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Take a good look at
your notebook computer screen. Do you find some
tiny dark spots? You could have dead pixels. One
of the most expensive parts of your notebook
computer is the LCD screen.
LCD's are highly
sensitive and any amount of pressure, touching
or handling may damage it. As such, dead pixels
aren't an uncommon thing. Apparently, some
degree of dead pixels is to be expected. Still
if you have a lot of them, it would be
classified as a defective screen. So, how do you
determine if you have dead pixels?
Before we go there,
make sure it's not just dust. Clean your screen
first. The best way to do that is to use a soft
cotton cloth - no rags or paper towel as they
can scratch your screen easily. Moisten the
cloth with plain old water and wipe the screen
gently.
Side note: I've
also tried maintaining my screen dust free with
a Swiffer Duster. These are inexpensive, very
soft and they pick up the dirt not just
re-distribute it. It has worked well. Of course,
this will not take care of smudges or dried on
dirt. So you'll still have to use the cotton
cloth and water combo sometimes.
Once you've cleaned
it, you can run a quick check with a free
software called Dead Pixel Buddy. It's basically
a very simple file that will rotate your screen
through all the basic colors. This way you can
tell if a pixel on your screen is not displaying
properly. One tip, you might want to get a help
of a friend. Two sets of eyes are better than
one especially since pixels tend to be
miniscule.
You can also do a
low tech way by changing your desktop's
background color to black, white, red, green
blue and yellow, checking the screen each time
you change the colors. This is of course not
fool proof especially if you have tons of icons
on your desktop but it's a good 'backup' check
if you don't have Internet access to download
the file or whatever the case may be.
If you do find dead
pixels, don't panic yet, as mentioned earlier, a
small amount of dead pixels could be inevitable
but if you have a lot of them and your notebook
computer is still under warranty, this may be a
good time to call up the manufacturer and ask
for assistance.
Related Resources:
5 Days To A Healthier Notebook Computer
http://www.notebook-computer-infocenter.com/5days-to-a-healthier-notebook.html
Dead Pixel Buddy
http://www.laptopshowcase.co.uk/downloads.php?id=1
Lynn Chan helps new
owners learn proper notebook care and use. Take
care of your investment, find out how at
http://www.notebook-computer-infocenter.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/ |
