[uujudy]

Hi all,
When my laptop went kaplooey my daughter sent me her 3-yr old laptop (she bought a new one for herself). The laptop she sent me worked fine for about 2 weeks, then one day it turned on but the screen stayed black. A friend who knows about computers looked at it for me, and he said he can see a faint image if he looks at it from the side. He thinks the lightbulb (or whatever illuminates the screen) burned out.

Is there anyone here who knows what I should do? Should I take the computer somewhere (where?) and have a new light installed? Should I just give up and buy a new laptop?

In the dark,
Judy

[JimJoe]

Plug into the laptop an external monitor from a desktop computer into the laptop (usually a key combination on the laptop such as Function/F5 will activate the external monitor) and see if that works.. if it does just use an external monitor with the laptop.. If not, you the video card inside the laptop may be bad.. ( or other simplier solutions are still possible).
If the computer is working but just the display is bad, the external monitor should fix your problem.

[JimJoe]

One more thing.. if both laptops are bad, you can get the data off and into your new computer pretty simply if the hard drives did not crash, by using an enclosure. Talk to a friend who knows computers and they can help you.

[Pturner]

Of course, if you have to use an external monitor with it, you no longer have a portable laptop. You might want to take it someplace like Best Buy for a diagnosis. Then decide based on what it would cost to fix it and whether there are benefits you would prefer from a new computer, e.g., speed, Windows 7, etc.

[JimJoe]

I was suggesting that most people can live with an external monitor on a laptop until they replace it. I build and repair computers for fun. If a laptop is more than 3 years old, the battery along with other parts of the hardware will be too expensive to replace to justify the cost of repairs. Desktops are much easier to repair and upgrade. Backup your data to an external hard drive REGULARLY, and move on to a new computer unless you enjoy working on computers.

[zcaveman]

I would take it to MMD (750-3707) on 27/441 for a checkout. They can tell you what the problem is and how much it would cost to fix and if it would be worth it.

They also provide a service where they will move all of your data from the old PC to a new PC (whether you bought it from them or not).

[JimJoe]

One more thing,, try pushing the function key.. bottom row left side, holding it down, and then push the F5 key once.. not only does this activate the external monitor port but it also reactivates the laptop screen in case you accidently turned it off. Usually that key combination does the following with each push: changes the setting from laptop screen only to dual monitors.. laptop screen and external monitor screen; then laptop screen off and external monitor only, then back to laptop screen only and no external monitor.
Good luck.

[bkcunningham1]

I may be mistaken, but I think it is called a backlighter that provides light for the LCD screen through an inverter thing-a-ma-jig. Not a light bulb.

[uujudy]

Oh I knew I could depend on you all for help with this! Thank you, thank you!
I'll try connecting with another monitor first, and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I'll take it in for an estimate.
Thank you all for your good advice. You guys are the best!