Thanks Nontek,after investigating the flickering button problem online it seems to be the most common prelude to a monitor giving up the proverbial ghost!I'd love to get it fixed but I'm under the impression that it could be prohibitly expensive compared to shelling out for a replacement. After button fiddling, if I get a picture then it remains on until I turn off. Strangely if I attempt to turn back on after a short while, it works. However after a long layoff, say overnight, then for some unknown reason it starts performing. So far, with perseverence I've managed to get a picture, but I'm pretty convinced that very soon I'll have a permanent dead screen!Thanks QuizMan, I've currently got a DSUB and a DVI-D single link plugged into the back. Do you mean that if I buy a monitor with only a DVI, that's all I need and it will work without the DSUB? Thanks Ian...very helpful link and checking the pictures, mine seems to be a DVI-D, which you state is not ideal???

Hi again lotvic...yes, mains plug and two cables as I explained in above post. May I assure you that any "Dimness" is on my part. Even though I've had a computer for several years, my knowledge is extremely limited. This is deliberate as the constant flux, change and never ending updating drove me to despair and as I've got better things to do, I decided to ignore the workings...and I feel better for it!!!

Yes, two cables plugged in, exactly as you described.