EMac Still Humming Along - Display Issues Though ... Any Help?

Question

I have a strange display issue to run by the forum here:
Obviously my 2002 eMac is going to be suffering some display issues
with the age the Mac is and all ... but besides the slightly "softer" screen focus
(due to aging tube), I only have one other constant issue with the display.
I know the brightness and contrast are not what they used to be when the eMac
was newer, but here is the issue I am having. At least once a day now (after a few hours
of use), I seem to be constantly adjusting the "brightness" and "contrast" setting to get the
screen to a very usable brighter white field color. Normally now, the screen will get kind
of "dim gray" and less "contrast white" ... without any brightness or contrast range left for
me to adjust (the brightness and contrast settings in the system preferences/display pane
are usually maxed out).
To kind of fix this, what I've noticed lately, is that if I open the system preferences pane
and go to the "display" settings, lower both brightness and contrast down to the lowest settings,
then close out of system preferences .... then open system preferences again, and adjust the brightness and contrast up to slightly higher than the normal middle settings .... the screen brightness and contast are better and I have more "adjustment range.
Here's my question: What would be making the "brightness" and "contrast" settings come back to
a more "normal state" by performing the above sequence? I once thought the screen display was
getting older and as a result, dimming normally. But now I am thinking that it may be more of a "software" issue that isn't keeping the brightness or contrast settings in hold.
I pretty much perform all the basic maintenance procedures on a regular basis (ie: Permissions,
repair, disc repair/check, DiscWarrior directory repair/check, etc.), so am I missing anything
important here?
Any thoughts or ideas what is happening here, or how to make the "brightness" and "contrast"
hold their settings longer?
Any assistance is appreciated. Thanks

Answer 1

One other thing to look at is the setting in System Preferences, Universal Access, *Enhance Contrast* slider to make sure it is set to normal before you make the adjustment in Display.
Have you ever tried calibrating your screen? It can also be done under Display?
Generally an increasingly darker display is hardware related caused by heat, as well as the aging of the tube as you have indicated.
I used to like cleaning out the dust from the interior of the eMac periodically using a large soft artist's brush to dust and a running vacuum cleaner to suck up the dust as it flew. Most dust accumulates on the fan blades and it always seemed to run quieter afterwards, though 'quieter' is a relative term on an eMac.
The only tricky bit to this operation is the micro plug that connects to the power button. It is very small and fiddly to reattach.
Only consider the above course of action if your are naturally happy with opening electrical equipment and realize it must be completely disconnected from any power outlet before you even start. Otherwise don't do it if you feel unsure.
Your problem is unusual in your saying that it appears to be software related, from opening and closing your Sys. Prefs dialogue. It makes me wonder if anything is corrupting that file, and the settings it contains? It is peculiar.
I wonder if deleting that particular file would help. With System Preferences closed, in Finder locate,
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist
and drag it to the trash.
It will be recreated next time your open Sys. Prefs.
I doubt if that will be the fix, but you might as well try it. As an experiment, instead of doing your described technique, instead try trashing that .plist and see if it achieves the same.
Lastly when was the last time you replaced your PRAM battery? It is a cheap thing to do, and I mention it only because the PRAM chip does control some video settings and removing a possible aberrant voltage from the equation is a one more thing you can do.
references:
eMac: How to Replace the Backup Battery
Resetting the PRAM and NVRAM