I got a uaed tv set from a friend. It works great (thank goodness something does) except that there is a vertical white bar near the center of the screen. I was told this is probably because it got cleaned too much with Windex. Is there any way to fix it, especially cheap and/or easy?
-
After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.
Fix Windexed tv screen
- Thread starter Rgarner
- Start date
Soap and water are your friend when cleaning a flat screen TV.
Everything else leaves streaks and stuff.
Everything else leaves streaks and stuff.
I agree--but that big white bar looks like a hardware problem to me. I don't see how Windex could do that!
That looks like physical damage done to the screen from impact or excessive pressure. You can't fix that without replacing the panel, so either live with it or get a new TV.
GameTheory
Android Expert
I have to admit that I've been using windex since the time of tube tvs when flat widescreen panels didn't exist. I still use it on my flat panels without issue, but since you guys mention it could be a problem, I will stop and use something more delicate.
I agree that the vertical bar on your tv is hardware damage. It's so thick it'll be hard to live with.
I agree that the vertical bar on your tv is hardware damage. It's so thick it'll be hard to live with.
Oh hell no!
You can't wipe that off, that's a damaged screen. You're photos weren't uploaded when you originally posted
You can't wipe that off, that's a damaged screen. You're photos weren't uploaded when you originally posted
That's definitely a fault in the screen driver logic on the LCD panel itself. Nothing can be done except replacement.
That TV is done. Start looking around for sales on new ones.
I can fix things but if it were mine I wouldn't even bother trying to mess with it.
Now it's on again, though still with that white bar. I guess I'll go ahead and ask how to add channels. The problem, or part of it anyway, is that nowhereville gets mostly weird channels most people have never heard of, such as gettv and comet. I'm trying to get just regular local stuff, networks and public tv.
Use AmorAll glass wipes.. For real. Windex can ruin certain plastics, makes em permanently foggy or turn yellow. Treat your TV like it has car tint = NO Windex
And yes, windex can damage hardware, like where the display ribbon meets the connector pins an such.. Which will in turn cause the white streak you have
You'd have to spray a heck of a lot of Windex on it for the liquid to run inside the TV and get into the connectors. The warning about using certain types of cleaners generally refers to damage they can do to the screen surface due to abrasion or chemical reaction. But it appears that in this case the screen was damaged internally from pressure or impact and there's no fixing that. And regardless, unless you know what you're doing and have the proper experience you should not attempt to open it up and mess around inside.
The owners manual for most flat panel TVs and displays will usually recommend cleaning the screen with only a soft cloth and nothing else.
As for channels, assuming you are using an off-air antenna you'll first want to make sure the antenna you are using is sufficient to receive whatever channels are available in your area. You can go to this site for local channel info and antenna recommendations-
https://antennaweb.org/
With a good antenna connected to the TV you can then go to the setup menu and have it scan for channels. The scan will take some time, go have a beverage of your choice while you wait. Once it's done you'll have all the available off-air channels that your set and antenna can receive.
It's actually a good idea to re-scan every so often because new channels may come on the air, existing ones may change frequencies, or reception conditions may change allowing for reception of channels that weren't previously available.
The owners manual for most flat panel TVs and displays will usually recommend cleaning the screen with only a soft cloth and nothing else.
As for channels, assuming you are using an off-air antenna you'll first want to make sure the antenna you are using is sufficient to receive whatever channels are available in your area. You can go to this site for local channel info and antenna recommendations-
https://antennaweb.org/
With a good antenna connected to the TV you can then go to the setup menu and have it scan for channels. The scan will take some time, go have a beverage of your choice while you wait. Once it's done you'll have all the available off-air channels that your set and antenna can receive.
It's actually a good idea to re-scan every so often because new channels may come on the air, existing ones may change frequencies, or reception conditions may change allowing for reception of channels that weren't previously available.
Windex is a glass cleaner, and probably fine cleaning the front of the glass vacuum bulb of an old TV. But flat panel LCDs TVs are often are plastic fronted and Windex may not be so good for it, like causing it to fog, abrasion etc.
You can't. Plus taking it somewhere to get it fixed usually costs as much as a whole new TV from anywhere
Which is why you don't see any more TV repair shops, so even if you were so inclined there isn't really any "somewhere" to take it. The model for most modern consumer electronics is "disposable" and not "repairable" as in years past. It breaks, you throw it out and buy a new one.