| Color pat- | Incorrect color | Check the color man- |
| terns incor- | management | agement settings for the |
| rect | profile | display. |
Rerun the Color Management Wizard in Windows or use a third-party color management tool such as DataColor’s Spyder or Pantone’s Huey.
| Dim image | Incorrect bright- | Check the brightness, |
| ness or contrast | contrast, and gamma | |
| settings | settings for the display. |
If installed, use the screen management settings for NVIDIA or AMD video cards or use the Windows Color Management Wizard.
| LCD display: | Shine a flashlight on the | Test inverter; if damaged, | |
| Failure of inverter | display; if the desktop | replace. | |
| is visible, check the | |||
| inverter. | |||
| LCD display: | Check the inverter first; | Replace the backlight or | |
| Failure of back- | if the inverter is okay, | the entire LCD panel if | |
| light | the backlight has failed. | cost-effective. | |
| Flickering | CRT display: | Check the vertical | Set the vertical refresh |
| image | Vertical refresh | refresh rate setting in | rate to 75Hz or higher. |
| rate too low | advanced display prop- | Adjust the screen height, | |
| erties. | |||
| width, and centering after | |||
| selecting the refresh rate | |||
| as needed. |
| LCD display | “Flickering” on an LCD |
| on VGA port: | is actually pixel swim |
| Problems with | due to a poor analog/ |
| analog/digital | digital conversion. |
| conversion | Use the Auto button on |
| display to resynchronize | |
| display. |
Use DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort with the LCD display if available on the display and computer to have a pure digital con-nection.
| Interlaced verti- | Check the refresh rate |
| cal refresh rate | selected. |
| selected | Interlaced resolutions |
| require long-decay | |
| phosphors and are sel- | |
| dom used today except | |
| with 1080i HDTV. |
Select the correct non-interlaced refresh rate (usually 60Hz for LCD, LED displays; 75Hz or higher recommended for CRTs).
Chapter 9: Troubleshooting 181
| Symptom | Possible Cause | Items to Check | Typical Solution |
| Distorted | CRT display: | Use onscreen display | Different resolutions |
| image | Bowing out (bar- | (OCD) to correct distor- | and refresh rates require |
| rel) or bowing | tion. | unique settings. | |
| in (pincushion) | Check with the user to | ||
| distortion | |||
| determine the preferred | |||
| resolutions and refresh | |||
| rates and adjust those | |||
| first. | |||
| CRT display: | Electromagnetic inter- | Look for interference | |
| Wavy lines | ference from nearby | sources such as micro- | |
| poorly shielded devices. | wave ovens and move | ||
| them away from the | |||
| display. | |||
| Replace the CRT with an | |||
| LCD or LED display. | |||
| CRT or LCD dis- | The display may use | Change the resolution to | |
| play: Resolution | compression to display | the native setting (LCD, | |
| too high for dis- | the video signal. | LED). | |
| play | Change the resolution to | ||
| maximum supported by | |||
| flicker-free vertical reso- | |||
| lution (CRT). | |||
| Discoloration | CRT: Magnetic | Use the degaussing | If not available in the |
| (degaussing) | distortion in | option in the onscreen | onscreen menu, look for |
| shadow mask | menu. | degaussing button on | |
| display or turn off the | |||
| display, wait a couple of | |||
| minutes, and turn it on | |||
| again. | |||
| BSOD | Various problems | Note the STOP error | Research the STOP error |
| (STOP Error) | with Windows | code. | code at http://support. |
| configuration or | microsoft.com. | ||
| hardware | Replace any defective or | ||
| incompatible hardware or | |||
| software. | |||
182 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference
