My 6-year-old Compaq Presario 6070 desktop’s computer screen shakes all the time. What is wrong with it? Is my hardware bad or is it a software problem?
Computer Monitor Interference
The first thing that comes to mind is interference. Computer monitors are sensitive to interference from other devices, most notably cell phones, speakers, and cords. For example, if you have your cell phone to close to the screen, the entire screen will shake when the phone is in use. Other common pieces of equipment that can interfere are wireless hubs, telephones, and even baby monitors. Even lights can interfere with monitors!
Where you place the monitor can increase or decrease the interference. Before troubleshooting your computer, take a good look at all the gadgets nearby (and turn off the lights to see if the lights are interfereing). Try placing your computer speakers further away from the monitor and remove any items that could be interfering with the monitor to alternate locations.
If your computer and its monitor are plugged into an overloaded socket or share a power strip with other electronics, unplug other items until you have just your computer and monitor plugged in. You may need to rearrange your office if your monitor behaves itself once other devices are unplugged.
Computer Refresh Rates
Another common cause of computer monitor shaking is an incorrect screen refresh rate. Try increasing or decreasing the monitor’s refresh rate to see if this solves the problem. It may take a bit of trial and error to find a setting that doesn’t flicker or shake.
To do this, right-click a blank area of the Windows Desktop. Choose Personalize (Windows Vista) or Display Properties (Windows XP). Now, click Advanced Settings and find the Monitor tab. Under Monitor Settings, you will see a dropdown box for the “screen refresh rate.” Select a different setting and see if that improves it. Again, you may need to experiment to find the best setting for your monitor and its resolution. In general, higher settings are easier on the eyes.
Monitor Settings
If your computer monitor has a degauss setting, try degaussing the monitor. If moving gadgets and changing the refresh rates didn’t help, this might. In addition, something could be wrong with the monitor, so try hooking the monitor up to a friend’s computer to rule this out. If the monitor shakes on your friend’s computer, then something is wrong with it. It could be the cord, the degauss circuit, the power supply, or other hardware. In this case, either repair or replace the monitor.
