Knock on wood, but this problem has yet to afflict me this session.
However, during my past two sessions, the computer monitor has frozen up and proffered strange vertical bars for my viewing pleasure. I can mess with the monitor's settings using the buttons on it, but the situation can't be helped through my efforts until I shut off the computer.
The monitor I'm using bears both the label "COMPAQ" and "7550," and is a few years old (purchased new at some point during or after 2001). Compaq describes it as such:
Compaq V7550 monitor is an economical flat-faced 17-inch CRT that offers excellent performance for office suite software and Internet and e-mail applications. With its ample viewing area and affordable cost, the V7550 monitor is an ideal desktop display unit for mainstream business users including marketing professionals, consultants, and trainers. The large viewable screen of the V7550 monitor reduces user eyestrain and fatigue while improving production speed and work quality. The 17-inch monitor offers an economical upgrade to a larger screen, without the increased bulk or cost of a 19-inch or 22-inch unit. The V7550 monitor's flat face technology offers crisp image clarity, even in the finest details of Internet sites, e-mail, documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. The flat face also reduces the edge-of-screen distortion normally found on curved-screen monitors. The V7550 monitor is a highly affordable CRT that can also be an integral part of a total desktop solution when combined with a Compaq Evo desktop or notebook PC and docking station, which it is specifically designed to match in color and style. When you buy the V7550 monitor along with a Compaq PC, you are guaranteed end-to-end product serviceability. The V7550 monitor is designed for optimum user comfort. The monitor's tilt-and-swivel features let users adjust the positioning of the unit according to their individual needs. The V7550 monitor meets the most stringent worldwide environmental regulatory standards, including TCO99, which ensures reduced emissions and compliance with environmental sourcing and recycling standards. The monitor is also Energy Star and MPR-II compliant to ensure power usage efficiency and lower emission levels.
I still haven't had this problem during this session, but I'd greatly appreciate any help or suggestions nonetheless.
(Just an observation, but I've been using Firefox v 2.* for this post, but was using Firefox Portable v 3.* when the problem occurred previously. I don't know if that could have anything to do with the issue or not.)