Alienware Laptop....

ameilius

OSNN Addict
Joined
7 Jun 2006
Messages
95
ok - quick overview...

the screen is ALMOST all black - its like the backlight is ALMOST out - it boots fine and works fine on an external monitor...

JUST before the screen takes a poop, it is red hued.... like, the windows xp logon screen has red tint to it - then it goes dark

1. think its the inverter?
2. screen?
3. video card?

the only reason i dont think its 3, is that it displays fine on an external monitor

please help
 
its the screen and if you are out of warranty the machine may be worthless, as the screens can be as much as $900. I've seen these issues many times.
 
how can i be sure its the screen itself?

it is intermittent....

last nite i had it working fine - but this morning, i get back to work and turn it on, and its faulty again

like if i had to explain to someone why its DEFINITLY the screen...

its tough - its a 3.2ghz - 2gbram - beast...
 
is the screen always dim or cant you see anything at all.

if it is permantly dim it is either the inverter or the backlight, if it it totally blacked out it could be either of the previous two or a damaged screen, its very difficult to determine this without actually testing the parts themselves.

a new inverter costs about $100 a backlight about the same, but to be honest i wouldn't do it yourself.... is it out of warranty?

also supposedly if it is the inverter broken you may hear a hissing indicating that there is an electrical discharge happening. which happens when the invertor is broken
 
just before the screen dims out - there is a hissing in the upper lefthand corner of the keyboard - like a fizzle
 
then i would 100% say it is the inverter.

as you are old of warranty, it cant hurt to just fix it yourself. if you feel so inclined.
 
i work on pc's and laptop's all day - i was just unsure with this particular case....

thanks for the help! - ill keep you posted....
 
I know most of this has been covered, but of your original questions it definitely isn't the video card since it works on an external monitor. I wouldn't suspect it's the screen because it would really only be totally on or totally off in most cases. I would put my money on the inverter myself, but the backlight could also be defective.
 
yea - we ordererd the inverter - should be in today

ill keep you posted....
 
ok - i installed the new inverter... and its still doin the hiss noise for a bit - then screen goes -- leads me to believe the only thing left could be the backlight --- right?

but the backlight is part of the screen --- i reseated all the connections having anything to do with the screen.... and im trying to get it to dim out again --- hasnt done it yet.... but its hard to troubleshoot something thats so intermittent :(
 
Last edited:
its the screen and if you are out of warranty the machine may be worthless, as the screens can be as much as $900. I've seen these issues many times.
Best bet if you're up to taking the risk of replacing the screen yourself is to do as follows:
  1. CAREFULLY remove the LCD assembly from the board
  2. Continue to strip away the bezel
  3. Keep going, the LCD isn't bashful, strip it down until it's just a screen
  4. On the back, there should be a sticker from Samsung or some other LCD OEM. Write down this number.
  5. Google it and you should be able to find a replacement LCD . . . if you're really lucky someone closed out a bunch of them on eBAy :)
  6. You'll need to REMOVE the laptop specific stuff - if you have an Alienware it's probably pretty generic since they manufacture there's in a big OEM house in Taiwan.
  7. Now you'll need to attach the laptop specific stuff to the new LCD
  8. You just saved a fortune . . . or broke a new LCD.
 
i'm sorry i led you down the wrong path, but i guess it could have also been the inverter as well, you should be able to replace the backlight seperate from the lcd screen.
 
Very expensive then, Seriously go find out your model number or part replacement number and look on ebay. They usually have tons of replacement screens - most for less than 50$...

Good luck :)
 

Members online

No members online now.

Latest profile posts

Also Hi EP and people. I found this place again while looking through a oooollllllldddd backup. I have filled over 10TB and was looking at my collection of antiques. Any bids on the 500Mhz Win 95 fix?
Any of the SP crew still out there?
Xie wrote on Electronic Punk's profile.
Impressed you have kept this alive this long EP! So many sites have come and gone. :(

Just did some crude math and I apparently joined almost 18yrs ago, how is that possible???
hello peeps... is been some time since i last came here.
Electronic Punk wrote on Sazar's profile.
Rest in peace my friend, been trying to find you and finally did in the worst way imaginable.

Forum statistics

Threads
62,015
Messages
673,494
Members
5,621
Latest member
naeemsafi
Back