Hairline down dead-center of screen(SOLVED)

Support & Help Requests
#1

Hairline
Hairline.gif1700×956 140 KB

Here is a screenshot with a painted line, as thin as I could make it, showing the approximate placement of the hairline. I simulated the hairline because it does not show in any screenshot. Please notice how it passes through the title of the window and terminates near the bottom of the screen. The hairline, unimaginably thinner than the line I painted over the screenshot, stays fixed where I indicated, independent of all screen content.

It is either a Linux Maté coding fail, or perhaps an issue with my graphics card. How do I troubleshoot this?

Thank you for considering my request,
Bob

#2

Time to try these troubleshooting to determine if it's software error or signs of hardware failure:

  • Does it still appear if you plug in a different monitor or TV?
  • If you change the screen resolution, does it stay in the same place or shift?
  • Which graphics card and drivers?
  • Does it still happen in a live session or other distro/OS?

I imagine since it doesn't show up in screenshots, that it's likely the monitor (or laptop screen) that's failing.

1 Like
#3

Thanks lah7, for a great starting point, tho a bit advanced for me. This is a mid-range high performance gaming notebook. I don't have a stand alone monitor, but I do have two extra low-end laptops if they might be used somehow as an extra monitor. I use only live steaming news with no tv.

It has a NVIDIA card from which I did tinker around with various resolutions with now affect on the hairline.

I'm not aware of what a live session is, but changing distros from this Maté to say, Mint 19, would be quite an involved step, would it not? I did reinstall Maté with no affect on the hairline.

#4

A live session is booting from CD or USB and choosing "Try Ubuntu MATE without installing". This would run a fresh environment without touching what's already installed.

Pretty sure it's due to a defective display, a hardware issue. It might be solvable by changing/readjusting the ribbon cable (what connects the display to the motherboard) or worst case, the LCD itself is faulty and needs replacing to remove the line. If it's dead pixels, it could get worse over time.

This blog discusses mentions some more info:

1 Like
#5

Beyond my pay grade lah7.. My 3 yr warranty is still good, though they keep the notebook for one or two weeks and that my friend bites. I'll use one of my old units int the interim. Off she goes
thanks for helping me

1 Like
#6

Just got my laptop back from Sager repair. Problem solved! Thanks for aiding in my troubleshooting.

1 Like