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8500 dead after cleaning screen
I'm not sure if this belongs in the "video" section or not, but here goes.....
I have an Inspiron 8500. I cleaned the screen with Cinch (a non-ammonia general purpose cleaner) with the machine powered up like I've done countless other times over the years. To minimize spray on parts other than the screen, I spray the stuff on a paper towel and then wipe the screen down.
I continued to use the computer for a while after the cleaning.
I came back a few hours later and it wouldn't 'wake up' from standby. I could see the hard drive going but the screen was acting funny - all lit up but nothing on it. Then random bars, stripes, etc. I powered it down and it wouldn't come back up. No boot up screen, no Windows XP startup screen, nothing.
As the hours went by it eventually got to a state where I get the Dell bootup screen and can enter diagnostics. It will go beyond that to the Windows XP splash screen and then the screen goes blank. If I let it sit there the screen slowly gets grayish with random patterns.
If I plug in a monitor I get similar behavior, except I get vertical black bars and random flashing 'blocks'. It never gets past the Windows XP splash screen. Sometimes the splash screen is 'blotchy' with random yellow pixels.
So something is messed up but I don't think it's necessarily the LCD screen itself. I'm torn as to what to do with it. A used one can be had for $500-$700, or Dell will fix non-LCD, non-motherboard problems for $199. I'm reasonably comfortable in reparing these things myself, having created a few frankenstein laptops from used units I bought on ebay, but I'm not sure what the problem is nor if it's something that's 'plug and play' (versus something I'd have to solder or the motherboard itself).
If it is the motherboard I think the cost of fixing it might approach a used one.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jim
BigBrother
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January 23rd, 2006 11:00
turbojimmy,
Your problem sounds more like a failed video card. On the 8600, the video card is separate from the motherboard and can be replaced without much trouble. Check this link for info on replacing the video card:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins8500/en/8500/sm/video.htm#1000550
A replacement video card can be purchased from Dell or from an online vendor such as:
http://www.impactcomputers.com/dellparts-dell-laptops-dell-inspiron-8600-parts-internal-parts-and-assemblies.html
Steve
turbojimmy
31 Posts
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January 23rd, 2006 11:00
Thanks for the info and the links. It probably is the card, and it looks easy to repair.
Now my dilemma is this: Dell says they'll fix anything other than the LCD or the motherboard for $199. The video card, depending on where you look, ranges from $180-$230. I wonder if Dell will replace the card for $199. If so, it's probably worth having them do it.
Jim
turbojimmy
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January 23rd, 2006 12:00
BigBrother
4.8K Posts
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January 23rd, 2006 12:00
turbojimmy,
Dell's $199 fee includes labor and shipping to the depot and back to you. Parts are extra. If you send it in to Dell, it will cost you $199 just to have it looked at and sent back to you if you choose not to have it repaired. If you choose to have it repaired, there will not be any additional fee for labor, but parts are extra.
Steve
turbojimmy
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February 8th, 2006 01:00
Got my Inspiron 8500 back today. Man did I miss it (am I a geek or what?). For the $199 plus tax ($210 total) they fixed everything that was wrong with it (shipping to and from my home included). They replaced the video card, updated the BIOS and replaced the top cover because the latch was broken. It's a smokin' deal if you have a bad video card (the card alone is $200-$250 for this model).
They even threw in a 5mm 1/4" drive socket. I'm pretty sure that was a mistake, though.
Jim