vostro 1500 laptop display dim to black

Question

My vostro 1500 display is dimm, almost balck when I power on the laptop.  It does make a little squeek when u first turn it on and you get a brief (1 sec) display of the screen on the laptop.  After that it goes almost black and you can barely see the windows login screen.  I hooked it up to an external screen and everything looks great.  When I use the function F8 (crt/lcd) on the laptop it will squeek again and you can briefly see the image on the laptop screen and then goes to black.  Again, everything displays fine on the external monitor.  Is this an inverter issue?  I think the buld is fine because you can see the whole screen on the laptop for that brief second.    Any thoughts?   Thanks in advance.

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

Sounds more like the inverter than the bulb, yes.

db2112 · Answer

Thanks for the reply.  Any thoughts as to the squeek when the screen flashes on for that breif sec and then off?

ejn63 · Answer

Could be the inverter attempting to power up, and failing.

db2112 · Answer

Thanks again.  I ordered the inverter.  I found this, http://www.insidemylaptop.com/replace-damaged-lcd-screen-dell-vostro-1500-laptop/ which shows how to replace the LCD AND inverter..It looks to be only one step away from replacing the inverter off of a damaged LCD.  Hopefully this will get me through...

dcmorel · Answer

did this solution work for you?  my screen is black but if you look at it from an angle you see everything but really, really faded / dim.  the idiot at my pc repair shop said it's a 'signal from somewhere that's interfering with the image.'  Like I can sell my house and move so my laptop will work???

dcmorel · Answer

Oh yeah he said that....and after hanging up on him because he was so adamant that I didn't "understand" I called another repair shop and explained your solution - they said "yep, that's most likely the problem." I'm going to take it to them to fix (only $38 for the work, $18 for the parts so far). They laughed at the other guy too. And to think I let the first guy charge me $380 for a new hard drive and motherboard. I'm only mad at myself now for being fooled twice by those clowns. OBW - they are "25/8" in the Washington DC / NORVA area.

Thanks so much for the response! Now I don't have to sell my house - Gosh! (gggrrrrrrrrrr.....)

db2112 · Answer

lol... was he kidding?

It sure did fix it and that's the exact same thing that was happening to mine. Some Notes: Make sure you securely attach the new inverter to the screen. i almost sent it back but double checked the connection, heard the "click" as the 2 pieces came together and that was that.. Also, the inverter holder for the original inverter will not fit the new one. I had to bend it a bit to make it fit.

The inverter was 18.00 bucks. if you are handy with fixing things then this is a fairly simple one. Here is a link on how to take apart the vostro 1500 bezel/screen:

http://www.insidemylaptop.com/replace-damaged-lcd-screen-dell-vostro-1500-laptop/

And here is the part I ordered:

Dell Vostro 1500 Laptop Inverter
Item# N3802-031

http://yallstore.com/laptop-lcd-inverter-replacement-for-dell-vostro-1500154-size145x12mm-p-18852.html

Good Luck

WolfpackRon · Answer

I have a similar problem on a Dell Vostro 1500. My LCD screen on the laptop is very dimly lit. I connected it to a monitor and I got a picture at first. I restarted the computer and now there is  no picture on the monitor and the laptop is still dimly lit. What would cause the monitor not to show a picture when connected? I can toggle 'F8' from LCD to monitor to both, but no pic on monitor and dim pic on laptop. Thanks in advance, WolfpackRon.

ejn63 · Answer

It's time to have a shop check the input and output voltages from the inverter. If your system doesn't have integrated video, it could also be a faulty video card (this model uses two nVidia chips not known for their reliability).

WolfpackRon · Answer

I was able to run diagnostics with F12. Everything seemed to pass. Things like Video Board and LCD Invert all passed. Does that mean the inverter is good? I am able to get a picture on an external monitor intermittantly. I watched it run a good portion of the diagnostics til it was finished, and when I restarted the laptop, I could not get the external monitor to work properly. I could not get the brightness to increase with Fn Up arrow. The power cord charger seems to be working properly also. How do you test the backlight or the mainboard? WolfpackRon.

ejn63 · Answer

It sounds like the bulb is a prime suspect - but since you'll need a shop to change that for you, they'll check out the other possibilities at the same time.

WolfpackRon · Answer

What causes the external monitor to work intermittantly?

Would a faulty bulb affect the external monitor working?

Can the bulb be changed when you get inside the LCD screen when replacing an inverter board?

I read the bulb has to be soldered in and requires being careful not to damage the LCD screen.

What would a bulb replacement cost?

Suggestions, WolfpackRon.

ejn63 · Answer

No, a faulty bulb won't affect an external monitor. I still suspect you may have a bad video card - though it could be the bulb.

The bulb costs about $20-30 but requires soldering and disassembling the screen - the damage potential is high. Leave it to pro - with labor, it'll run about $100-150.

The inverter is external to the screen.

There's also a possibility your lid switch is faulty - that WOULD case the external screen to go bad. These are now usually part of the system board assembly -- if you have to replace that part, you're looking at several hundred dollars and given the age of the system, repair may not make sense.

WolfpackRon · Answer

Where is the lid switch located on the Dell Vostro 1500? I could not find it. Thanks for the replys, WolfpackRon.

ejn63 · Answer

The switch is usually either in the palmrest or on the mainboard.

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