Screen shaded

Question

Hi community, I bought a DELL Latitude D600 for a while. Suddenly today my monitor shaded so that I could not see anything on the screen. I then turned the computer off. When I turned it on, the screen was working for several minutes and then shaded again. Is there any possible problem with my monitor ?

ejn63 · Answer

If by shaded, you mean black and almost unreadable, your backlight is dying.

Zankee · Answer

thanks, the screen is almost dark and I can barely see it. What should I do then ?

ejn63 · Answer

Contact an LCD repair shop if it's out of warranty, or Dell if it's in warranty.

eugene89us · Answer

Zankee,

Yes, the backlight might be the problem and it totally p i s s e s me off that the LCD screens on Dell computers are this c r a p p y. The LCD screen on HP computer that I have has worked since 2003 without any problems. Compared to Dell, this is a veteran-LCD that didn't die at war.

The price to replace the backlight would be about $100-120 (this includes labor). And this would be a lot cheaper than to buy a new screen - those are around $350. And please don't go with eBay, as i know lots of users who buy the LCDs there and they die in a couple of months. Go with a repair, or if you want to invest money into something, get a new screen from Dell parts or some other business stores.

Hope this helps.

Eugene

________________________________

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Dell Inspiron E1705: Centrino Duo Computer
Intel Core Duo T2350 @ 1.866 GHz D-0 (Yonah)
17" WXGA+ Screen by AU Optronics
2 GB RAM at DDR2-533 by Hyundai Electronics
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 256 MB Graphics Card with Hypermemory
120 GB 5400 RPM Hard Disk Drive M60 Series HM120JI by Samsung
Dell 355 Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR Technology
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 a/b/g 54 Mbps
Sigmatel High Definition Audio
Sony DVD+-RW with DL Support

ejn63 · Answer

Luck of the draw - the only differece between HP and Dell notebooks is the name on the outside. They're made by the same companies that supply Dell.

eugene89us · Answer

Yeah, I got lucky. However, sometimes HP computers are worse, and sometimes are Dell. That's why I decided to go with Dell, plus many of my relatives went with this company, and I love my laptop. Yeah, Windows Vista issues plus the AU Optronics screen, which is not one of the best Dell offers, but the performance is great. The screen is brighter and more colorful, so I will not ask for a dispatch - too much to go thru, and I will not send my computer to the depot! I even invested in College Student Insurance - in case I get to slam it on the floor, I will get paid. Dell charges a lot more for their accidental damage - it is about $200 per year (Complete Care ($90) + Warranty($110)), while CSI offers it for only $50 per year, which also includes damages by fire, flood, etc., theft, accidental damage and they replace the computer according to the prices of the new computers that have similar configuration, rather than paying a depreciated value. So I have a peace of mind that my computer will be fine on campus. If the c r a p p y screen dies, I guess I will get mad and crack it by accident - thus accidental damage, and thus covered. Hopefully it won't - it is just not as compatible with drivers - when Windows generic drivers are set, it is less responsive than with the updated ATI drivers. But this is not such a big of a deal. :)

Eugene

________________________________

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Dell Inspiron E1705: Centrino Duo Computer
Intel Core Duo T2350 @ 1.866 GHz D-0 (Yonah)
17" WXGA+ Screen by AU Optronics
2 GB RAM at DDR2-533 by Hyundai Electronics
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 256 MB Graphics Card with Hypermemory
120 GB 5400 RPM Hard Disk Drive M60 Series HM120JI by Samsung
Dell 355 Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR Technology
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 a/b/g 54 Mbps
Sigmatel High Definition Audio
Sony DVD+-RW with DL Support

Locked Topics – Laptops General

Was this post helpful?