Artefacts on touch screen.

[GTP]

I have a client with an Acer R7 ZS8 laptop/tablet.
Loaded with malware and crap software.
Imaged, N & P'd and clean installed Windows 10 1803. (it had Windows 8 - not 8.1)
When a program or window is opened then closed it retains the faint image of what was last opened on the screen.
Rebooting removes any artefacts but they return when something is opened then closed.
It is only a faint ghost image but was wondering if anyone else has seen this or maybe the screen is faulty?
TIA

 

[sapphirescales]

It's a known issue with this model. They use a POS screen that produces temporary "burn-in" when you have the same thing on the screen for more than a minute or two. The only solution is to see if there are any other compatible LCD panels for this model that were made better. Not everyone complains about this issue so it must have shipped with other panels too.

Lesson: Don't trust anything from Acer.

If it belongs to a client, chances are they're already aware of the issue and either don't care or don't notice anymore. If they brought it to you specifically to fix this issue, it's probably not going to be worth messing with.

 

[GTP]

It does belong to a client (as I mentioned above) but it was brought to me because it was infested with malware and crap software.
She was relying on Windows Defender.
I didn't notice the "ghosting" until after I installed Win 10.
I will make her aware of it ( if she's not already) and quote what you said above (no names of course) and see if she wants to do anything about it.
Thanks

 

[mraikes]

I had the same kind of ghost image problem on an Asus laptop a few months ago. Replacing the screen solved it. Had nothing to do with the cleanup or virus removal, just an odd way for a screen to fail.

 

[sapphirescales]

These cheapo panels are really becoming a nuisance. You can end up buying a laptop/monitor/TV/whatever and it can have this problem, then if you exchange it for another identical unit it won't. It just depends on how crappy of a panel you end up getting. Some manufacturers can use 10+ different panels in the same model of laptop/monitor/etc.

This is why whenever I have to buy something with a screen, I buy a couple of them and then return the one that has this issue and keep the one that doesn't. I had to exchange a total of 14 different LG monitors before I finally got one with a decent panel in it that didn't do this. Like I said, it's luck of the draw. And this was a $1,000 monitor! I'm sticking with Samsung monitors and TV's exclusively now because they don't seem to have this problem (probably because Samsung themselves manufacturers all their own panels in their devices).

 

[mraikes]

And today a Lenovo walked in the door with that same ghosting problem. At least the diagnosis is quick now.

 

[GTP]

Client was/is aware of the "ghosting" but was told (some time ago) by Acer Support that "it was normal for this particular model."
As it's not a permanent ghost image and disappears randomly, she doesn't really care.
In this particular case the ghost image is barely visible; but visible none the less.

Changing the background from the standard Windows 10 pic to something else like a pic of her child at the park makes any ghost image almost unnoticeable.

Thanks for all replies.

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

Disappears randomly? Just retains what was last opened? Just to be clear here if you open 2 notepads side by side, and you close them both, you get a faint ghost image for both right? This isnt one of those situations where remnants of just the last window gets stuck visible while it was in the process of fading out? (can disable visual effects to test).

 

[GTP]

Hmmm...Interesting - and I never thought of that. But it's too late now and doesn't really matter any more. Customer has already collected the unit and doesn't care about the ghosting.
Really all she cares about is that it is not running as slow as sap down down a tree trunk and her pics are safely backup up.

I'll remember your tip for next time though.