"Logged in, are you?"
somebody had to say it
Posted on 01/22/2007 7:44:47 PM PST by JRios1968
Ok, folks...yes, I am logged in, moose bites can be nasti, etc...
I have a problem that's baffling me. My Gateway Pentium4 laptop (purchased in 2003) has decided that its monitor won't show up stuff anymore. If I hook up a regular monitor to it, I can see stuff just fine in the monitor (external) but otherwise I see nothing in the laptop's monitor.
I tried going back to its WinXP "Last Best Known Config" or whatever it's called, and nothing. I even tried to make the screen brighter...nothing.
Short of getting a new one (and no, I am not buying a Mac...my work and school configurations require WinXP,) what can anyone suggest? Thanks.
I need some help PING...
"Logged in, are you?"
somebody had to say it
When you boot, do you see anything or is it blank even during boot?
LOL
I can see something...barely...and you can see something on the screen, but again, just barely
But seriesly, look at the keyboard for a FN-combination of keystrokes that might've turned off your laptop monitor, while leaving the external VGA port active.
It's typically fn+F5, but your keyboard may vary.
Have you tried booting in Safe Mode?
I am asking questions based on a very similar, recent experience.
They are typically florescent bulbs that are well buried behind the screen.
The machine is about the right age for the bulb to go.
On some models there is a key sequence - shift-F5 on mine - that deactivates the laptop screen in favor of the external video. Check your manual for what that might be on your unit. Hit it a few times.
With the external monitor attached, you might try getting into Device Manager (Control Panel/System/Hardware tab) and looking for signs of failure under the "Display adapters" icon and the one labeled "System devices".
Then it's the shop, I'm afraid. Good luck and let me know if you get any more information.
Good tip. That had happened to me after giving a presentation - forgot to switch back to LCD mode.
I have a machine of the same age (Inspiron 8500) and I use it a lot (it was my primary machine). The same thing happened. Diagnostics showed that everthing was working normally save for the LCD - it was kaput. The LCD has been replaced and all is well.
Sounds like either the backlight or the inverter to me.
I expect a replacement screen costs about as much as a new better laptop (unless you can e-bay it out of someone's bone pile and replace it yourself).
I will never again spend a penny on anything gateway (or Sony but for different reasons).
I've finally forgiven Seagate for shipping 100% bad batches of 20 Meg drives (I was out of choices).
The replacement LCD was not bad (the campus computer store was able to get one for a relatively low cost).
I hear ya regarding Seagate. Recall some friends who had problems with their HDDs many years ago.
fn + F3, maybe?
Checking that, everything shows ok...gonna try the keystroke combos...
If it's that...OUCH
Few Q's first:
1. when you boot does the screen turn on at all? even if screen is black blank, is the screen on?
2. can you get into boot setup? if you can, does the screen work?
When using external monitor, and if everything is properly functioning in Device manager, you are probably looking at a failed inverter board if the screen is on, but blank black..
It could be a logic board if the screen doesn't turn on at all.
Either fix is a repair shop job for most people.
That's what I am afraid of...and depending on the price, it might be cheaper to replace the entire computer!
FYI - The new Intel-based Mac computers can run Windows XP.
Report: Apple to Charge for Boot Camp($29 USD.) tell me how Apple "cares" about their customers again? and how they aren't a "corporation" out for $ like M$... LOL!!!!
Yes, Apple charges money for their products. But I'm sure that a self-confessed criminal like yourself who openly brags about your software piracy can find a way to steal it without paying anyway.
Another thing to check:
Sometimes the little switch, near the hinge that turns the display (backlight) off when you close the lid can get stuck or dirty. Try jiggling it (this is actually a direct quote from a Toshiba technical paper). Likewise sometimes the 'power saving' settings can get confused and turn off the backlight.
When I googled the backlight issue recently I happened upon a very long techinical forum thread that discussed these fixes and the whole process of taking your display apart and replacing the bulb or inverter.
I tried the "jiggle the handle" approach and nothing...If I were a little better at computer repairs, I would definitely give it a try at changing the backlight, but I stop barely short of that much savvy...
Ouch...thanks, though.
Tech & Tech support pings?
Still no joy on the RAM (though I'm sending the 512 back to Kingston)...
The Mrs took our "patient" to an expert today...the verdict:
roll drums, please...
The backlight! According to the techie, it would be about $300 to replace the entire monitor...
I might just get a new laptop and x-fer the data over.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Precisely...we're probably going to buy a new one soon...I want to make sure I do it while the XP ones are still available, though
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