After more than 5 years of 12 hour or more days, my trusty 17" CRT monitor has begun to fail. Brief, momentary flashes of color coupled with an occasional apparent loss of one of the shades, tells me there's a problem with at least one of the color guns.

To make sure it wasn't my system or graphics card, I moved the monitor from my backup system to my primary setup to see if it exhibited the same problems and it was fine. Fortunately, I had a backup system with its own monitor; hence I'm able to use that 15" CRT to continue to function. Anyone who has been involved with computers long enough will eventually end up with an extra system and it's most useful in situations such as these, both for diagnosis as well as to see you through the period until you are able to acquire a replacement.

If you have children, they likely have your old system so you can just take their monitor for this purpose. When they complain, just tell them they'll be able to play their games again when daddy or mommy gets a new monitor. I consider that a lesson in economics. I also don't have any children!

Believe it or not, one of the things you must take into consideration when your monitor fails is how you are going to dispose of it. When you outgrow a computer you can almost always find someone to whom you can give it or you can use it as backup as I've done with one of mine. But a failing monitor presents its own unique set of problems.

First, you can't really give it away, who'd want it, it's failing. Second, you can't throw it away; federal EPA regulations prohibit the improper disposal of a monitor. In other words you can't simply throw it in the trash. Since I'm already back to using my 15" monitor I have to figure out what to do with my 17" monitor that is now occupying a corner of the floor in my office.

I tried Salvation Army and Goodwill and they both pointed to signs on their wall informing me of what I already knew, that EPA regulation. Hmm, I wonder why that stops them from taking it, especially when it is still moderately functional. Salvation Army actually informed me over the phone that they wouldn't pick it up. Hence, my next gambit was to personally take the monitor to my local Goodwill. My annoyance at being turned down by Goodwill was only exacerbated by the fact the monitor weighs around fifty pounds and I had to lug it down a flight of stairs.

Since I was informed the policy on taking these varies by office, I decided to take it to a Goodwill Store near my old stomping grounds on the west side of the city in which I used to live. Much to my regret, they turned me down as well. I thought this might work as a year ago, I saw them receive an entire computer, including monitor but no such luck for me.

I drove back home and lugged the fifty pound monitor up the same flight of stairs which barely an hour earlier had served as a means for carrying it down to street level. I was becoming moderately peeved not to mention the fact I now had pain in parts of my body that hadn't been used in years. If you are starting to say a prayer for your own monitor's continued good health, I don't blame you.

I now searched the Internet. Dell devotes a portion of its site to PC disposal. You can recycle, this costs money and has to be shipped or you can donate. I tried the donate option for which they link you to the National Cristina Foundation. They have a signup process and you e-mail them the information and particulars. They promptly informed me they had no one in the area to pick up my monitor (I had offered to drop it off if they couldn't pick it up) and they informed me they had no one in the area to fix it.

I checked the "Yellow Pages" or was that "Yellow Book," can anybody really tell the difference and does anyone really care, and I found a place in my area called "HMR Group." They pull monitors apart to recycle their rusty innards. You have to start with an e-mail or a fax. I e-mailed them and as of this writing, I've heard nothing from them.

All of this nonsense has gone on and I've yet to purchase a replacement monitor. If I wanted to replace my computer today, I know exactly what I would get, what specs I want, how I want it configured, what devices I want included, no muss, no fuss. A monitor is a completely different issue. Who would have thought replacing a monitor would be such a big fat pain?

First, you have to decide, CRT (cathode ray tube) or flat panel LCD. Now, before you start sharpening your pencils or tapping the keys of your keyboard thinking "I'm going to help Michael out," please don't. I don't want it, I don't need it and I don't care! If that sounds a bit rude, you must understand, when it rains it pours. I may have to buy a new car shortly, I have to replace a vacuum cleaner, I have to replace the T.V. in the living room and now I have to replace my monitor. I'm not pleased.

Hence, while I'm not really in the mood to have to deal with these technical differences, I find myself forced to do so. I must admit, given today's cost of a CRT, I've been salivating at the thought of a 19" monitor; that's the biggest CRT my computer desk can accommodate but it is bigger, brighter and easier to read than a flat panel LCD. On the other hand, a flat panel will leave me with loads of desk space, runs cool (Looks cool too) and it's energy efficient.

While you can purchase a 15" flat panel for the price of the very good 19" Viewsonic CRT I've been considering, I just don't think I'll be satisfied with that 15" flat panel display. Okay, I hear you tuning up out there, "But Michael, that 15" display gives you almost as much viewable area as most 17" CRTs." To that, I have just one thing to say, "BULLCRAP!" My failing 17" CRT had a 16" viewable area and that 19" Viewsonic has an 18" viewable area, a good one inch more than any 17" inch flat panel LCD and 3" more than that woefully inadequate 15" display. Before you get the idea that SIZE is all that matters to me (Oh my!), there is a question of legibility of text and brightness of display. Since I spend literally hours looking at that display I have to consider eyestrain. That Viewsonic has an excellent refresh rate of 80Hz at its optimal resolution of 1280x1024 and a dot pitch of .21mm horizontal and .25mm diagonal.

Until my forties, I had 20/20 vision and could read the fine print on the back of over-the-counter medications in a drug store. Suddenly, everything changed. You'd think when you get older it would get better because you've done it so long you're better at it. Now, sometimes I have to put on my reading glasses just to see the print on a television screen. When I find out who's responsible for this glaring inadequacy in the human body, they're going to hear from me!

Just to show you I'm not imagining all of this, LCD screens have a brightness and contrast rating. If it didn't matter, why would they have it? Brightness is measured in "Candelas per unit area or cd/m2" and 300 cd/m2 is considered desirable. Contrast is measured in a ratio and 400:1 or better is considered desirable. Finding a reasonably priced LCD with a 400:1 contrast ratio or better isn't too difficult, not even in the 17" range. But finding an LCD with a cd/m2 of at least 300 is next to impossible. Most have a.cd/m2 rating of 240 to 270. PC periodicals vary on the importance placed on the above or even what is most desirable so you have to go to the store and check it out for yourself to see what is most comfortable.

Another consideration with LCDs is dead pixels. I can only suggest not purchasing a flat panel online and when you check retail establishments, find out about return policy. Some places won't allow you to return a flat panel unless there are at least 8 dead pixels while others will allow a return for just one dead pixel. You're buying it, it's new, none of the pixels should be dead! However, this only adds to the hassle factor. It's one more thing you have to worry about and it's not a factor with a CRT. Worse, some places charge a restocking fee so make sure that sort of thing doesn't apply to your purchase of an LCD because dead pixels are definitely an issue.

I know most of you don't think I have a problem. "Michael, just get your priorities straightened out. You don't need a car, you live in California, buy a bicycle. Instead of a "bagless" vacuum cleaner buy a carpet sweeper and don't sweat the 14" portable color television in the living room that gasps and wheezes for 15 minutes every time you turn it on, just watch the nice 20" set in your bedroom. See how simple life can be?"

Yeah, now I only have to worry about the monitor!