grr
i dont remember it,
but I know some steps to take
1st) Hard Reset - Take out the power source, and hold down the power button for 1 minute, to discharge the tube and cap's

2nd) Open it up, and use the manual controls to raise the brightness and dimming of the monitor, i know mine had the problem, and that fixed it

3rd) if all else fails throw it at a car

Manual control inside the monitor? There is such a thing?

I'll check it out, but the car option looks interesting

My problem is now far worse than brightness... The image doesn't fit in my monitor! For a reason I can't explain, even if I set width and lenght to 0, the image is too big (even in 800x600)

I guess it's time for a new monitor

yup

Does anyone have any ideas on what to do about my monitor? Its got a dark spot in the middle on the left. Other than that its pretty much fine.

irasnyd

You can take a look at the power supply in the monitor, and force the voltage higher (usually the output is adjustable). if you know what to look for, you can get it back up again (assuming the main problem is a dim screen). this is a very common problem as monitors age.

It would be nice if there was an online guide (but probably too many people blew their hands off because they had just enough information to blow their hands off ;p).

Good luck,
G

Its got a dark spot in the middle on the left

that is where the phosphorus has burn't off the picture tube........

car bomb it

The focus and display voltage (acts like brightness) are on the line transformer (usually a ceramic box roughly the size of half a softdrink can), (the adjustments are usually two plastic knobs with screwdriver sockets for easy adjusting.)

Just be very very careful, as monitors are live chassis when on, and still full of charged capacitors even when off. If you're at all uncomfortable being that close to dangerous voltages, take it to an electronics repair place and ask them to adjust the voltage/screen focus.

I love seeing people trying to fix or make something themselves. There are a few exceptions to this however, like anything that can kill you dead instantly if you make a mistake. CRT monitors and television sets fall into this category. My father repaired television sets and I spent a fair amount of time playing with them myself when I was young so I speak from personal experience. It's one of those "if you have to ask, leave it alone" kind of things. Take it to a shop and pay to have it done. If you really want to learn how to repair monitors get the necessary technical knowledge and experience. You can make a nice living at to too...