I currently use a 19" Samsung 955DF (original model, running 1280x1024@75Hz) and have been using it for years now. Its by far the best monitor I've ever owned and it even survived 2 separate 1 meter falls (2 and 3 years ago respectively, not recently) onto the floor on its many trips to and from LAN parties with no I'll effects. Now I notice in the last 2 months that the monitor shifts in and out of focus slowly and almost undetectably until 12pt font borders on being legible. I have noticed when I finish playing games that when it shifts back to desktop resolution it sometimes appears sharp again. I'm not sure if its just coincidence or what because sharpness is suprisingly undetectable with AA and AF enabled. I know about degaussing and I'm smart enough to know that its not worth the money taking a monitor in to have it repaired. I plan on building a new comp in the spring and getting a new widescreen LCD. Is there any way I can fix this myself or keep it from getting worse until spring when I get a new one?
I very much doubt you'd be able to fix it yourself and I wouldn't suggest trying unless you really know what you're doing. What happens if you use different resolutions and refresh rates?
Sometimes CRT's have focus adjustment pots around the back, hidden like a screwhole. Have a look if yours does, you might be able to adjust it. You might be able to stop it by lowering the refresh rate too. Other than that, it's buggered I'm afraid.
Changing res and refresh rates seems to make little difference sometimes it seems to sharpen it, sometimes not, but raising vs lowering settings seems not to matter. It appears to depend more on what mood the monitor happens to be in. For example when I first wrote this original post it was extremely sharp and now its noticably blurry. As far as the focus adjustment; yes it does have a focus adjustment I have tried before. The problem is that you can only focus part of the screen (like a cd size disk of focused area) when it looks blurry and the rest will be out of focus. Then when the focus drifts again it gets even worse, so I just leave it on the settings I've always used for the past couple years. I'm thinking about taking the cover off and getting in there with an air duster.... (I know about not touching caps).
Does it start sharp when you first turn it on, then get blurrier? If so, it sounds like heat is affecting it - in which case removing any excess dust should help, but don't take my word for it.
To be honest... I'd just get rid when you upgrade the PC next. It's old anyway, it sounds like it's had a hard life.. just give it a dignified retirement as a second monitor or something.
just replace the monitor and you'll be happy, i am sure you could get a cheap 15" lcd until you have enough to get a much better monitor.
