Linux on E6510 - Display Issues

I'm attempting to install Linux on my Latitude E6510, and I'm having issues using the display panel correctly.  It seems like the display panel does not like to change resolutions very much - the display frequently blanks out completely upon changes.  Furthermore, in certain display modes (haven't found a pattern, yet), but especially when X Windows runs, the display blanks out completely.  The system is running - I can see drive lights active, hear audio, etc., but I cannot see anything. 

Any hints would be greatly appreciated.  I don't know if this is a driver issue, if others have had success with this without any problems, or if this is a defect in this particular laptop that I need to try to get Dell to fix.  It isn't always Linux that behaves this way - sometimes ISOLINUX and PXELINUX (which, of course, aren't Linux) also exhibit the "blank screen" behavior.

Thanks,

Nick