"Sleeping Beauty" Syndrome

• The most common problem with Dell monitors would appear to be what one user described as the "Sleeping Beauty" syndrome. Many users described a circumstance in which after an interval of use the monitor would go into a power-save mode where the screen would go off. Provided the function works correctly, an auto power-save mode is a good thing; however, the screen should "wake up" again after some fairly simple procedure, such as activating the keyboard or the mouse. With Dell monitors, however, many users found that this common procedure for reviving the screen (and which the Dell instructions indicated was the correct procedure) did not reactivate the screen. The intervals of use before this happened ranged from a few seconds after powering up the connected computer to a few hours later. Some users had some success with more troublesome and annoying tactics, such as powering the computer off and back on again; however, at least one user reported encountering essentially the same problem with five different Dell monitors. One individual reported two different variations on this problem when using the Dell monitor connected to two different computers by two different computer manufacturers.
  
  

Replacement Monitors Have Same Problem

• At least one user who had experienced the Sleeping Beauty problem with a Dell monitor reported that Dell had provided a replacement monitor; however, this individual also reported that the replacement had the same problem as the unit being replaced, thus still preventing the user from getting adequate use out of the monitor and its associated computer.
  
  

Conversely

• Oddly, another user reported the opposite problem with a Dell monitor. This user reported that when the shutdown function from the Start menu is activated, the computer turns off, but the Del monitor remains on and will not turn off. The monitor remains on, displaying various colors and flashing the colors. The user indicated that the only way to turn off the Dell monitor was to physically unplug the monitor itself.
  
  

Screen Darkening

• A related problem reported by one Dell monitor user was that the screen darkened after about six months of use. This user took some troubleshooting action, and the screen returned to normal; however, this was only temporary, and after a few minutes of further use, the screen darkened again. The monitor then proceeded to "flicker," alternating between adequate brightness and reversion to a dark screen.
  
  

Screen Going Black

• Another Dell monitor user reported that after displaying the start-up image for just a few seconds, the Dell monitor screen went black. Turning the monitor on and off just resulted in a repeat of the same cycle of a few minutes of start-up image and then a black screen.