Need help with my Dell Inspiron 8600 screen

samshoof · 08-12-2007, 07:46 PM

Hi Everyone,

So, here's the deal; a couple days ago, I noticed that the screen on my Dell Inspiron 8600 - 2 and a half years old - was oddly flickering. And within long, it suddenly went completely dim - not blank, because I could still see (very faintly) windows on the screen. So, I reset the computer, and it started out okay - the screen was normal - but after a few minutes, it flickered and died again. So I can't have the computer on the brightest setting without it going dim again. So I think it's one of two things: either there's a faulty wiring somewhere, or the backlight is dying.

I'm a college student, and I really don't want to have to pay 200 dollars for a new monitor, so for the time being I'm going to connect it to an external monitor. What are your suggestions for this? Since the computer will probably need to be replaced in 2 years or so anyway, is it worth putting 200 more dollars into it? Can it be fixed easily? Has anyone else had this problem before? Thanks!

**TheMatt** · 08-13-2007, 02:08 PM

Hi, and welcome to TSF!

You are probably correct in that is the backlight. Unfortunately, this repair will probably run around $150. I would use the external monitor for the time being and save up for a new laptop. You might have to end up going for a used laptop.

DellCA · 08-20-2007, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samshoof

Hi Everyone,

So, here's the deal; a couple days ago, I noticed that the screen on my Dell Inspiron 8600 - 2 and a half years old - was oddly flickering. And within long, it suddenly went completely dim - not blank, because I could still see (very faintly) windows on the screen. So, I reset the computer, and it started out okay - the screen was normal - but after a few minutes, it flickered and died again. So I can't have the computer on the brightest setting without it going dim again. So I think it's one of two things: either there's a faulty wiring somewhere, or the backlight is dying.

I'm a college student, and I really don't want to have to pay 200 dollars for a new monitor, so for the time being I'm going to connect it to an external monitor. What are your suggestions for this? Since the computer will probably need to be replaced in 2 years or so anyway, is it worth putting 200 more dollars into it? Can it be fixed easily? Has anyone else had this problem before? Thanks!

Hello,

This is Richard from Dell's Online Community Outreach group. Have you contacted our technical support to see if your computer is still under warranty? If it is we would most likely replace the LCD display for the issue you are describing.

If you would like to contact me directly, email me at customer_advocate@dell.com and place attention Richard in the subject line.

Regards,
Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

08-12-2007, 07:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
samshoof Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1 OS: Windows XP	Need help with my Dell Inspiron 8600 screen Hi Everyone, So, here's the deal; a couple days ago, I noticed that the screen on my Dell Inspiron 8600 - 2 and a half years old - was oddly flickering. And within long, it suddenly went completely dim - not blank, because I could still see (very faintly) windows on the screen. So, I reset the computer, and it started out okay - the screen was normal - but after a few minutes, it flickered and died again. So I can't have the computer on the brightest setting without it going dim again. So I think it's one of two things: either there's a faulty wiring somewhere, or the backlight is dying. I'm a college student, and I really don't want to have to pay 200 dollars for a new monitor, so for the time being I'm going to connect it to an external monitor. What are your suggestions for this? Since the computer will probably need to be replaced in 2 years or so anyway, is it worth putting 200 more dollars into it? Can it be fixed easily? Has anyone else had this problem before? Thanks!

08-13-2007, 02:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: Need help with my Dell Inspiron 8600 screen Hi, and welcome to TSF! You are probably correct in that is the backlight. Unfortunately, this repair will probably run around $150. I would use the external monitor for the time being and save up for a new laptop. You might have to end up going for a used laptop. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides