A highly irritating monitor problem

Hi all

A few weeks ago the monitor on my trusty (and extremely outdated) computer broke. I tracked down the problem to the backlight inverter, and was relishing the idea of fixing it and possibly getting electrocuted when my friend offered a brand new 19-inch monitor that his friend had given him. I had a 17-inch LCD, and the offer was a 19-inch LCD (neither were widescreen) Since it was free, I agreed quickly and plugged it into my computer.

From minute 1 it had problems. The first was when flecks (or lines) of color (black, white, purple) began to sizzle down the outer sides of my computer. They weren't exactly between the screen and the plastic, but about an inch or so from the plastic, in the screen itself. Then the whole screen would roughly divide down the middle and colors would start maddeningly fizzing, alarming and unwelcome. This problem was the easy one; it happened maybe once in a day, and it went away with a simple click of the power button. When I reclicked the power, it was normal again.

About 5 or 6 hours into usage of the computer, however, the colors would... change. whites would appear slightly purple, there was a definite roughness in pictures and backgrounds, and if I looked carefully I saw that the white parts were divided into vague patterns of thin black and white lines. and I'm guessing its the pixels. shadows are grossly shown; you can see a distinct black and white instead of a smooth transition. Every color transition is rough, from the back button in Mozilla firefox to my background. From far away, there is a definite "vibration" in the screen. I've tried reinserting the VGA cable, trying to change settings, resolutions, and my mom has even resorted to slapping the computer, all to no avail. Not only does this problem make it impossible for me to play any kind of game or watch a movie properly, It also hurts my eyes and head terribly when I try to read or write anything (that would be now).

I don't know what the monitor's model is, only that the words Princeton are near the top of the plastic, leading me to assume that that is the manufacturer. I've contacted my friend about this, but he knows nothing about how to solve it. I would have argued more, but this WAS free...

By the way, I apologize for any grammatical, punctuational, or capitalization errors possibly made during this rant; its hard to see each individual letter on screen.

Is there any way to fix this monitor (preferably without paying anything)?

This is mostly for future users (sister, mom) who will be using this a lot
in June 18 I get all the parts for my sweet gaming rig

I doubt it is. I don't even know the person who gave my friend this monitor in the first place.

hmmm...