Someone gave me this monitor but without a manual. How do I make the speakers work and what are the three buttons on the front for?

http://www.vtechphones.com/vtechphones/index.cfm/support/general/manuals/

try using the FN "function key" and you should have a button at the top that looks like and LCD press it while holding the FN button

try another monitor i re placed my cord and the graphics card and it didn't do me any good i replaced the monitor last and it works fine now. and my speakers pluged into the monitor the monitor i bought didn't have the port for speakers so now i need to get usb speakers so check it out. hope this helps

what PC, non stated , only that old monitor
that monitor is 16 years old today, wow , 99% are dead now
long ago, dead when the CCFL lamps burned out long ago
you be lucky it works at all, a fact.
no the USB port is not sound, but they sell USB speakers and head phones that have its own sound system (CHIP_) total that replaces
the sound in your unstated PC, (but is topic 2 not #1)

lets do sound blind, I cant see your pC can I, no photos
or names or models or what cables are attached can I, now.

so sound 101: day: (forget USB for now, ok?)
1: my guess is desktop of some kind, (i use a monitor on a laptop)
2: remove all usb devices now, cept keyboard and mouse.
3: now see rear of PC, see those 3 or more 3.5mm phone jacks.?
sure, see that green round phone jack, that is LINE out.
1.5mm diameter it is, (no set of pins , no USB this)
if you connect ear buds or a real phone jack head phones this works now, (does it , bugs are 1 buck at the dollar store)

eg: click control panel of your unstated windows, click sound
click speakers, mine has many speakers to chose, 7.1, but if old PC it has one speaker click that,. (mine is fancy express sound card,with surround sound, so can yours if you buy the card)
then click tab called,sounds , see asterisk. and test button
this is the best way to test sound first. only this.
This is built in to all windows made. all.
and always works if the sound driver is present.
if the test button fails to work at all. is gray out that is windows way of telling you the sound driver is borked up, missing or corrupted, one of my PC run linux, so.... that be different...

lets say you get this far, ok?
4: lets say a real head phone works on the 1green jack. it must.
forget USB for now, that is advanced stuff that MS does not support but can function good with hard work later.
5: now that monitor or any external speakers sold are all ampified speaker,, no they are NOT just speaker with only a voice coil inside. not at all.
the monitor needs that 3.5mm cable attached,
the amp in the monitor must be accessed, just like real exteral speakers that same do.
on the monitor,here I will read your manual to you now.
so can you why not do that first??????
6:push the menu button on the monitor to get to sound volume/
the FP5012 as a 2watt amp inside that can fail
or someone reset the monitor and the reset puts volume to 0
zero.
the jack is named on mon.
1 x audio - input - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm - 1


why not just by new external speaker kit (amplified for PC)?
spend like $10?

i found your manual, want it? push center button now.
push menu choice (OSD) 5 , for sound volume
bingo? page 15, in dah manual.
omg, its got its own button on front of mon.
its not in the OSD on this monitor as is most.

http://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/67592/compaq-5017.html

end stock sound systems.
USB is a totally different and more complex topic,
as all USB devices can be, MS even has a warning on the use of these usb sound devices, ask and can send it to you
in short MS says zero support on them ask your vender for that.

do not run onboard sound with USB sound or they will fight each other, until you learn how to control that, ask. we do it all the time here.
ok here is the V button set, below. if this fails
and buds work, the monitor is BAD.
if the buds fail the PC is messed up, (USB not used)
cost of testing $1 (buds)

buds means ear buds, sold in just about all stores now.
for nada, get some keep them handy of cheap testing.

Press the audio button (A button in right hand upper corner) till you see FADE or BAL press the up down or left right arrows to adjust the fade and balance till all your speakers work.

If they still dont work, check the wiring at the speaker and the wiring behind the head unit to make sure their properly intact and properly grounded.

YOU HAVE A DRY SOLDER PROBLEM, You have to open the monitor and check the solders in the PC BOARD , mainly where theres A SMALL transformer resolder it , and try again ,that should fix it . hope it helps

Sounds like one of 2 things.

1. The internal bios of the monitor has failed and the monitor is pretty much wanting to know what to do. It is of course waiting to be programmed as it would have in the factory.
2. Someone has knocked the front panel accidently pressing a combination of buttons to put it into factory mode. This is normally POWER + MENU held together when switching on. The only problem with this theory is after a power down, it should reset to nomal mode. It can be a different combination of buttons also, like AUTO and POWER or even all three together.

you need only 1 equalizer.

please go thru this manual carefully
http://www.bose.com/pdf/customer_service/owners/og_901.pdf

I had the same problem. To get to the power button you just have to remove the front trim panel that the button is attached to. There is a small slot on the bottom of the pannel near the power buttom. I inserted a very small screwdriver and pried the front corner up then very carefully I went around the perimeter with the screwdriver and released the snap hooks by gently prying the silver side trim panel away from the front trim panel. It's not hard but you have to be gentle so as not to break a hook or mar the trim. Once you have the front trim panel loosened there is a wire which connects the four buttons on the front to the monitor. It's very short so don't drop the front trim panel.

The electrical contact surfaces under the rubber buttons lose contact over time. I don't know if it's corrosion or some kind of build up. I fixed mine by disassembling the monitor, removing the button panel and cleaning the contacts with a pencil eraser. It works great now. The monitor is a real bear to take apart though. There are four hidden spring tabs on the sides of the bezel that are impossible to see. I groped with a very thin screwdriver blade and finally got them to release, but not without chipping some of the plastic.