixel excerciser."

I read on a computer forum once where this tech said to just try rubbing the area with the stuck pixel with your finger and it might make it go away. Sounded kind of weird. Later on I had a stuck pixel on my lcd and remembering what I read I decided to try it and all I did was to gently rub it with my finger and it went away. Maybe I was just lucky, but it looks fine now and that was about 12 months ago.