What's your power settings in Control Panel for the monitor?
What is the power setting you have it saved under?
Example: Always On, Minimal Power Management etc.

Power Schemes
Home/Office Desk

Settings for Home/Office Desk Power Scheme
Turn Off Monitor: Never
Turn Off Hard Disks: Never

System Standby: Never


More info i just wanted to add: i can hear the xp loading music and can hear the error tone wen i press random letters on my keyboard which should mean everything except video card and/or monitor is to blame? (unless i'm wrong?)

I reckon the TFT is dying mate.
Try hooking an alternate monitor up to your system and see what happens or hook your monitor up to another known working system.
If you hook a different monitor up to yours and it works you know all is ok.
If you hook it to another monitor and it doesn't then you know it's the monitor.

thanks wolfeymole