This not a UFO

While the idea of seeing a ghost might be unsettling, there is nothing scary about monitor ghosting. This is a rather common problem, and it surely does not mean that your computer is haunted. In fact, the phenomenon has a perfectly logical explanation.

If a monitor has a slow response time, it might happen that the windows you move around leave a trail of pixels behind them and there are lags in updating the desktop image. This usually happens when there are fast-moving objects or windows on the monitor, like in gaming sessions, for instance. Other causes might be related to unoptimized monitor settings or a faulty connection between the monitor and the computer, either due to the cable or interferences.

While there are online tests to determine whether monitor ghosting is really an issue, an offline application such as This not a UFO also does the trick. With this lightweight software tool, you can easily run a fast test to determine whether your PC has a problem with monitor ghosting or not.

The application requires no installation. In fact, it is up and running as soon as you double-click on the main executable file. The main window is overly simplistic, lurking you into starting the test right away. However, keep in mind that you can change the number of loops beforehand.

Once you hit that “Start” button, there is no turning back! This not a UFO opens up a new window of a folder with many subfolders that it automatically creates on the desktop and starts moving it around on your monitor from left to right and all the way back, just like in a ping-pong match. If you have more than one monitor, the window moves between them all, so you can see if they are well aligned.

The movement speed is high at first and the window slows down as it hits the monitor’s margins and as time passes by, not that the test takes a lot, but just a minute or so. This allows you to identify those otherworldly trails and visualize the response time of your displays.

With This not a UFO, you can easily determine whether monitor ghosting is really an issue for your computer’s monitors. It runs a simple, yet efficient and useful test, checking to see if your monitor has a slow response time.