> I was looking at a friend's 15" Dell UltraScan (15FS model, I
> think), and I
> noticed that there seemed to be a rather generous margin around
> the desktop.
> I tried to increase the size of the desktop with the monitor's adjustment
> controls, but they were already maxed out.  I tried some different refresh
> rates but this didn't change things that much.  It also seemed that the
> monitor didn't like the highest refresh rates (85mhz) even at 800x600 and
> 640x480, as the parts of the screen developed a flicker or unsteadiness to
> them.
>
> These problems seemed to be present both with the original computer that
> came with the monitor (486 era) and a somewhat newer computer
> with a Matrox
> Mystique video card.
>
> I'm assuming that this monitor is just wearing out, as it is
> probably about
> five years old.  I was wondering if these sound like typical symptoms of a
> monitor reaching the end of its life span.

     No, this is not a normal symptom, although it could be the reason in
your case. I have noticed that alot of older monitors DO have a small
viewable area with default settings. You mentioned the Matrox Mystique. Part
of the utilities available with that card is a screen size adjustment. It
allows you to increase your screen size without using the monitor's
controls. You can access this option in the Matrox Display Properties app in
the control panel. TTYL

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