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Ann White
Level 2 (150 points)

Q: Wallstreet screen hard to read

I can lighten the screen or increase the contrast but the words on the screen look faded. Any picture looks very over-exposed. I wonder if the problem is a video card. I'm not sure if there is a separate video card in the Wallstreet. Can anyone suggest what I might do to help? It seems most noticeable when reading a Word or similar document. The OS is 9.2.2.

Ann

Powerbook G3, ibook, Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Posted on Feb 24, 2007 6:22 PM

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Ann White

Q: Wallstreet screen hard to read

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  • by jpl,Helpful

    jpl jpl Feb 24, 2007 10:07 PM in response to Ann White
    Level 7 (28,285 points)
    Feb 24, 2007 10:07 PM in response to Ann White
    Ann,

    I am guessing you have the 12.1" STN (dual-scan, passive-matrix) display that has both contrast and brightness controls. The 13.3" and 14.1" Wallstreet displays are TFT (active-matrix) and have only brightness control.

    If you set both the contrast and brightness to half, how does the picture look? I have a PB 1400 with the same type of display and appearance looks good.

    However, the STN displays are a poor display, and can fade over time, at least from what I have read. If you cannot find a decent setting, go to your Control Panels > Monitors and try setting the display to 256 colors. Also check to make sure you have selected 'Uncorrected Gamma' and are not using the 'Active Color LCD Gamma'; there is quite a difference in the two settings on my 1400.

  • by Ann White,

    Ann White Ann White Feb 25, 2007 8:04 AM in response to jpl
    Level 2 (150 points)
    Feb 25, 2007 8:04 AM in response to jpl
    I did try your suggestions, but I can't tell that it helped. Actually, the desktop view is not bad, except compared with the ibook or Performa. The real problem is in reading a document--then the letters look like something printed on a printer that needs ink--looks sort of like skips.

    Ann

  • by jpl,Helpful

    jpl jpl Feb 25, 2007 8:41 AM in response to Ann White
    Level 7 (28,285 points)
    Feb 25, 2007 8:41 AM in response to Ann White
    Ann,

    Just out of curiosity, does the display look any different when you boot to a MacOS System CD? You should be able to find a text document somewhere on the CD or your HD that SimpleText can open.

  • by Ann White,

    Ann White Ann White Feb 25, 2007 2:48 PM in response to jpl
    Level 2 (150 points)
    Feb 25, 2007 2:48 PM in response to jpl
    Unfortunately, I cannot find the OS CDs that came with the computer. I do have a Systemworks disk that I could boot from, and I will try that.

    Ann

  • by Ann White,

    Ann White Ann White Feb 26, 2007 11:21 AM in response to jpl
    Level 2 (150 points)
    Feb 26, 2007 11:21 AM in response to jpl
    I booted from the Systemworks disk but did not see any difference. I did find that just adjusting some of the Appearance choices helped some. Feel dumb that I didn't try that before. However, there is so much difference between the Powerbook screen and the Performa monitor that I have decided to just use the Performa monitor and keyboard/mouse with the Powerbook. The battery has been dead for years so I just use is as a desktop anyway. Thanks for all the suggestions.

    Ann

  • by Ann White,

    Ann White Ann White Feb 28, 2007 5:44 PM in response to Ann White
    Level 2 (150 points)
    Feb 28, 2007 5:44 PM in response to Ann White
    That solution seemed good at first, but then the Powerbook seemed to start having trouble. I wonder if there is some setting that should be changed in order to use the keyboard and mouse in the Powerbook's serial port. If anyone is still around and can guide me, please do. Thanks.

    Ann

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 28, 2007 7:07 PM in response to Ann White
    Level 9 (61,385 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 28, 2007 7:07 PM in response to Ann White
    "...seemed to start having trouble..."


    Could you be a bit more specific? What sort of trouble?

    These are not serial, they are ADB devices. They should not be able to be plugged into the serial port.

  • by Ann White,

    Ann White Ann White Mar 1, 2007 8:34 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 2 (150 points)
    Mar 1, 2007 8:34 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Sorry, I misspoke, I think. I did plug them into an ADB port--had the same symbol as is on the keyboard cable. As for the trouble, the computer started to "hang" taking a very long time to process anything. The cursor arrow would work for a while and then not move, I would finally have to do an emergency restart--then it would work a short time. It would not read a disk that it had read before (floppy). I finally unhooked the keyboard and monitor and it seemed to work normally so I guess the trouble was the peripherals. But it sure looked good for a while. The Perorma monitor was so much brighter and clearer and the keyboard much easier to work from a desk. Wonder if it's possible? Thanks for your input.

    Ann

  • by jpl,

    jpl jpl Mar 1, 2007 10:35 AM in response to Ann White
    Level 7 (28,285 points)
    Mar 1, 2007 10:35 AM in response to Ann White
    Ann,

    If you are booted to 10.2 when trying to read a floppy disk, this may be part of the problem. No version of OSX supports the floppy drive.

    Both 9.x and 10.x do support the ADB port for a mouse and keyboard. Test each individually to see if one of them is causing the problem.

    You can also add a USB CardBus PC card to the PCMCIA/CardBus slot on the left side of the Wallstreet and use both a USB mouse and keyboard. However, additional software will be required for 9.x plus I will have to check on the power requirements of a USB keyboard and mouse and make sure the small power output of the USB card is sufficient. However, it would be easier and cheaper to use your ADB hardware.

  • by Ann White,

    Ann White Ann White Mar 2, 2007 6:48 AM in response to jpl
    Level 2 (150 points)
    Mar 2, 2007 6:48 AM in response to jpl
    One of the most amazing things about the Internet is the number of people who are willing to work through problems like this with strangers. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I mean that. As for this problem, the powerbook OS is 9.2.2. I will try agian to check the keyboard and mouse. The mouse is plugged into the keyboard and then the keyboard is plugged into the port on the powerbook. I thought there might be some setting to adjust, but if not, and if the problem continues, I will probably give up on that option.

    By the way, I have a usb floppy drive that I plugged into my ibook which runs 10.2.8 and it worked for a while. I didn't know it was not supposed to support a floppy. However, it did eventually quit "seeing" it. Ignorance is bliss, sometimes. Thanks again.

    Ann

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Mar 2, 2007 12:24 PM in response to Ann White
    Level 9 (61,385 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 2, 2007 12:24 PM in response to Ann White
    >"a usb floppy drive that I plugged into my ibook which runs 10.2.8 and it worked for a while. I didn't know it was not supposed to support a floppy."

    I think jpl's reference was to the built-in floppy .

    An external USB floppy should work fine, but like all USB devices, it will sometimes stop working "just because". What will sometimes restore its function is to unplug it, count to 10, and re-plug it.

  • by Ann White,

    Ann White Ann White Mar 2, 2007 4:13 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 2 (150 points)
    Mar 2, 2007 4:13 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    I will certainly try that, and thank you very much.

    Ann

  • by Ann White,

    Ann White Ann White Mar 16, 2007 8:08 AM in response to Ann White
    Level 2 (150 points)
    Mar 16, 2007 8:08 AM in response to Ann White
    I am going to consider the question answered and that the Wallstreet screen will never again be as bright and clear as the Performa or ibook screens--if it ever was, since I can't remember.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Mar 16, 2007 11:35 AM in response to Ann White
    Level 9 (61,385 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 16, 2007 11:35 AM in response to Ann White
    Screens in those machines can get permanently dulled if they are left on at full brightness for too long. If yours has become dull, it can be replaced with one from another PowerBook of the same model, but it is some work.

    When you see them advertised on eBay, it is not an accident that savvy sellers with top-notch screens for sale say, "The screen is bright and clear with no dead pixels." Those are the classic afflictions these screens develop.
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