AL2216W monitor Acer logo smeared on wake-up Should I be shopping for a new one?

My AL2216W monitor has been working beautifully for at least 15 years. Recently, for the last several days, whenever my computer wakes up from sleep, the Acer logo is "smeared" across about 10% more width than it should be, with some lines missing. Once the computer is completely awake (about one second or so), everything is back to normal, and stays that way, even if I'm working for a long time. I believe that my video connector is firmly connected.

Does this mean that the monitor is about to fail completely? Should I be shopping for a new one? Or is there something I should check (like the video connector isn't as firmly connected as I think)?

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title and issue detail]

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billsey

Typically an issue where something isn't right when first powered up and then starts working after a bit is a thermal problem in the power circuits. Your monitor is old enough I don't have access to a service guide for it. Does it have a normal power cable or a brick? If a normal cable the power supply is internal, if a brick only a portion is internal. You might be able to get a good TV tech to figure it out, but with the low cost of a new monitor in that class it's likely not going to be worth going through a repair. Note that the ACER logo shows up before the video ports are initialized, so it's not a cabling issue.

bschmidt

The power cable is a normal one (not a brick), although I had to fight through dust to see it. Since I posted this, the smearing phenomenon has lengthened from one second to about two seconds. Thanks for your answer. It implies that my monitor is indeed about to fail completely. Please confirm. Also, if you have any sense of how long I have to get the new monitor before this one fails, I'd appreciate your estimate.

Although Moore's Law doesn't apply here entirely, it appears to be helping. I seem to recall paying about $100 for the current monitor, while the replacement would cost only $90 (inflated dollars).

billsey

Yup, the low end monitor are designed to be offered at about the same cost no matter the year of manufacture or the technology involved. The newer ones are likely better for some specs, but pretty generic nevertheless. I'd be tempted to go with a 24" instead of the 22" you have, just because as everyone knows, bigger is better. Though my eyes are aging and that might be part of it. :) A quick Amazon search shows a 24" at $95 and a 27" at $120...

bschmidt

The smearing phenomenon has increased to 8 or 9 seconds, so I ordered a new monitor. But now I'm not so sure it will solve the problem!

I noticed that if the monitor has recently gone blank (I'm not sure if that counts as "sleep", in Windows terminology), and I move my mouse to wake up the display, the smearing doesn't occur. And if I just turn the monitor off and then back on again, the smearing doesn't occur. The smearing only occurs when the computer has been asleep for an extended period. My computer is approximately as old as my monitor, so the graphics card has long since been discontinued. It's an Intel HD Graphics 4000. I updated the driver today, but I doubt that will affect the problem.

With the additional information, does this still sound like the monitor power supply is failing?

billsey

When the monitor sleeps, it doesn't fully power off for quite a while, if ever. The issue you are seeing seems to be when the monitor first powers up after being off. So, waking from sleep shouldn't exhibit the issue, turning on from being off should.

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