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Dell Inspiron6400: screen either not working or going into hibernation


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#1
curiousprincegeorge

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I have a Dell Inspiron 6400

When I turn it on I see the usual initial screen; the windows logo and the loading bar below it. Then the screen turns off. (a bit like hibernation)

If I leave it there I eventually hear the usual sound of windows loading up that I would be familiar with when one reaches the desktop stage after startup.
At this point if I close down the laptop and open it back up, the screen lights up and displays the screen that usually comes up when someone reactivates a turned-on laptop(blue screen with the button in the middle and the account name and status:locked). However the entire screen is slightly off in colour. But before I can click the button to unlock the account the screen goes black again.

So that's what's happening all the time now. Initially I had been using the laptop and it was working fine. Then left the room. Then returned and was looking at the screen not touching the cursor and the computer went black like it would if no user had been inputting into it. So the screen going black seemed normal at first. But since that occurred I have not been able to interface with the computer.

SO the computer seems to be working and the screen can display. But it keeps going black. As if the computer keeps thinking its time to hibernate.

I looked at the dell site about opening it up and i read posts about other people opening their laptop to fix issues with screen. I'm not sure what I'd be looking for though.



One unusual occurrence was: I started the computer, the windows logo was displayed, the screen went black. I closed down the screen within 5 seconds( at this stage I did not know that it would eventually still load if I left it open.). Then after 3 or 4 minutes the computer was making beeps. Three loud beeps in a row then ascending-descending-ascending-descending beeps with the 9, A, and ↓ lights flashing with the pattern too. Opening the laptop the screen started up then died as per usual. The second I saw the screen it looked like it had low resolution and basic colours. It reminded me of back when computers had 256 colours!!!Real early windows look. Some window was open with some options to select. No idea what it was. this only happened once.
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#2
phillpower2

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Hi curiousprincegeorge :) sorry to hear you are having trouble with your laptop.
How many sticks of Ram do you have? If 2 try them individually, first in slot 1, then in slot 2 then let us know the results.
It is also possible the video chip may need checking;
http://support.dell....o.htm#wp1006368

EDIT: Can you also try connecting the laptop to an external display using the VGA port, again let us know the result.

Edited by phillpower2, 27 September 2011 - 11:33 AM.

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#3
curiousprincegeorge

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I have connected it to another monitor and it seems to work there.
So basically the computer seems to work fine. Its just the display is the problem. From what I've read this boils down to the backlight or the inverter.

I can have the computer running with nothing displayed on the monitor. The I can close down the lid (or even press the button on the hinge to pretend its closed) and open it and when it starts It will show the screen in perfect colour. BUt then die before I can actually do anything.

At another stage I was putting back one of the covers that is located above the keyboard and around the hinges. For a moment the monitor displayed the desktop in a tainted red colour.

So it seems its just a problem in displaying what the computer is doing rather than a problem with the computer. Should I still look at moving ram sticks etc?
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#4
phillpower2

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From what I've read this boils down to the backlight or the inverter

Possibly but;

At another stage I was putting back one of the covers that is located above the keyboard and around the hinges. For a moment the monitor displayed the desktop in a tainted red colour.

It could also be a bad or even loose MB to screen video ribbon.

Should I still look at moving ram sticks etc?

At this time this is not necessary, I need to do some research on your laptop and will add my findings to this post by way of an edit so please check back in a while.

EDIT: Couple of questions: when the screen is on but is black if you shine a flashlight on the screen can you see the desktop icons in the background and have you run the Dell Diagnostics from the F12 boot screen to see if it reports anything?

Edited by phillpower2, 27 September 2011 - 01:15 PM.

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#5
curiousprincegeorge

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Yes I can see the desktop sometimes. Will try and run the dell diagnostics now.

EDIT: the test is running. It failed the Hard Drive test at the very start. It passed all the LCD connection,LCD Inverter, LCD graphics video card etc. Its still runnng going through through the memory tests passing them all

Edited by curiousprincegeorge, 27 September 2011 - 02:56 PM.

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