Removing a stuck pixel?

Discussion in 'Graphics & Multimedia' started by DaveyBoy, Mar 17, 2009.

  1. #1
    My Vaio laptop recently got a stuck pixel (luckily its in the top left corner) and I want to get rid of it. Knowing it's there is so frustrating, even though it isn't hindering any of my work as a designer.

    It's a pixel that is stuck on blue or cyan, which means it shows up brightly on a black or dark background. Annoying!

    I have tried a few remedies online, those programs which try and force the pixel to work by displaying millions of different colors, such as jscreenfix, didn't fix it. I am hesitant to start bashing the pixel with a pen or sharpie as suggested on some blogs because the laptop cost a lot of money and also I am using it as my main computer while i'm away from home.

    Has anyone managed to successfully remove one with any other methods I could try? It's not too big of a deal but when you know something is there, you instantly look for it!

    Cheers,
    Davey.
     
    DaveyBoy, Mar 17, 2009 IP
  2. Vikz

    Vikz Active Member

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    #2
    Tell me about it :) I had a similar problem with my new LCD monitor and Dell replaced it for me. Not sure what Sony's policy is though.
     
    Vikz, Mar 19, 2009 IP
  3. Ice_man1

    Ice_man1 Peon

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    #3
    Have you tried, playing around your computer's visual settings. It worked for me, but I'm not using Viao. Try changing your screen settings or resolution. I hope this helps.
     
    Ice_man1, Mar 19, 2009 IP
  4. renderwork

    renderwork Well-Known Member

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    #4

    Pressure Method


    1. Turn off your computer's monitor.
    2. Get yourself a damp washcloth, so that you don't scratch your screen.
    3. Take a household pen, pencil, screwdriver, or some other sort of instrument with a focused, but relatively dull, point. A very good tool would be a PDA stylus.
    4. Fold the washcloth to make sure you don't accidentally puncture it and scratch the screen.
    5. Apply pressure through the folded washcloth with the instrument to exactly where the stuck pixel is. Try not to put pressure anywhere else, as this may make more stuck pixels.
    6. While applying pressure, turn on your computer and screen.
    7. Remove pressure and the stuck pixel should be gone. This works as the liquid in the liquid crystal has not spread into each little pixel. This liquid is used with the backlight on your monitor, allowing different amounts of light through, which creates the different colors.


    Tapping Method


    1. Turn on the computer and LCD screen.
    2. Display a black image, which will show the stuck pixel very clearly against the background. (It is very important that you are showing a black image and not just a blank signal, as you need the backlighting of the LCD to be illuminating the back of the panel).
    3. Find a pen with a rounded end. A Sharpie marker with the cap on should be fine for this.
    4. Use the rounded end of the pen to gently tap where the stuck pixel is - not too hard to start with, just enough to see a quick white glow under the point of contact. If you didn't see a white glow, then you didn't tap hard enough, so use just slightly more pressure this time.
    5. Start tapping gently. Increase the pressure on the taps gradually for 5-10 taps until the pixel rights itself.
    6. Display a white image (an empty text document is good for this) to verify that you haven't accidentally caused more damage than you fixed.

    
    sources:[url]http://lifehacker.com/software/lcds/fix-your-lcds-dead-pixels-152062.php[/url]
    Code (markup):
     
    renderwork, Mar 19, 2009 IP
  5. Kewlieo

    Kewlieo Active Member

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    #5
    Contact sony and find out what they suggest, they might be able to help you out with a real safe fix or even tell you somewhere to get it fix professionally
     
    Kewlieo, Mar 19, 2009 IP
  6. innovati

    innovati Peon

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    #6
    I recommend using a chisel and hammer if the above method fails you. I have successfully removed many pixels with a chisel, and once you are skilled at it, you can remove entire sections of dead (or soon to be dead) pixels at once!

    (please know I'm kidding, and I'm not actually skilled enough to remove more than a single pixel at a time)
     
    innovati, Mar 19, 2009 IP
  7. DaveyBoy

    DaveyBoy Peon

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    #7
    Haha yes I knew you were kidding ;)

    I don't want to do anything that involves hitting, pressing rubbing etc. because i'd rather live with it than create new dead pixels.

    I've had the laptop a few months and use it pretty much every day. For the past few days I haven't even noticed it at all, it's just that when something you paid a lot of money for isn't perfect, it's slightly annoying. Maybe it has always been there, no idea! :)

    Thanks everyone for replies.
     
    DaveyBoy, Mar 19, 2009 IP
  8. Clive

    Clive Web Developer

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    #8
    I know how frustrating dead pixels can be but I wouldn't even think of trying renderwork's method to get rid of it. Take it to where you bought it from and let them advise you what to do next. If they won't replace then sell your monitor and buy a new one. That's better than just breaking it and buying a new one.
     
    Clive, Mar 19, 2009 IP
  9. DaveyBoy

    DaveyBoy Peon

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    #9
    I would do that Clive, it's just it's a laptop so I can't really do that. Yeah i was never going to do any of those methods because I value the thing way too much. It's more of an annoyance than a hindrance and I really don't even notice it very much.

    I was reading that some companies won't replace or even consider looking at it unless there are at least 7 dead or stuck pixels, which I find unbelievable.
     
    DaveyBoy, Mar 19, 2009 IP
  10. innovati

    innovati Peon

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    #10
    Daveyboy, I had a stuck pixel in my iMac not too long after I got it, and I was F-REAK-ING out for an evening. I felt so sad that my sweet baby Heidi had a dead pixel and looked up all the info. Because with an iMac the screen is behind a glass panel anyway I couldn't even touch the display itself without using magic/opening it up so I just hoped it would go away.

    And it did! It healed over time. Maybe it was just a goth pixel, and pretended it was all dead and zombie-like.

    Now, I feel bad for you, but you're right, you adjust your own eyes to it and your brain tells you to ignore it once you get used to it. You know how when you watch a youtube video that's smaller than your screen your brain shuts out the rest of the screen? Or how when you look at a TV, that's all you see and not the room around you? It's the same process in your head that would 'ignore' that pixel and unless something brought your attention to it, after a while you wouldn't even see it anymore.

    Best of luck to you and your baby, and I was glad to hear you wouldn't want to harm her :)
     
    innovati, Mar 19, 2009 IP
  11. Clive

    Clive Web Developer

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    #11
    Yes, I've seen that happening to me, too. By the time I bought my first LCD monitor, a samsung with 2 or 3 dead pixels, very nice red colored dots, they wouldn't replace it saying that samsung wanted to see more than 5 before accepding a replatement. So I had to yell at the guys in the shop to get them listen to me. It was unbelievable at that time, and I was too young to treat things cool when it came to annoying factory issues.
     
    Clive, Mar 19, 2009 IP