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free yourself from flicker |
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| By CNET staff | ||
A flickering monitor is more than a nuisance. The flicker can cause eyestrain, fatigue, and headaches, or it may even damage your eyesight. If your monitor is on the blink, try these steps to free yourself from flicker.
Check your monitor's settings. The refresh rate (the number of times the screen is redrawn per second) is the most likely cause of flicker. To check or modify your refresh rate, right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop and select Properties to open the Display Properties dialog box. Then select the Settings tab. Click the Advanced button at the bottom, follwed by the Monitor tab; you should see a drop-down box for setting the refresh rate. Generally speaking, any setting less than 75Hz will cause excessive flicker and eyestrain. If necessary, select a higher setting. Depending on the version of Windows you're using, you may need to reboot for the new settings to take effect.
Upgrade the video driver.. Find out the make and model of your PC's graphics card, then visit the manufacturer's Web site to see if a more recent driver is available for your model. If you find an updated driver for your graphics card, download and install it according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Check for interference. Look at the devices installed in the vicinity of your PC's monitor. Large stereo speakers (or even some of the multimedia speakers used on PC systems), televisions, motor-driven tools or appliances, and even faulty fluorescent light assemblies can cause interference, resulting in screen flickering.
Use a different power outlet. If possible, move the monitor's AC power plug to another outlet. If the monitor is plugged into a surge suppressor, try moving it temporarily off the surge suppressor and into a separate wall socket.
