Broken Computer Screen??

**xoolooxunny** · 04-22-2007, 06:34 PM

I have a Dell Inspiron 5150, and about a week ago the screen started to flicker and go blank for a couple seconds, and now it finally stopped coming back on! Has anyone ever experienced this with a laptop? I'm using my sister's laptop for now, so i wont be able to be online as much until i get this problem fixed. Any computer experts on this forum?

**cocoa_pleco** · 04-22-2007, 06:51 PM

thats what my old one did, flicker and all that. Then, it just quit working

**xoolooxunny** · 04-22-2007, 07:21 PM

this one is only 3 yrs old. Was yours a dell?

**cocoa_pleco** · 04-22-2007, 07:43 PM

nope. My dell is fine.

all of my comps now are LCD screens, but the previous one that died was not and it was about 4 years old, and decided to quit working suddenly, making me get a new ACER widescreen

**Chrona** · 04-22-2007, 10:14 PM

I am typing this on one. Open up the laptop and check the ribbon cable connection. Make sure you remember what screw goes where, but it shouldn't be that hard. The blue part above the keyboard where it says Inspiron 5150 pops off with a small screwdriver, and there are various other screws you gotta take off. If it's individual pixels going out, then that's an issue with the screen. If the connection is good, then there isn't much you can do other than call Dell or get it replaced.

I have had this laptop for 3 years as well with no issues. Actually one issue. When I opening up the laptop a while back, the heatsink going to the CPU was plugged with dust, hence the constant overheating and the gradual slowdown. After cleaning it out, the laptop went back to normal.

**xoolooxunny** · 04-22-2007, 11:17 PM

my only problem is that i cant shut it down because i have my button set to go into standby when pressed, and the other small one set to do nothing. should i just take out the battery and unplug it?
I'll check the ribbon cable, but what could cause it to go bad out of nowhere?

**Chrona** · 04-22-2007, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by xoolooxunny

my only problem is that i cant shut it down because i have my button set to go into standby when pressed, and the other small one set to do nothing. should i just take out the battery and unplug it?
I'll check the ribbon cable, but what could cause it to go bad out of nowhere?

Hold down the power button until the computer shuts down. Failing that, rip'er open and hope nothing shorts out ;)

It could jar loose I guess. It's a long shot, but really the only thing you can check personally. No virus's? Graphics driver updated?

**xoolooxunny** · 04-22-2007, 11:26 PM

Originally Posted by Chrona

Hold down the power button until the computer shuts down. Failing that, rip'er open and hope nothing shorts out ;)

It could jar loose I guess. It's a long shot, but really the only thing you can check personally. No virus's? Graphics driver updated?

no viruses, i have symantec corporate edition and zonelabs professional. Along with that another firewall. The graphics driver is the newest available, I think its 05', with the original driver being from 03. My computer always stays updated, and i take care to keep the hard drive and registry clean.

**AquaQueen** · 04-23-2007, 01:24 AM

I am not an expert but I do know a few things about computers.

The first thing I want to ask is do you have any type of warranty on the laptop? If yes then DO NOT OPEN IT!!! If you open it and mess with anything your warranty is no good as soon as you open the lid and trust me they can tell. Then if you don't have a warranty I would first suggest trying to check if the Color settings are set right. sometimes if you do auto updates they can get changed up on you. If that is fine then I would check the Ribbon Cable, I dont know if you carry your laptop around with you but having it moved alot, carrying it in a bag and plopping it down, dropping it, slamming the screen shut(not intentionally), etc. all of these things can knock the cable loose on you...of course dropping the thing can do alot more. Then maybe the If you still find nothing out of place on your own you can try going to a Best Buy or Circuit City They can check it out for you for a small fee. If they can't fix the thing that went wrong at least they can send it out to the manufacturer to be fixed. It may get done quicker through them then if ya try yourself. Thank really stinks to have something wrong with your PC it can be like a lifeline to some people...lol Good Luck I hope it is something minor and wont be hard to fix.

**xoolooxunny** · 04-23-2007, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by PauliesAquaQueen

I am not an expert but I do know a few things about computers.

The first thing I want to ask is do you have any type of warranty on the laptop? If yes then DO NOT OPEN IT!!! If you open it and mess with anything your warranty is no good as soon as you open the lid and trust me they can tell. Then if you don't have a warranty I would first suggest trying to check if the Color settings are set right. sometimes if you do auto updates they can get changed up on you. If that is fine then I would check the Ribbon Cable, I dont know if you carry your laptop around with you but having it moved alot, carrying it in a bag and plopping it down, dropping it, slamming the screen shut(not intentionally), etc. all of these things can knock the cable loose on you...of course dropping the thing can do alot more. Then maybe the If you still find nothing out of place on your own you can try going to a Best Buy or Circuit City They can check it out for you for a small fee. If they can't fix the thing that went wrong at least they can send it out to the manufacturer to be fixed. It may get done quicker through them then if ya try yourself. Thank really stinks to have something wrong with your PC it can be like a lifeline to some people...lol Good Luck I hope it is something minor and wont be hard to fix.

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately the warranty is up, so I will check the ribbon cable myself. Then i will take it to best buy if i cant fix it. It kind of is a lifeline to me right now because I have 2 online classes for school and we're rounding the end of the semester, and more importantly, this forum