Laptop screen dark - MVPs please

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

N J Jelley wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I would be grateful for all positive responses to this major problem -
> thankyou all in advance.
>
> My friends screen on her laptop suddenly went *very* dark. She is able to
> see the Windows XP Desktop, but only just. The (hardware) brightness
> controls on the laptop have no effect. She has also rebooted the laptop
> several times with the same resulting screen brightness.
>
> Has she adjusted a setting (if so - how do we reset), or has the screen
> died?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Neil


It sounds like the display's back lighting has failed. You friend
needs to contact the laptop's manufacturer for warranty support.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
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You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

N J Jelley wrote:
> I would be grateful for all positive responses to this major problem
> - thankyou all in advance.
>
> My friends screen on her laptop suddenly went *very* dark. She is
> able to see the Windows XP Desktop, but only just. The (hardware)
> brightness controls on the laptop have no effect. She has also
> rebooted the laptop several times with the same resulting screen
> brightness.
> Has she adjusted a setting (if so - how do we reset), or has the
> screen died?

Bruce Chambers wrote:
> It sounds like the display's back lighting has failed. You friend
> needs to contact the laptop's manufacturer for warranty support.

What happens when you hook an external monitor to the laptop? (Usually have
to press Fn+F8 to change from internal to external and modes in-between..)

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

Unfortunately, this is not an option in this case.

Neil

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

N J Jelley wrote:
> I would be grateful for all positive responses to this major problem
> - thankyou all in advance.
>
> My friends screen on her laptop suddenly went *very* dark. She is
> able to see the Windows XP Desktop, but only just. The (hardware)
> brightness controls on the laptop have no effect. She has also
> rebooted the laptop several times with the same resulting screen
> brightness.
> Has she adjusted a setting (if so - how do we reset), or has the
> screen died?

Bruce Chambers wrote:
> It sounds like the display's back lighting has failed. You friend
> needs to contact the laptop's manufacturer for warranty support.

Shenan Stanley wrote:
> What happens when you hook an external monitor to the laptop?
> (Usually have to press Fn+F8 to change from internal to external and
> modes in-between..)

N J Jelley wrote:
> Unfortunately, this is not an option in this case.

It wasn't meant as a work-around or solution - but a troubleshooting method.
Does the output to the external monitor look okay or the same..?
You would be pinpointing the trouble-spot.. Video card/Laptop LCD.

Another option would to be to grab something like the Windows UBCD and boot
with it to make sure it is not the software installs issue. (Doubtful it
is.)

Also - what does the screen look like in the BIOS? If dark and the settings
there do nothing - then a circuit has fried.. Most laptops control the
brightness of the LCD in the BIOS when it is powered by batteries to
lengthen usage time on battery power.. If those settings are normal and not
helping/having any effect - the monitor is fried.. Time to get it repaired.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

> N J Jelley wrote:
>> Unfortunately, this is not an option in this case.
>
> It wasn't meant as a work-around or solution - but a troubleshooting
> method...

Yes - I know. As suggested by my reply, an external monitor is not
available for troubleshooting.

> Another option would to be to grab something like the Windows UBCD and
> boot with it to make sure it is not the software installs issue.
> (Doubtful it is.)

What is the Windows UBCD?

>
> Also - what does the screen look like in the BIOS? If dark and the
> settings there do nothing - then a circuit has fried..

My friend is in another country, and not pc conversant. She,
unfortunately, is not prepared to delve into the BIOS (but I understand).

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

>>> Unfortunately, this is not an option in this case.
>> It wasn't meant as a work-around or solution - but a troubleshooting
>> method...
> Yes - I know. As suggested by my reply, an external monitor is not
> available for troubleshooting.

Ah - that's too bad (and strange really - usually people have friends with
computers that are willing to allow them to hook up for a minute or two.
heh)

>> Another option would to be to grab something like the Windows UBCD
>> and boot with it to make sure it is not the software installs issue.
>> (Doubtful it is.)
> What is the Windows UBCD?

The Windows UBCD is a CD created to help system administrators troubleshoot
a system - including get data off NTFS partitions, test default drivers
versus those that might be installed, edit regitry settings, etc..

http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html

Windows UBCD explained:
http://www.ubcd4win.com/

>> Also - what does the screen look like in the BIOS? If dark and the
>> settings there do nothing - then a circuit has fried..
> My friend is in another country, and not pc conversant. She,
> unfortunately, is not prepared to delve into the BIOS (but I
> understand).

That's too bad. It is actually a quite safe thing to do, in comparison to
editing the registry.. After all if she exits without saving, then no harm
is done. At least looking and messing with the brightness during different
power options settings would give more detail into what might be wrong. I
would hate to pay someone $100 to find out all they did was go and turn up
those settings in the BIOS to a brighter level. *grin*

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

> Ah - that's too bad (and strange really - usually people have friends
> with computers that are willing to allow them to hook up for a minute
> or two. heh)

Ooh - sarcasm mode = off, me thinks.

> http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html
>
> Windows UBCD explained:
> http://www.ubcd4win.com/

That's useful - thanks.

> That's too bad. It is actually a quite safe thing to do, in
> comparison to editing the registry.. After all if she exits without
> saving, then no harm is done. At least looking and messing with the
> brightness during different power options settings would give more
> detail into what might be wrong. I would hate to pay someone $100 to
> find out all they did was go and turn up those settings in the BIOS to
> a brighter level. *grin*

Yup - I used to be pc support many years ago (not much laptop experience)
so I know the 'turn the brightness up' scenario.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

might want to visit & ask at news:// comp.sys.laptops
What you describe sounds like the fluorescent backlight tube has worn out,
or it's little ballast thingy. My toshiba display/tube at three yrs has
darkened somewhat. Have always run it at medium power, thoughts being it
would last a longer time, apparently not.
Tubes are cheap, labor's not.

"N J Jelley" <bounce@njjelley.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9673F14D3C701ffanjjelleycom@207.46.248.16...
>> Ah - that's too bad (and strange really - usually people have friends
>> with computers that are willing to allow them to hook up for a minute
>> or two. heh)
>
> Ooh - sarcasm mode = off, me thinks.
>
>> http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html
>>
>> Windows UBCD explained:
>> http://www.ubcd4win.com/
>
> That's useful - thanks.
>
>> That's too bad. It is actually a quite safe thing to do, in
>> comparison to editing the registry.. After all if she exits without
>> saving, then no harm is done. At least looking and messing with the
>> brightness during different power options settings would give more
>> detail into what might be wrong. I would hate to pay someone $100 to
>> find out all they did was go and turn up those settings in the BIOS to
>> a brighter level. *grin*
>
> Yup - I used to be pc support many years ago (not much laptop experience)
> so I know the 'turn the brightness up' scenario.
>