Monitor or mouse??

[klmno]

I have a LED monitor (I think that's what it's called- it's a flat screen)- less than 1 year old. The mouse is a simple laser type. Today a problem started that I will try to explain clearly. When I'm scrolling on a page sometimes, it looks like the monitor might be starting to go out because it looks like old tv's used to look when the "horizontal hold" got messed up. It only happens on certain web pages- a couple on this board so I know it's not the website, plus it doesn't happen on every forum on this board. Once I quit scrolling the view is normal. I've had several web pages open on other tabs and it has happened on a few, but not all.

Is this a mouse problem or a monitor problem?

 

[witzend]

FWIW, husband says it's probably not the mouse.

 

[GoingNorth]

It could be the monitor, or it could be a case of you having outdated video drivers on your PCs.

Sometimes sites update their content and older drivers cannot handle that.

 

[klmno]

I never thought about the video driver. It was a upper-line one when I got the computer but that was about 3 years ago. I keep a lot of windows open- one with online games so I wonder if that is bogging it down. Also, my email isn't working so I called the internet company and they said it was them and they are working on it in this neighborhood. So, that made me wonder if it could have something to do with the internet connection. (Not AT&T)

Thanks! I really hope it isn't this montior- it was costly and I had to replace the old one after one of difficult child's explosions last year. I was hoping it was the mouse because it costs less to replace.

 

[Hound dog]

Update your drivers and it ought to fix it. If not, your video card may be going bad. But if you haven't updated drivers in a while......that can really cause issues.

 

[klmno]

Huh huh....and how do I do that?

 

[GoingNorth]

Is this a name-brand easy child or Laptop or is it a "clone"? For name brand product you should be able to go the company's website, find the model you have, and you should find the drivers there.

For a "clone", you will need to know what brand and version of video card you have. Then you would go to the video card mfrs site, search for the model you have, and choose the most recent drivers.

The actual update process is fairly easy--all you are going to do is download the software, let it install, and then reboot.

NOTE!!! ALWAYS back up important software before updating drivers. Unfortunately, even with the name brand stuff, things can still go wrong.

It is also possible with you having a lot of video intensive windows open, PLUS a game open, that you simply don't have enough video memory to handle it. That would require a new video card.

Could be too that you don't have enough RAM on the machine overall. That is easily and inexpensively updated.

 

[klmno]

Oh- It's a dell. I'll try going to their website tomorrow. Thanks!

I just found a little icon in the corner that said my virtual memory is too low when I scrolled over it. What does that mean- that I have too many windows open?

 

[GoingNorth]

Yup. That little virtual memory is warning you that you have too much going on on the machine.

Virtual memory is actually a part of the hard drive set aside to page data in and out of RAM and video and the like.

Assuming you are OK on hard drive space, this is related to your usage and onboard memory.

 

[AnnieO]

As a geek I have to say - it's probably the video drivers. Your screen is just not refreshing at the proper rate (which is faster than the eye can see). So... Try updating the drivers. The Dell site should have instructions, too, which is good for non-geek-type-people.

If that doesn't work, you may need a new video card. This isn't hard to fix, nor is it expensive, but I would warn you that perhaps it isn't the best thing for you to do if you are overwhelmed by circuit boards, etc. When I started this I accidentally put the cable for the floppy drive in upside down. And I'm a geek! LOL

 

[busywend]

Or your memory could be getting chewed up by viruses. Have you run a scan recently?

 

[AnnieO]

Or your memory could be getting chewed up by viruses. Have you run a scan recently?

Oh, yes. This definitely could be an issue.

Windows has a cleanup feature... Might be worth a look. Do you have XP or Vista?

 

[klmno]

Thanks for all the ideas! I closed out of a few of the windows before going to bed and the computer restarted itself during the night. The "virtual memory" warning is no longer there but I am getting an "updates are ready" warning. As soon as get more coffee down me I'll start on updates and drivers. I have an XP- it was gotten with a good media package and lots of memory capability so difficult child could have many games on it since we were only going to be able to afford one computer in the house.

Actually, the scrolling problem has already cleared up but I'll do these things anyway- plus run the virus scan. I'm sure it needs it.

 

[AnnieO]

Also, after you do that stuff, run a defragment on your drive. Easiest way to do it is go to All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Disk Defragment. Run the Analyze first, then if it says you need to defragment, run that too.

Best time to do this is at night when you won't be on.

 

[Shari]

Best time to do this is at night when you won't be on.

For a really, really long time...you know, like, all night....

 

[AnnieO]

LOL Shari - I have a HUGE hard drive - takes less than 2 hours to defrag usually. Depends on how bad it is!!!

 

[busywend]

Please be sure to scan before those updates are downloaded. There are many viruses out there now that are posing as Windows Updates.

 

[klmno]

Ahhhh! Ok- thanks!