Laptop Screen Gone Dark

[aughie]

I have an IBM laptop 600E series. It's a P2. I leave it on all the time plugged into the wall socket with the screen set to switch off after 30 minutes. The other morning I discover the screen is very dark and I can barely make my way around by following the cursor with a flashlight directed on the screen. The physical switch below the screen has no effect.

Here are the Qs:

Is it best to shutdown laptops rather than keeping them running?

Is the LCD screen most likely shot?

Is there a way to brighten the screen via a windows setting? I have XP.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

-a

[sajal]

usually you may adjust brightness the screen by the following setps....

some utility from IBM bundled with your laptop.....

in case you know about the BIOS, you can try goin thru the settings there also some notebooks have the brightness control in the bios.

could be that your PC is over 5 years old.....and the LCD is gettin weaker..

[autonomous_unit]

Sounds like the backlight is shot (or more specifically its power supply, since it failed suddenly). It could be an inexpensive repair if there were a good technician to diagnose it without starting to replace every part in sight... I've known people to do this themselves but I have luckily never lost a screen before I got rid of the laptop. I have noticed that after a year or so the screens take longer to "warm up" to full brightness and clear white-balanced colors.

Like harddrives, the backlights have limited total operating hours and limited numbers of power cyclings. So having a screen turn off and on too frequently may kill it long before it would have if kept on steadily; on the other hand, having it on 24 hours a day when you only look at it for a few hours is probably going to wear it out sooner as well. Using very aggressive power-saving modes may give you more time on battery but substantially shortens the life of the other components.

Because of this, I set my screen blanking to a long time (over 12 hours) and decide myself whether to blank it by pressing a hot-key that turns off the backlight. I only blank it if I intend to leave it that way for several hours or overnight. Another issue with some laptops is that the connections to the screen seem to wear out from frequent opening and closing of the lid, but I think the IBMs tend to be pretty tough in this regard.

[Gary A]

A friend of mine had the same problem. They wanted more than the computer was worth to repair it. He went and bought a new LCD monitor and plugged it into the port on the back of his computer. As far as I know it is still working like that. I also have an old Think-pad that I hooked my desktop LCD monitor to and it worked like a charm. I couldn't get a keyboard to work without buying a little splitter cable. Why it needs the splitter cable I haven't got a clue but the remote keyboard also works fine with the little cable.

Sounds like the backlight is shot (or more specifically its power supply, since it failed suddenly). It could be an inexpensive repair if there were a good technician to diagnose it without starting to replace every part in sight... I've known people to do this themselves but I have luckily never lost a screen before I got rid of the laptop. I have noticed that after a year or so the screens take longer to "warm up" to full brightness and clear white-balanced colors.

Like harddrives, the backlights have limited total operating hours and limited numbers of power cyclings. So having a screen turn off and on too frequently may kill it long before it would have if kept on steadily; on the other hand, having it on 24 hours a day when you only look at it for a few hours is probably going to wear it out sooner as well.  Using very aggressive power-saving modes may give you more time on battery but substantially shortens the life of the other components.

Because of this, I set my screen blanking to a long time (over 12 hours) and decide myself whether to blank it by pressing a hot-key that turns off the backlight.  I only blank it if I intend to leave it that way for several hours or overnight. Another issue with some laptops is that the connections to the screen seem to wear out from frequent opening and closing of the lid, but I think the IBMs tend to be pretty tough in this regard.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Abandon]

good replies. Would add that right clicking your desktop/settings/advanced and rummage around for a brightness control - depends on the video card if it allows you to brighten up.

I tend not to turn on/off the com, as I believe it wears out faster if I do. But who has done careful methodical research in this? Everyone has an opinion, but I've never seen deliberate independent tests.

I'd not leave a laptop on though. Their cooling systems are not so great, and Particularly in Thailand there is a lot of dust about. The filters will clog up very quickly, and so steadily raise your computer temperature. You should buy a desktop for your home, you only need to spend around 18 000+ on it. Then network the two, and just use the laptop when you are out and about.

Since you say you leave it plugged in and on 24 hours a day, it means that you do not carry it around much. Far better to get a desktop, and just use a small cheaper laptop for when you need it outside of home.

Sounds to me that your screen is shot. Just about any repair on a laptop is mightily expensive.

[slimdog]

Firstly you need to plug your laptop into an external monitor and confirm that it is an actual hardware fault as opposed to just settings.

If it is hardware, then as a previous poster mentioned it is most likely the dc/ac converter to the backlight. These cost around US$45 plus any costs.

Possibly better to go for a cheap 2nd hand monitor if the cost is an issue.

[aughie]

Thanks guys. I'll go through a checklist and see what gives.

Thx again.

-a

[Firefoxx]

The diagnosis is probably correct. LCD displays are known to fail early, not because of the LCD element itself, but because of the backlight failing. If you can hardly see anything, even with a flashlight, and the brightness controls do nothing, then it's probably the backlight. If the backlight's shot, then you can't see the LCD, since the LCD itself produces hardly any light to speak of.

You could probably fix it yourself, if you are a mechanical guy and can find the right spare parts. Or you could go to a store and have it fixed. It might be a bit expensive, and not worth it, as others have said.

[ovenman]

I had a similar problem with my HP Pavilion notebook computer. The people at the HP service center didn't know their ass from their elbow, they wanted to replace the motherboard for 30,000 baht, which wouldn't have done a thing to fix the problem. I found some great help on an HP-sponsored users forum, downloaded the service manual for my machine and made the repair myself.

The faulty component was the power inverter that drives the LCD display, apparently a common problem with those HP models. The inverter for my system was about a US$25 part plus shipping. Took about ten minutes to make the repair. Look around on the 'Net and see if you can find a service manual posted for your IBM.

[sajal]

mayb a lil off topic...but lemme add this...

i totally agree with ovenman "The people at the HP service center didn't know their ass from their elbow". had a really bad experience...they took over 20 days to replace the faulty motherboard on my HP(nx9010). (1 week to detect the problem) seems that bangkok center sent the spares to phuket by mistake instead of hat yai... and they took time sorting the whole thing out. - decided not to buy any HP/compaq product ever(10 months and counting)...

[aughie]

Plugged a std. monitor into the laptop everything is fine. I looked around for a manual in order to replace the ac/dc converter but decided to just run it as it is. It's slowly wearing out, battery incapable of holding a charge and now the backlight.

Thnx again guys.

-a

[Firefoxx]

Rechargeable batteries will always wear out, it's a fact of life. Usual lifetime is around 500 full charge/recharge cycles. Notebook batteries are also usually expensive, but you can buy 3rd party ones for cheaper. Some shops (like Pantip 1st floor, around the back) have a service to open up the battery and replace the lithium-ion cells, which is cheaper than replacing the whole assembly. Of course, this is only for the adventurous, but it does work.

The problem with your display might be the inverter or the backlight itself or some other component. If you actually are going to order a replacement, you should at least find the true source of the problem.

[keencenturion]

good replies. Would add that right clicking your desktop/settings/advanced and rummage around for a brightness control - depends on the video card if it allows you to brighten up.

I tend not to turn on/off the com, as I believe it wears out faster if I do. But who has done careful methodical research in this? Everyone has an opinion, but I've never seen deliberate independent tests.

I'd not leave a laptop on though. Their cooling systems are not so great, and Particularly in Thailand there is a lot of dust about. The filters will clog up very quickly, and so steadily raise your computer temperature. You should buy a desktop for your home, you only need to spend around 18 000+ on it. Then network the two, and just use the laptop when you are out and about.

Since you say you leave it plugged in and on 24 hours a day, it means that you do not carry it around much. Far better to get a desktop, and just use a small cheaper laptop for when you need it outside of home.

Sounds to me that your screen is shot. Just about any repair on a laptop is mightily expensive.

What I did when my screen went I bought a Laptop that was not usable for normal use,with a good screen,that was over a year ago,still working.It is easy to fix,I am not an electrical engineer,all parts are replaceable with no soldering involved,I got the part from Ebay.£50,much cheaper than repair or replacement costs.

All the best

KC

[waldwolf]

As Firefoxx stated, you need to determine the true source of the problem.

Personally, I have seen many such problems with supposedly defective backlights or LCD screens actually caused by a crack in one or more of the printed circuit tracks of the ribbon cable, which runs between the main laptop case and the LCD/Backlight in the cover. Repeated opening and closing of the laptops cover eventually causes this cable to fail.

If this is the problem, labor & parts repair costs should be minimal, provided the tech knows what he's doing.

good luck

waldwolf