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Monitor issue on a new computer
Hi. I recently got a new Dell computer (Intel Core i5-750 processor, Windows 7, ATI Radeon HD5450 video card). My issue is that my Acer monitor (Model AL 2216W) occasionally will turn off and then turn back on. It seems to only be the monitor (the computer keeps running and I don't notice anything peculiar about it) - it's almost like the monitor goes into power saving mode and then comes back out of it after a couple of seconds.
It happens whenever I install any software and the User Account Control dialog box comes up saying "Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?" - the monitor will turn off like this each time right before the dialog box comes up. However, this issue occurs at other times as well, like when I'm simply surfing the net or using another program, and I can't see a pattern for these occurrences.
The monitor is 3 years old, and it worked fine on my previous Windows XP system. I checked my monitor driver on my new computer and the computer says it is up-to-date. I looked at Acer's website and the drivers are said to support Windows XP and Vista, so I thought perhaps it is a Windows 7 compatibility problem. I called Acer and they said it is an issue with the computer, not the monitor driver. They said the monitor is plug and play and should be Win7 compatible. The agent said that I should update my video driver and maybe this would help.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Does this sound like a video card driver problem? If so, how do I update that? I'm a bit of a computer novice. I'd really appreciate help. I'd definitely prefer not to buy a new monitor, especially if the same thing happens. Thanks a lot - I've really appreciated this forum.