[doslover]

I have a 4 year old Acer Aspire laptop with a 15" screen and the screen backlight appears to be burned out. The computer appears to work properly and I can seen an extremely dim image, but the backlight is gone. I forced it to power down, and when it starts up there is a dim light at the left side of the screen for about a second and then it goes dark. The computer starts up normally with the familiar Windows startup music, so it does not appear to be a software or hard drive problem. Is it possible a weak power supply or has the screen died ? Do you think this is repairable, or should I look for a new computer ? About 2 months ago I repaired my 7 year old desktop, so it's not an immediate emergency, however, I've lost a bunch of emails, contacts and favorites and the old desktop is a real clunker running XP. Also, it lacks an SD card reader, so uploading camera photos is a PITA. So, my next question would be what would you recommend as a laptop replacement ? Should I stick with ACER or are other brands more reliable ?

[LiveBrianD]

If you shine a flash light at it and can read it, it's definitely the backlight (and given that otherwise it seems to be booting normally...). Replacing the screen isn't too hard to do (though there are a LOT of screws involved, I've disassembled a laptop before). What model do you have?

[doslover]

It's an Acer Aspire AS5100-5674. I was able to see the screen with a flashlight and make it shut down normally using the mouse.

Edit. I just hooked it up to an external monitor, and it works fine. So at least I'll be able to access files and run programs, but it is no longer portable. Also, I can use it's SD card slot and have not lost the contents of my HDD. I still want to either fix it or get another one. It seems like all the new laptops have gone to LED instead of LCD screens. What is the advantage to this ?

This post has been edited by doslover: 25 January 2012 - 08:33 PM

[LiveBrianD]

LED screens are more efficient and do not contain any mercury. It's not a big deal though.

This should work: http://www.amazon.co...27553257&sr=1-3

[WalterLuffman]

I had this happen with another manufacturer's laptop after a flight. I took it for granted that the laptop had gotten banged around, decided replacing the laptop made more sense than attempting repairs, and gave the old one away. Then it happened with the new laptop! Fortunately, it was still under warranty, and tech support advised me to remove the battery and discharge the capacitors (methods vary), then restore power and reboot. Problem solved.

I don't know the exact procedure for your laptop, but try this: Disconnect from the AC charger/adapter and remove the laptop's battery. Then press the power switch and hold it down for at least 30 seconds (a full minute might be better). Restore power and turn the laptop on; your screen's backlight may be back in operation. If this does not work, try a search on the manufacturer's website (using another computer, of course) for the proper procedure, or do a Google/Yahoo/Bing search for forum threads mentioning your computer's make and model.

[doslover]

Actually, I did some reading on this and determined that the problem is more likely to be due to a bad inverter board than a bad LCD screen. A replacement screen would cost over $100 with shipping, but I found a replacement inverter board for under $10 shipped from a vendor in China. If that doesn't solve the problem, I may not bother repairing the computer, and just buy a new one. Meanwhile, it is completely serviceable with an external monitor. This laptop hasn't been outside the house in years, so mobility is not that important. It won't run more than half an hour on the battery, so it needs to be tethered to a power outlet anyway. My next laptop needs to be smaller and have much longer battery time.

[LiveBrianD]

Good point - that could be.

[orlbuckeye]

doslover, on 28 January 2012 - 06:30 PM, said:

Actually, I did some reading on this and determined that the problem is more likely to be due to a bad inverter board than a bad LCD screen. A replacement screen would cost over $100 with shipping, but I found a replacement inverter board for under $10 shipped from a vendor in China. If that doesn't solve the problem, I may not bother repairing the computer, and just buy a new one. Meanwhile, it is completely serviceable with an external monitor. This laptop hasn't been outside the house in years, so mobility is not that important. It won't run more than half an hour on the battery, so it needs to be tethered to a power outlet anyway. My next laptop needs to be smaller and have much longer battery time.

Well that is the trend in laptops anyways. Smaller, thinner and longer battery life. Ultrabooks was a buzzword at CES.

[doslover]

Just a quick update. Today I received the replacement inverter board from China, installed it in my laptop and the display now operates properly. So for anyone else who has their laptop lcd screen backlight go out, this will most likely fix the problem.