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Laptop LCD screen problem

Discussion in 'Lounge' started by TheHighExhaulted, May 19, 2008.

  1. TheHighExhaulted

    TheHighExhaulted Well-Known Member

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    Any computer guys out there, my laptop LCD screen just went dim and I can barely see anything on my screen. It has been normal all day until I watched a DVD on it and it just went dim out of nowhere.

    It won't come back to normal. Any ideas on what could be wrong? Is my LCD screen just shot? Do they just stop working after a while?
     
  2. like2god

    like2god Typical white person Luxury Box

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    I have the same problem bro, get ready to pay out the backside to get it fixed. My computer went down in December and I'm still waiting for it to be fixed.

    It's one of two things, it's either the bulb in your screen (which is cheap, but time consuming to fix) or it's the inverter itself (which is still relatively cheap, but time consuming). Paying for the part isn't bad, it's paying someone to fix it that's the problem.

    What brand computer do you have?
     
  3. TheHighExhaulted

    TheHighExhaulted Well-Known Member

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    I have a Dell XPS. I read that too about the inverter and saw instructions on how to do it. I'm not messing with that.

    I don't know what to do. I might have to live with this for a while or I'll just get a new one. If I bend the screen down to a 90 degree angle directly into the light, I can make it out somewhat clearly. :sidelol:

    Thank you for your help. What did you do? Buy a new one?
     
  4. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    First of all, make sure you didn't hit the brightness control by mistake. I've done that more times than I care to admit. :lol:

    If it's relatively new, you can call Dell's customer support to have it sent in for repair. If they won't take it, or you don't want to deal with that, then your only solution is to get a new laptop.

    If you go for a new machine, I recommend in order of preference Apple, Sony, Toshiba, HP, then Dell.
     
  5. like2god

    like2god Typical white person Luxury Box

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    I have a Sony Vaio and it's been hell trying to get the right parts. The guy I took it to now wants me to just get a whole new screen, to which I told him to get his head out of his rear end. I have another guy that says he'll change the bulb/inverter for a much cheaper price, once he does I'll probably end up selling it and then buying a new one.

    Again, I've been going through this since mid December. :pity:

    Another option is to go out and buy a monitor, although that sort of defeats the purpose of having a laptop that you can take anywhere.
     
  6. like2god

    like2god Typical white person Luxury Box

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    I have my eye on a Gateway that has 4GB and a 320GB hard drive. I won't buy another Sony computer again, too much of a hassle.
     
  7. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    What was the problem with your Sony? IMO, the only problems their computers have is the operating system installation: it's bogged down with too much crapware. Easily solved by installing a retail version of the OS, rather than the bundled version.

    I really would not touch a Gateway. Caveat emptor with that, l2g.
     
  8. like2god

    like2god Typical white person Luxury Box

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    Well the first thing I noticed was that the fans ran way too loud. Then there were problems with overheating and the battery didn't hold a charge as long as advertised. Then I had the same problem as CCM, the screen went dim due to the inverter/bulb. Finding replacement parts was a pain and when I took it back to Best Buy they told me that they wanted $100 just to take possession of it, that money wouldn't count towards repair. I had this laptop for 3 years and took good care of it and it wasn't worth the $1,700 I paid for it.

    What specifically don't you like about Gateway computers?
     
  9. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like an electrical issue, or somehow dust had accumulated in the system such that it was interfering with the system components. The battery issue is normal; over time every recharging battery loses capacity.

    I wouldn't hold that against Sony, given that it lasted you three years.

    Poor build quality and support. They've lost a lot of ground in the market, and justifiably so. I would stay far away from a Gateway.
     
  10. like2god

    like2god Typical white person Luxury Box

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    The battery never performed as advertised, I even got a replacement within the first 3 months and still only got about 35-40 minutes out of it. I adjusted the power settings and it didn't improve by much.

    I'm looking for a laptop with a large hard drive, plenty of speed and a 17" screen is a must. Any suggestions?
     
  11. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like a dud laptop, then. Again, I wouldn't hold it against Sony. Their laptops are some of the best Vista machines around. (Just install your own copy...)

    The MacBook Pro sounds up your alley. Just use Boot Camp, VMWare, or Parallels if you need Windows.
     
    like2god likes this.
  12. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I recently bought a dell inspiron for myself (2 years ago) and for my parents (a month ago). I have had nothing but the best computer Ive owned yet. The only thing you need is the extended battery cause it has mediocre battery life if you plan to leave it off the charger more then say an hour and a half. Mine I only got a 3 GB/250GB 2.0 processor. My parent's I made slightly larger cause my dad uses it for business. Also went the windows XP route as I had no patients to fiddle with Vista's crap when I played with a friend's computer. Just a lot of kinks I couldnt/didnt want to deal with

    I definitely agree with Desides on this though, Gateway was awful. I owned one in college for about a week before I had it shipped back. I had the monitor go blank on me, shipped that back. Had the fan blow out within 3 days. Had to spend a whole weekend tearing apart the motherboard with their idiotic technical support. Then I just told them to keep it. I recommend Gateway only to people I feel deserve a miserable time of things and there's very few of those...

    Ive heard good things about Toshiba. At some point I may give that a try but for now Im very content
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2008
    like2god likes this.
  13. Regan21286

    Regan21286 MCAT's, EMT's, AMCAS, ugh

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    I've heard the opposite. It seemed to me my roommate's troubles with his Toshiba was not uncommon. I find Dell's XPS series to be much better than the regular Inspirons in terms of reliability and performance. Plus, the support is pretty good compared to the regular Dell lines.
     
  14. TheHighExhaulted

    TheHighExhaulted Well-Known Member

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    I'm looking at this Sony Vaio in a Best Buy flyer I got in the mail.

    For $899:

    Intel Core Duo Processor
    Windows Vista Home Premium
    3GB DDR2 Memory
    200 GB Hard Drive
    Reads and writes dual layer DVD's and CD's
    Intel PRO/Wireless-N Technology
    Integrated Webcam
    Microphone
    14.1" XBRITE Widescreen

    Good deal?
     
  15. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    That looks pretty good on paper. But what speed is the processor, what kind of video card does it have, and what will you be using it for?
     
  16. TheHighExhaulted

    TheHighExhaulted Well-Known Member

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    It just says Core 2 Duo Processor. I wouldn't be using it for games or anything like that either. So, I don't care about a video card and whatnot.
     
  17. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    The flyer probably gives a model number for the processor; you can find out what speed it is based on a Google search of that model number. Core Duos (is it a Core Duo or a Core 2 Duo?) have a letter followed by 4 numbers.

    If the most graphics-intensive activity you'll use it for is watching a video, then yeah, you're good on the graphics front. It's likely an Intel video card, which is fine for non-gaming tasks.

    If you grab it, make sure to install your own copy of Vista (don't reinstall what Sony gives you, it reinstalls all the crapware with the OS), hit up Windows Update and install SP1, and make sure you update as many drivers as you can. 1 hour of work and you're set with the laptop for years.
     
  18. TheHighExhaulted

    TheHighExhaulted Well-Known Member

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    Here we go.

    It's a Sony Vaio CR-410 with 1.83 GHz processor speed.
     
  19. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    The processor is a little old, and I'm worried about it being sub-2Ghz.

    If you really want it, give it a shot. You can always return it.
     
  20. TheHighExhaulted

    TheHighExhaulted Well-Known Member

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    I don't know how these things work, but, couldn't I just buy a new LCD screen and replace the broken one? They are like $150 on EBay,

    Or, is that even more of a pain in the *** to do?
     
  21. like2god

    like2god Typical white person Luxury Box

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    You could, but it's more expensive. An inverter can be had for about $10 bucks. You'll have to pay labor for someone to fix it either way, I'd buy the inverter and save a few bucks.

    Infact, that's what I'm doing. I'm having a guy switch inverters and then I'm putting my laptop on Ebay and I'm replacing it with an Acer. :up:

    http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Acer...13348/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
     

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