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Inspirion E1405 LCD screen unlit (very dim, no backlight), intermittent
I own an Inspiron E1405. About 10 days ago, the LCD screen started blacking out. It will happen either right after the screen comes on (it comes on and then blanks), or it won't come on at all when it should. When this happens, you can still see the screen at an angle, but it is extremely dim and unreadable. It sometimes corrects itself on a reboot, but there is a chance it will return to blank any time the screen comes on (from power save, cold boot, etc). This affects BIOS before Windows comes on. Hooking it up to a monitor always works provided Windows is running (I'm using Vista Home Premium 32).
Diagnostics reveal no errors, other than the fact that sometimes the diagnostic will be impossible to see (just depends on whether the screen blacked out when I turned it on in diagnostic mode). I replaced the LCD inverter and there is no change in the problem. I tried system restore, though there were no major updates around the time of the problem--I went back two weeks. No effect. I have updated the video driver (which had changed), and the BIOS (which hadn't changed).
What is wrong with my system? It clearly seems to be hardware related, but given that the inverter is not the problem, and the backlight works some of the time, I'm not sure what it could be. If I can't figure this out, I'm not certain I'll choose Dell for my next laptop purchase. This is extremely frustrating.
Anna
ejn63
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May 24th, 2009 14:00
It's one of three things, in descending order of probability: the backlight, its power supply (the inverter) or the mainboard.
Randy47
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May 24th, 2009 14:00
My Inspiron 1405 has suddenly developed the same or very similar problem. My wife got a nasty virus type infection on it. Just as I started to fix it, the screen went dark. When I restart the laptop, the screen displays the startup screen for just a second or less, then goes off. At an angle, I can also see that there is data going to the screen. I cannot read it well enough to be useful. I don't know if it's related to damage that the virus caused, or just a coincidental failure. I removed the hard drive and turned the laptop on. Same result, with the addition of error beeps, due to missing hard drive. This is going to be a tough one.
Randy47
ejn63
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May 24th, 2009 14:00
It's most likely a failing backlight bulb. The replacement is not a trivial job and is best left to an LCD repair specialist - the cost should be about $100.
All notebooks use some type of backlight, and all notebook manufacturers buy displays from the same small pool of vendors - you're no more or less likely to see a failure in a Sony, Toshiba or HP than in a Dell. If you do buy another brand, do what you should have with the Dell - minimum 3-year warranty on ANY notebook you buy. They all fail at the same rate - about one in five will have a major component fail within the first three years.
dlcoll1
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September 28th, 2009 17:00
I too own an E1405 and am experiencing the same problem. I can see the images on the screen if I hold a flashlight up to it at an angle. The computer is working fine, but I believe Dell may have been dealt a lot of bad monitors. This is probably a bid process acquisition and lowest bidder wins. I have owned the unit for 3 years and until now very little complaint. This unit was near $1000 new and was purchased for a college student. It's in great shape and I would consider having it repaired, but I would like to know Dell's position on this matter? Frustrating is the optimum word!
DC
amarkus15
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October 21st, 2009 18:00
I have the same issue! How much did it end up costing? Best Buy wanted minimum $300 - ugh! Any advise is welcome!
rwssns
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October 29th, 2009 10:00
I have experienced the exact same problem. I purchased a replacement LCD screen and had it installed by a certified Dell technician. Within a week, it developed the same symptoms. He did additional research on the LCD's and they appeared to have wires burned into which he feel was caused by feedback through the video card. Unfortunately, this video card is integrated into the motherboard. No good options other than attaching to a monitor (which defeats the purpose of a laptop).
A. Wolf
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November 4th, 2009 10:00
See the message I just posted in this forum. I found a vendor who specializes in backlight repair, saved me a bundle.
Anna
A. Wolf
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November 4th, 2009 10:00
I found a vendor who specializes in backlight repair. I had the job done for $150 and did not need the monitor replaced. Saved me a bundle, even with the shipping, and I had my computer back in three days' time.
http://www.bztechservices.com/delllaptoplcdscreen.htm
Anna
hck5
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May 9th, 2016 14:00
Hey there it's 2016 and i don't know if this is really going to help anyone anymore but it helped me because yea i have this laptop and i'm pretty satisfied with it as long as i got it for free from someone at work
i work in a service and the problem was the same the screen went black random
there is no need for the display replacement or paying any money if you have necesary tools
just find a guide on the internet about how to dissasembly and get to the lcd
there are two small cables going from the invertor inside the lcd (power for backlight)
that two cables must have a weak soldering just go ahead and remove the old one and solder it again
if you have a plastic pistol or something like that it's even beter to fix it in place or you can improvise
sorry for my bad english
keep up the good work ^_^