Towards the end of 1999 I had a problem with the monitor when I switched on my computer. The monitor was totally black, although the PC went through its self-testing process. A few weeks later everything was normal when I switched on (except for an ongoing ‘Windows application error’ which is irritating but doesn’t impact on the (eventual) smooth-running of the machine). Things went OK for a couple of months until recently when the same problem occurred (ie. dead monitor). The PC is less than two years old and had to be rebuilt after only six months. I’m beginning to lose faith, having tried a number of different options to try and locate the problem. Any ideas on what’s causing the problem please? I’m running Windows 95.

If your computer is still under warranty, ask the supplier to fix the problem. Otherwise, the first thing to do is to connect another monitor to your computer. Find a friend whose monitor you can borrow and try it out. When disconnecting and reconnecting monitors, make sure the power is OFF to both the computer and the monitor. If your friend’s monitor works, it is probably a monitor problem. In that case, I suggest that you take your monitor to a electronics repairer and try and get it repaired (ask the repairer to test it on one of his machines to double check). Don’t attempt any work on the monitor unless you are a qualified technician - there are very high voltages inside. However, if your friend’s monitor also misbehaves then it is a computer problem. It could be a problem with Advanced Power Management (APM). This could be forcing your computer monitor into a suspend mode or like. I suggest that you disable all APM features and see if this makes a difference. If still no luck, it is more than likely a problem with your video card which can be found inside your computer (not inside the monitor) Start by switching off the power to your computer and take the power cord out of the power point. Then check that your video card is actually plugged all the way into the expansion slot inside your computer (sometimes they can work their way out). If still no success, try substituting your video card with the one from your friend’s computer. If your monitor works, it is problem with your video card. In that case, since video cards (relatively speaking) are so cheap these days (for a 4mb PCI you are probably looking at about $50) I suggest you simply buy a new video card. However, if after all of the above, it still doesn’t work, contact the manufacturer of your PC and ask them for assistance.