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Serious screen issues with Inspiron 1420 screen
I have an Inspiron 1420 that is 24 days off warranty and I have what appears to be a serious screen issue.
The computer boots up fine, but the screen is extremely dark and I am not able to brighten it. It is almost too dark to even see that it is on, but if you look VERY close and at just the right angle, you can barely see what is on the screen. You can't see it well enough to actually read any writing but on the desktop for instance, I can see the picture that I have set up as wall paper and I can see icons, but not clear enough to see what they are.
I have tried to use the FN and brighten keys, but it has no effect at all.
Any ideas? I hate to spen $50 for the off warranty phone call just to have a person tell me that I need a new screen. If the screen is bad, I'd rather put the $50 toward that.
ejn63
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January 29th, 2010 15:00
If there is an image on an external monitor, chances are the backlight or inverter is bad - repair about $100-150.
If there is no image on an external monitor either, it may be a bad video chip -- that's far less likely. If it is a 1420 (not 1320) with a bad video chip, note that there's a 1-year warranty to cover the faulty nVidia engineering of this model's video chip:
http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/direct2dell/archive/2008/08/18/nvidia-gpu-update-dell-to-offer-warranty-enhancement-to-all-affected-customers-worldwide.aspx
mitchbaker
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January 31st, 2010 10:00
There is an image on the external monitor, so I'm guessing it is the backlight and/or inverter. The local computer store want's $50 to look at it and refuses to give any prices until I pay the $50. I asked what they would charge to replace the backlight and/or inverter and they say they have no idea until I pay the $50 and let them open it to look at it. I even asked them for a range within $50 and they refuse until I pay them to open it up. I've done a fair amount of work on my desk top over the years and I've replaced both an LCD screen and a keyboard on two different Dell laptops, so I'm considering just buying a new backlight and inverter, replace both and be done with it. Is that something that someone with modest tech skils can or should undertake?
mastadonDarnell
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September 15th, 2010 13:00
Hello
I have a similar problem. External monitor has an image. However my LCD displays lines in accordance with what is supposed to be showing. Replaced the LCD with new inverter and have the same problem. My motherboard is an Intel. Even if the external monitor works can this be a GPU issue?
ejn63
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September 15th, 2010 14:00
Change the data cable first.
mitchbaker
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September 15th, 2010 15:00
I actully had an image, but it was extremely dark. I finally connected with a guy in Lansing, MI who asked a few questions and told me that it was the inverter. I sent it to him and had it back a week later working fine. He was great to deal with and fixed it for a lot less than anyone else was quoting for a new inverter.