Display edge gets hot and goes blank after 5 minutes

BroSteve · 10-14-2005, 12:08 AM

Nice forum you've got here. Please help.
My Dell Inspiron 2600 laptop display goes blank after 4-5 minutes of operation. The computer operations continue uninterrupted. I can see faint icons with a flashlight.
At first I tried the Dell Website Troubleshooter. Then I installed a replacement inverter card but got the same result.
I then noticed that the bottom edge of the display gets hot right before the screen goes blank. Is it possible the display (but not the laptop itself) is overheating for some reason? And is there a solution?
If I restart the computer after the screen cools down, the display exhibits normal startup resolution but then blanks-out again after the 4-5 minutes.
An external monitor works OK.
I am running Win XP Home 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2. Thanks for any help.

ebackhus · 10-16-2005, 06:12 PM

Bad flourescent tube. And it's a Dell.

BroSteve · 10-16-2005, 10:51 PM

Thanks for the reply. Do you advise repairing or replacing it on my own or opting for "Dell Out-Of-Warranty-Service" or just junking it. I'd like to hear from anyone who's had this kind of issue or anyone who's had experience sending their Dell in for repair.

ebackhus · 10-17-2005, 02:22 AM

Laptop repairs tend to be prohibitively expensive, so much so that most just get tossed or thrown at techs. You can try buying a new bulb and installing it yourself if you're feeling ambitious.

The other side is tossing. How do you decide if it's worth it?

1. How old is it?
2. Is it in ANY way upgradable?
3. What generation is hardware?
4. Is it a Dell? (Sorry, I just really don't like Dell.)
5. Is it essential to my work/school?
6. Can it be salvaged for parts?

BroSteve · 10-17-2005, 10:27 PM

Thanks again. I've seen replacement screens for sale but nobody seems to sell the bulb (unless you buy in bulk). I'd try my hand at replacing it myself if I could come up with a cheap, compatible bulb.

ronsena · 10-19-2005, 08:12 AM

You say the invertor has already been replaced once.
If it was under warranty then the replacement was probably a refurbished one. I would suggest contacting Dell about it. They may fix it again since it didnt work the forst time.

It also could be the a systemboard problem as there is too much power going to the invertor in the first place, causing the heat buildup.

Daminato · 11-15-2005, 12:35 AM

I have a Dell 4150 and pretty much experiencing the exact same problem, which led me to this forum. I believe I may have fixed the problem temporarely. BTW, my screen will flicker a few times before this happens.

2days a go my roomate hit ctrl-P to print some documents and my display went black. So I thought maybe he hit the wrong key, plus the Fn key is next to he control key so its easy to do. So I restart, same thing happens every few minutes. I use this laptop to mix in clubs so Im freaking with a gig this friday. This laptop is in my studio and I noticed the votage was really low on my pwer conditioner. So I unplugg the laptop to run on just batteries. It works, oh so it must be a voltage problem. Electrician/owner of building comes over, everything is fine he said...***. I plug my laptop in, 5 minutes later screen go's out. So I have him test my AC adapter, he said it appears fine but wasn't positive.

So I replace the adapter. 70$. Get home plug it in, it last for about 10 minutes same thing. BTW, if I hit Fn-F1 or Fn-F3 bio's comes up perfectly even with AC plugged in, but sometimes it will flicker and shut go blank as well, which then I just hit the Fn-F1 key and it resets it. So I now I noticed when I go into bio's searching thru menu's trying to figure out what the problem could be, when I escape bio's, the screen workx fine for a few minutes. Sorry this is getting long.

When I plugin the ac adapter, my screen gets super bright. When I unplug the adapter it goes into powersaving mode and lowers the screen brightness and contrast. So I plugin the AC adapter and lowered the brightness and contrast to the lowest settings using the Fn-arrow keys. It seems to work ok now, it has been about an hour plugged in and no blank screen. So The bulb is going bad I assume and needs to be replaced.
Hmmm, everytime I use the word assume it gets me in trouble or cost me money that didnt' need to be spent.
HOw do I replace this bulb?

Hope my novel helps...

**oldmn** · 11-15-2005, 12:45 AM

You can get the replacement bulbs and other parts here if you have a way to change them.

jigneshmsolanki · 11-30-2005, 09:52 PM

Hi,

I am experiencing the same problem as BroSteve. My DELL 4150 Laptop screen goes blank after 4-5 minutes and I can see faint images in the background and when I plugin to external monitor it works fine. Those who have experienced the problem as I saw in some of the posts please can you tell me what you did at last to solve this problem.
Any reply will be appreciated.

Also you can reply at jigneshmsolanki@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Jignesh.

10-14-2005, 12:08 AM	#1 (permalink)
BroSteve Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 4 OS: XP	Display edge gets hot and goes blank after 5 minutes Nice forum you've got here. Please help. My Dell Inspiron 2600 laptop display goes blank after 4-5 minutes of operation. The computer operations continue uninterrupted. I can see faint icons with a flashlight. At first I tried the Dell Website Troubleshooter. Then I installed a replacement inverter card but got the same result. I then noticed that the bottom edge of the display gets hot right before the screen goes blank. Is it possible the display (but not the laptop itself) is overheating for some reason? And is there a solution? If I restart the computer after the screen cools down, the display exhibits normal startup resolution but then blanks-out again after the 4-5 minutes. An external monitor works OK. I am running Win XP Home 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2. Thanks for any help.

10-16-2005, 06:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,206 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Bad flourescent tube. And it's a Dell. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

10-17-2005, 02:22 AM	#4 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,206 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Laptop repairs tend to be prohibitively expensive, so much so that most just get tossed or thrown at techs. You can try buying a new bulb and installing it yourself if you're feeling ambitious. The other side is tossing. How do you decide if it's worth it? 1. How old is it? 2. Is it in ANY way upgradable? 3. What generation is hardware? 4. Is it a Dell? (Sorry, I just really don't like Dell.) 5. Is it essential to my work/school? 6. Can it be salvaged for parts? __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

10-19-2005, 08:12 AM	#6 (permalink)
ronsena Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 96 OS: Windows XP	You say the invertor has already been replaced once. If it was under warranty then the replacement was probably a refurbished one. I would suggest contacting Dell about it. They may fix it again since it didnt work the forst time. It also could be the a systemboard problem as there is too much power going to the invertor in the first place, causing the heat buildup. __________________ Ron Sena

11-15-2005, 12:35 AM	#7 (permalink)
Daminato Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1 OS: 1-xp 2-OSX	Dell 4150 display flicker then light out. I have a Dell 4150 and pretty much experiencing the exact same problem, which led me to this forum. I believe I may have fixed the problem temporarely. BTW, my screen will flicker a few times before this happens. 2days a go my roomate hit ctrl-P to print some documents and my display went black. So I thought maybe he hit the wrong key, plus the Fn key is next to he control key so its easy to do. So I restart, same thing happens every few minutes. I use this laptop to mix in clubs so Im freaking with a gig this friday. This laptop is in my studio and I noticed the votage was really low on my pwer conditioner. So I unplugg the laptop to run on just batteries. It works, oh so it must be a voltage problem. Electrician/owner of building comes over, everything is fine he said...***. I plug my laptop in, 5 minutes later screen go's out. So I have him test my AC adapter, he said it appears fine but wasn't positive. So I replace the adapter. 70$. Get home plug it in, it last for about 10 minutes same thing. BTW, if I hit Fn-F1 or Fn-F3 bio's comes up perfectly even with AC plugged in, but sometimes it will flicker and shut go blank as well, which then I just hit the Fn-F1 key and it resets it. So I now I noticed when I go into bio's searching thru menu's trying to figure out what the problem could be, when I escape bio's, the screen workx fine for a few minutes. Sorry this is getting long. When I plugin the ac adapter, my screen gets super bright. When I unplug the adapter it goes into powersaving mode and lowers the screen brightness and contrast. So I plugin the AC adapter and lowered the brightness and contrast to the lowest settings using the Fn-arrow keys. It seems to work ok now, it has been about an hour plugged in and no blank screen. So The bulb is going bad I assume and needs to be replaced. Hmmm, everytime I use the word assume it gets me in trouble or cost me money that didnt' need to be spent. HOw do I replace this bulb? Hope my novel helps...

10-16-2005, 10:51 PM	#3 (permalink)
BroSteve Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 4 OS: XP	Thanks for the reply. Do you advise repairing or replacing it on my own or opting for "Dell Out-Of-Warranty-Service" or just junking it. I'd like to hear from anyone who's had this kind of issue or anyone who's had experience sending their Dell in for repair.

10-17-2005, 10:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
BroSteve Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 4 OS: XP	Thanks again. I've seen replacement screens for sale but nobody seems to sell the bulb (unless you buy in bulk). I'd try my hand at replacing it myself if I could come up with a cheap, compatible bulb.

11-15-2005, 12:45 AM	#8 (permalink)
oldmn TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Gig Harbor Wa Posts: 2,150 OS: XP Pro SP3 X 3 My System	You can get the replacement bulbs and other parts here if you have a way to change them. __________________ AVG \| MEMTEST86 \| Zone Alarm \| XXCLONE \| Adaware \| Beyond Compare \| Everest If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Sorry no PM's for problems.[/center]

11-30-2005, 09:52 PM	#9 (permalink)
jigneshmsolanki Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 3 OS: WINXP	DELL-4150 Laptop Screen Blank Hi, I am experiencing the same problem as BroSteve. My DELL 4150 Laptop screen goes blank after 4-5 minutes and I can see faint images in the background and when I plugin to external monitor it works fine. Those who have experienced the problem as I saw in some of the posts please can you tell me what you did at last to solve this problem. Any reply will be appreciated. Also you can reply at jigneshmsolanki@yahoo.com Thanks, Jignesh.