Samsung SyncMaster 931BF Flickering Issues

I have a Samsung SyncMaster 931BF monitor that has had flickering issues since a couple weeks after I bought it. I tried everything I could think of to fix it, to no avail, and for a while I wondered if it was a configuration issue. I’m not too knowledgeable about monitors, so I thought perhaps the refresh rate could be incorrect or something of that nature. Unfortunately, since Linux users don’t get any real driver support from most hardware vendors, I remained unsure about if it was an actual hardware issue or just software misconfiguration.

Today I became so agitated by the flickering that I decided it was time to assume it was a hardware problem and send it in for repairs, but I figured I’d do one last troubleshooting session. Lo and behold, I found the cause of the problem: when my external USB hard drive is on, the monitor flickers. I’m not sure if it is from electromagnetic radiation or from overdrawing the electrical outlet / powerstrip, but these problems are more readily addressed than actual monitor problems.

Hopefully this will assist someone else who is having the same problem. I personally couldn’t find anything worthwhile on the net regarding this monitor and flickering (but in a way that is a good thing).