computer question--help seriously needed

[Reverend_Smitty]

I'm not exactly sure what is going on with my laptop and I pray that it is easily and affordable fixable. Earlier today I was on the computer and all of the sudden my screen goes dark. I can still see it faintly but it is so dark that I am unable to really navigate the computer. So I try the old cure-all restarting it. When it re-starts the windows 98 screen pops up like it always does so I know that the monitor isn't broken. However when it gets to the desktop it is really dark again. I was able to get it back briefly when I put it into sleep mode and take it back out however the screen was lit for only a minute. I just did it again and turned the screen as dark as I could (manually) and so far it hasn't gotten dark again. Does anyone know what the hell is happening to my computer?

[shoelace414]

1. is it plugged in to the wall?

jiggle the plug.. it sounds like the backlight is off.. probably because it wants to save energy.

[Reverend_Smitty]

3. it's plugged in and the battery light isn't lit

I'm wondering if my fan hasn't gone kaput

[ret5hd]

2. my laptop started doing this once...

i ended up opening up the case, unplugging the monitor cable from the board that it is plugged into in the case, cleaning both ends of the plug, then re-assembling.

mine has worked fine since. for what it's worth, mine is an older dell latitude.

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. mine is a pretty old IBM thinkpad

All I'm asking from the old gal is one more school year then I get a nice shiny new one for graduation.

[ret5hd]

7. all i know is that after i got the case opened...

and started trying to work with things, i thought "man, whoever assembled this must have had the hands of a 5 yr old chinese girl"...then i realized i was probably right.

[johnnie]

5. Is it an IBM?

Even if it isn't, I think either your backlight is going or your inverter.


OK, I see it is an IBM. I thought so.

[salvorhardin]

6. Sounds like the backlight is flaking out

Your laptop's LCD screen has a little fluorescent light that shines through the liquid crystals which only block light -- they don't produce any light of their own unlike LEDs or CRTs. It's hard to tell from your description whether it's a hardware or software problem. Should be around $50-$150 to repair if it's a hardware problem (depending on whether it's the just the cold cathode fluorescent light, the inverter or both) and the size of the display. Should also be covered under warranty if you have one.

[Arkana]

8. Your backlight is fizzling, I think.

Worst case scenario is that you get it replaced.

[miss_kitty]

9. I have a Profile 4

which is a desktop built much like a laptop. The IT guys just installed the THIRD inverter board since Jan, 2003. More than my backlight was going out-but it sounds like what yours is-the backlight...

Try an external fan to keep it cool. get some canned air and blow out the dust. Even if your cooling system is working, dust will make it hotter.

[Reverend_Smitty]

10. Thanks everyone for their help

at least I know this is fixable because the last thing I need to buy right at this moment is a new computer