I might be laughed at here, but I'm still using a Dell Inspiron 4000 notebook. It is a stalwart machine and an old friend. I also have a Macbook but prefer the Inspiron. However, the screen has been a problem for some time (over a year), with some intermittent pinkness, vertical lines overtaking the screen, a stuck cursor, etc. --but these problems have always passed. Until today. The machine is booting normally (by the sound of things) but the screen is just white. It's never been only white before. Obviously, this is an old machine, but if it's a quick and easy fix, I'll do it. But on a machine I've had for seven years, I'm not going to sink a lot into it. Any idea if this is a quick fix?

I was raised not to be wasteful. I drive a 1995 car, too. Any help very appreciated.

Do you have an external monitor, like connected to a desktop computer? Try plugging that into the laptop, then pressing <Fn> + <F8> to switch monitor modes once you're booted up.

Is the screen white the whole time, or only when you get into Windows? Try turning off the laptop, then turning it back on while holding down the <Fn> key. That will start some special diagnostics, near the end you should see some colors come onto the screen, then some beeping in a 3-3-3 or 3-3-4 code. Did you ever see the colors on the screen, or was it white all the way until the beeps at the end of the test?

I don't have an external monitor, though I could take it to the office and try that. However, I did the other thing you suggested, which was to start the machine up while pressing the fn key. This seems to have done the trick -- the monitor appears as normal and all is well. Does this mean my troubles are over? Or is there some underlying issue that I could address?

Thanks so very much for your help!

So after starting up the laptop while holding down the <Fn> key solved the problem, and now everything is good?

What happened when you turned on the laptop while holding down <Fn>? Did it just start up normally?

Yes, everything started up normally, and no white screen, when I pressed the fn key while booting the machine. And now I can start it up without pressing the fn key and there's no white screen. Problem solved?

Actually, I spoke too soon: after a normal boot, and after using the computer for about an hour, the screen turned white. I turned it off by holding down the power key, since I couldn't use the screen. When I tried to reboot it holding down the FN key, it wouldn't boot. So I just turned it on the usual way (without holding down the FN key). It started up normally and the screen appears normally.

Is the problem with my screen or in my computer?

THanks for your help!

Hi ,
I have a similiar problem with my Compaq laptop.
Seems to start alright when booting , however , when it gets to the stage of displaying the desktop , a white screen appears. The windows jingle can be heard and just faintly , the desktop blue background border can be seen behind the white screen.
Was intermittent and occassionally would not occur at all.
However , it appears to be increasing , as , usually would take 2 to 3 reboots to begin operating normally.
Lately , it is taking 6 to 8 reboots before desktop appears. In a couple of instances , the Windows WELCOME screen would appear and the screen plus cursor would freeze at that point.
Would the depressing of the Fn key at the same time as the Start key , fix this problem ?

I would appreciate any assistance you could provide.

Thanks.

hey guys i too do have similar problem that u have with screen. the screen displays white and to counter the problem, i dont shut down the ocmputer but instead put it to sleep and resume the windows. and the problem is gone. i usually do this. but what i wanted to know is the root problem behind it. sometimes when i bend the screen, the problem appears again.

It might be the video chip in the laptop is heading out the window

Direct to: sauravrk

Please start your own topic
Although your issue may seem similar there can be other factors that may need to be resolved.
By bumping on a topic that is almost a year old you may not get assistance from one of the tech staff. This can in turn cause the wrong support to be given and can cause instability or worse to happen to your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

thanks for the sugestion.