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July 29th, 2015 01:00

Flickering horizontal lines always on screen (XPS 15 9530)

My system:

DELL XPS 15 Laptop 9530

Windows 8.1

About three weeks after I purchased this machine, flickering horizontal lines began appearing across the screen.  They are transparent, a little less than 1cm in height and traverse the whole width of the screen.  Each line is separated from the next by about a quarter of the screen height.  There are three of them currently and they always appear at the same height on the screen.  They are barely noticeable on a white background but can be prominent and annoying on dark backgrounds or photos etc. 

Have run all the diagnostic protocols on the DELL website – everything working perfectly. 

Not sure whether this is a hardware or software problem.

Any help appreciated. 

1.2K Posts

July 29th, 2015 01:00

Hi ,

Thank you for writing to the Dell Community Forum .

In this case do confirm if you have performed these steps and advise ,

*Have you checked the system's performance in safe mode ,because safe mode uses very minimal drivers and graphics if the issue is seen in safe mode then its a hardware issue.

*What happens when an external monitor is connected to the system ?If the lines are not seen on the external screen then the system board works fine  .

*Have you tried to initiate LCD BIST ( by restarting the system and pressing the D-Key on startup ,solid colours should be visible clearly if the test passes )

*May I know how were the diagnostics initiated on the system.

Hoping to hear from you soon with the service tag of the system (send it via private message only ) so that I can check the specifications of the system .

Kindest Regards ,

July 31st, 2015 14:00

Hey, 

Sorry to barge into this thread, but I have the EXACT same thing. Did you ever find a way to rectify the situation? My XPS is about 3 months old and for no apparent reason this two lines appeared.....

I have tried the safe mode but as that is a white screen it's hard to seen the lines anyway.

Th D button colour screen start up seems ok.

Struggling to find another cause.

Thanks

James

1.2K Posts

August 3rd, 2015 01:00

Good day James ,

When the system reports distorted video the video drivers or the LCD panel or the system board could be faulty .

*Connect the external monitor to check the display,if the display is distorted on external screen then its a system board failure issue .

*We also ask the customers to perform LCD BIST ( Built in self test ) by restarting the system and tapping the D-key ,now that you have performed that test if the colours are visible clearly then the LCD panel works fine .

I hope this information was helpful but if there are any queries do reply to this post with the service tag of the system so that I can assist you better .

Kindest Regards ,

August 3rd, 2015 04:00

Hi again:

I have now run the LCD BIST, the colors seem to appear fine.

The external monitor also appears to be fine.

As I have said before I have run in Safe mode, but it is difficult to see the issue as it doesn't show so well on a white background

I have also run the Dell diagnostics using the Fn button on startup and passes all the test.

I have sent my service tag via PM.

Thank you

James

1.2K Posts

August 4th, 2015 12:00

Hi James,

Thank you for the reply ! I checked the image that was sent by and request you to provide the necessary details asked by me via private message .

Hoping to hear from you soon .

Kindest Regards ,

August 24th, 2015 03:00

Hey, I have posted below. Had exactly the same problems, tried all of the stuff Dell suggested. In the end they had to replace the screen (Under warranty) all fixed now. Hopefully you still have some warranty left on your unit. Good luck!

1 Message

September 6th, 2015 13:00

Hi,

I have the exact same issue with my XPS 15 still on warranty.

Is a screen replacement only resolution to this problem?

Thanks

4 Posts

October 1st, 2015 19:00

Sorry it's taken awhile to reply...

1. Safe mode:  flickering lines still present

2. External monitor:  no flickering lines on the monitor

3. LCD BIST - solid colours ok

4. Diagnostics - through the Dell website .. all check out ok

Seems like a fault to me, given what others have been saying who have the same problem. 

I also have developed a problem with the battery ("charging has been disabled") which I cannot seem to fix either - am dependent on the charging lead at the moment. 

Anthony

1 Message

October 20th, 2015 10:00

Hi All,

This has recently started on my XPS 15 as well, definitely sounds like a fault.

Regards Yendis

1 Message

October 21st, 2015 20:00

I too am having the same issue and mines still under warranty. I'm also having trouble with the mouse pad sticking, no i dont eat or drink around it and the laptop is kept put up and clean. 

2 Posts

November 24th, 2015 11:00

Same issue with me. I had the screen replaced. All was fine for about 3 weeks, then guess what, the lines are back. They are most visible when you run the individual color tests for me, on the Gray solid color. I have had:

The motherboard replaced

The battery replaced

The LCD replaced

Dell, this seems to be a common issue. What will you do to rectify?

I await your response..

PS, i have run ALL the tests including the startup test.

Paul

January 13th, 2016 06:00

Hi, my XPS 15 9530 has exactly this problem. It just started a few days ago, and the system was new in August 2015. It is apparent even whilst viewing the bios settings, so can't be an operating system driver. It also is apparent whether using Intel or Nvidia graphics.

Sounds like the others here had hardware problems - I think I have the same issue. How do I go about raising a service request?

January 19th, 2016 03:00

Exactly the same issue with me. I can also see it on a grey screen. The bright colours on the screen test do not show the issue. You can slightly see the issue if you run the more detailed screen test using the FN key on start up with the dark colours.

I am currently on the phone to Dell support (Been on hold for over 30mins now) and I am interested to see what they will do. 

January 22nd, 2016 01:00

Well of course I got cut off after waiting almost an hour on the phone.... Come on dell... its bad enough that your website has no form of email address I could respond to for support let alone any help other than the standard FAQ's. It seems like you provide and sell warranty just to make more money and then don't help out!

1.2K Posts

January 22nd, 2016 02:00

Hi Tony,

We regret the inconvenience and sincerely apologize for the same ! Do send us the service tag of the system via private message so that I can assist you further.

Regards,

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