What does the image look like on an external monitor?  If it is the same, it suggests a video chip or card failure.  If an external display is free of defect, it suggests a faulty display panel.

 

I'm out of town so I won't be able to check it with an external connection for a few days.... If its a faulty display panel what am I in for?  If i could choose which problem I am having which would I choose, in other words, which is easier and cheaper to fix, i'm a month out of warranty? (This way I know my problem is the other one)

 

I am also having a problem with the brightness. The brightness is set on full bright, yet screen cycles on its own to dim and then bright again.

 

Thanks for the responses.  

Okay, so when the computer is connected to my TV, the entire TV screen is filled with the desktop while the black bars still appear on the laptop screeen.

 

What would be my next step? 

Ya, I called Dell yesterday and they said the said the same thing. However, they said the New LCD they gave me in February did not come with a warranty either because it was replaced under the computer's warranty, which experied like 10 days after they gave me the new LCD. So I guess they aren't willing to replace it for me, so we'll see.

 

My next computer will be a MAC, I'm pretty dissapointed with Dell's CS and this computer all around. 

Your LCD panel is defective.  The symptoms do not point to a broken backlight or inverter, so the entire LCD panel may have to be replaced.  You are looking at about $300 to $400 if you buy the panel new and about $150 to $200 if you buy it used (used LCD panels may not come with any warranty, so buyer beware).

Warranty on replacement parts should be at least 90 days I think, regardless of when the laptop warranty expires.  I would suggest calling dell again and talking to somebody else.