My dell inspiron e1505 has no screen but works fine when an external monitor is

The fact that it works with an external display indicates that the graphics hardware is fine, and points toward your laptop's built-in display as the problem.

Was the display doing anything strange (backlight flickering/dimming, color issues, etc.) before the display quit completely?

Casey

Hi cklaubur, thank you for your reply. No, it was fine up until the computer slipped off my daughter's lap and hit the floor. I'm pretty certain its the screen also but am checking with those more experienced than me if it might be something else. Is that screen difficult or expensive to replace? Is that model Dell worth repairing? My 13 year old daughter uses it for Facebook, ooVoo, etc. and occasionally for homework.

Your Dell should have a fairly standard 15.4" widescreen CCFL type screen. Any local computer store should have a TON of these secondhand at this point and they should be willing to part with it for less than $100. The replacement is fairly easy on that model, a few screws around the bezel, a few on the inside.

Thanks Sephmeister! I will check that out and appreciate the input!

If you hold the notebook up near a bright light or shine a flashlight on it - can you make out anything on of the display?

It might just be the LCD CCFL backlight or the inverter that powers the backlight.
Both of those are much less expensive than a full replacement screen.

Here is a LCD backlight tube plugged into an inverter board

Hello WR2, nope, nothing is visible with a bright light on the screen. I assume that means its the screen itself then?

I see nothing but vertical lines of many different colors and of varying widths.

That's clear and convincing confirmation that the LCD screen itself is damaged and needs replacement.

You want to get as close to exact screen match as possible. Since even a single model can have several LCD screens installed during it's model run see if you can find the part number of your screen as use that finding a replacement.

Dell Insprion e1505 Laptop Screen
http://www.laptopscreen.com/English/model/Dell/INSPIRON...

Another source that confirms you want to match the existing part number.

DELL INSPIRON E1501 E1505 15.4" WXGA LCD SCREEN
http://www.amazon.com/DELL-INSPIRON-E1501-E1505-SCREEN/...

-> Read the customer comments.

I ordered through laptopscreen.com for $130 delivered with a 3 year warranty; it arrived a day earlier than anticipated, took me about 30 minutes to reinstall, and my 13 year old daughter was happy once again......PRICELESS!! Thanks everyone for your input!