PC Monitor (CRT) Adjustment

I have just bought an old CRT monitor for my Pentium III system (which I am
writing from). If I recall correctly, when I got it the contrast was set to
100, and the brightness was set to 64. Are these reasonable settings? Will
they shorten the lifespan of the picture tube?

Also, I am getting an effect where objects on the screen have "shadows" or
"tails" directly to the right. Does anyone know what, if anything can be
done about this?

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to give

-- 
R. Chippendale
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