DEAD PIXELS MAY ONLY BE STUCK

How many dead pixels can dance on the head of a pin? Evidently a whole bunch since they are really, really small. So why should you care about dead pixels and what the heck is a pixel anyway?

If your computer has a flat screen monitor, the image you see is made up of pixels. Pixels are individual, tiny points of light that together form what you see on the screen. The word "pixel" is derived from the words "picture" and "element" or in other words, a pixel is the smallest single unit that makes up the images at which you are looking. If you want to compare the size of a single pixel to something you see on the screen, the dimensions of a single period cut into quarters is a fairly good average size reference.

So now that you know what a pixel is, why should you care if something so tiny happens to die? Well that really depends on where the dead pixel's location on your screen happens to be. If say for example, that the dead pixel happens to reside somewhere towards any edge of the screen, then chances are you probably won't notice it. But if that dead pixel suddenly appears somewhere within the main, centrally located viewing area, you're going to notice it probably more sooner than later. If you're playing games or doing something that's fairly graphics intensive, you may not notice the dead pixel at first. An animated display will usually conceal a dead pixel fairly well. But if you're doing word processing that displays a solid white background for the virtual paper or anything else that displays a solid color field, that dead pixel is really going to stand out.

When you first see a dead pixel, you may think that it's just a smudge on the screen, or a gnat that landed there. In fact that's happened to me several times and I remember my heart skipping a beat when I first saw one on my monitor. The amount of angst is directly proportional to the cost of the screen. I also remember breathing a sigh of relief when I was able to gently wipe it off. I've also learned that a dark spot can be caused by a software anomaly within a window I may be viewing. Dragging the window around will cause the little dark spot to move along with the window. Another sigh of relief. Simply closing and reopening the window should make it go away.

But if it won't wipe off or go away, then you may be witness to the birth of a dead pixel or at the very least, a dead pixel you may not have noticed before. In either case, you're going to have to deal with it because like any kind of blemish, once you know it's there, it's really going to stick out like a sore thumb. So what can you do about a dead pixel? Can it be fixed? Maybe, if it's a "stuck" pixel and not a dead one. Sometimes a stuck pixel can be resurrected. There's a few things you can try before you give up and have to buy a new screen.

You can try the pressure method. Note where the stuck pixel is located and turn off the screen. Take a soft cloth to protect the screen's surface and use something pointed like a pen or pencil to apply some gentle pressure on the area. Then turn the screen back on while maintaining the pressure. Remove the pressure and hopefully the stuck pixel will be resurrected. If not, try the tapping method.

While the screen is on, find a solid-color image to highlight the hopefully only-stuck pixel. Using a pen or stylus with a rounded tip, gently tap the stuck pixel. If nothing happens, try tapping a little harder. Of course, this may cause more damage than you originally had so be careful when doing this.

Finally, if none of the above works, there's a free website you can visit that displays an active graphic animation that's designed to "exercise" stuck pixels into becoming unstuck. Simply drag the image over the stuck pixel area and let it stay there for about an hour. According to the website killdeadpixel.com, it will try and "massage" the stuck pixel back to life again. There's even some full screen versions to try so as to protect the rest of your screen while you're chanting over your dead pixels. Who knows? They may be restored, maybe they won't. You have nothing to lose but your dignity when doing this one so obviously, do it alone.

So there you have it. Three things you can try to raise a pixel from the dead. If and when a tiny darkness falls upon your screen, now you're prepared for a pixel resurrection.

www.killdeadpixel.com

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