Arch Linux

dito

Member

Registered: 2011-11-07

Posts: 25

[SOLVED] Laptop screen blank (black)

Hey there

I left my laptop (dell vostro 1520) for about half an hour running on my desk. After coming back, the screen was black and could not be turned on again. The screen is still black after several reboots. I cannot even see the bios loading screen at the very beginning. One could think now that my screen is broken... but when the udev hook is triggered on boot, the screen flashes up for about 1 second. The same happens when I change the screen resolution. My external screen is still working, although the resolution is messed up after each reboot.

Any advice on this?

Last edited by dito (2012-05-10 08:18:11)

frette

Member

Registered: 2012-05-04

Posts: 35

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop screen blank (black)

---

Last edited by frette (2025-04-08 16:05:14)

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,692

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop screen blank (black)

Try this:  Take a flashlight (torch?) and illuminate the screen at an angle to the screen and see if you can see any picture on the display where it is illuminated.  You may need to move your head and/or the light to eliminate glare.  If you can see a picture, you have a failed backlight.  If your display uses CCFL tubes (as opposed to LEDS) then I would bet a beer you have a bad inverter. 

Take a look and let us know.  If you can see something, you might try hooking up an external monitor and using the light to allow you to see well enough to get to the point where you can enable the external display.

---

Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
The shortest way to ruin a country is to give power to demagogues.— Dionysius of Halicarnassus
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

dito

Member

Registered: 2011-11-07

Posts: 25

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop screen blank (black)

Take a flashlight (torch?) and illuminate the screen at an angle to the screen and see if you can see any picture on the display where it is illuminated.  You may need to move your head and/or the light to eliminate glare.  If you can see a picture, you have a failed backlight.  If your display uses CCFL tubes (as opposed to LEDS) then I would bet a beer you have a bad inverter.

+1 beer

Last edited by dito (2012-05-10 08:18:57)