E6400- display is covered in horizontal lines- please advise!

The display on my Latitude E6400 has been 'flickering' intermittently for the last few days. Yesterday, tiny horizontal lines appeared and nothing I've tried has made them go away!

I checked all the cables and where they connect to the motherboard. So I figure my LED display is shot or the system board needs replacing??? Am I correct or should I try anything else first?

BTW, it's a 14.1" WXGA+ (1440x900) LED-backlit display and the system has Intel 4500MHD integrated graphics.

Thanks!

 

What happens when you change the resolution of the screen, does the horizontal lines follow?

What happens if you connect an external monitor?

Most likely the screen needs replacing, if you didn't damage the connectors. Can't say 100% though changing the screen is the cheapest solution, than the motherboard.

 

I connected an external monitor via VGA and it looks normal (no lines). So I'm assuming (hoping) that means the motherboard isn't the problem and display itself needs replacing...

 

Yup it does seems so, let us know how it goes. GL

 

LVDS connection loose? Bad LVDS cable?

You don't have a bad panel very often... just saying.

 

Help me out here- what exactly is a LVDS cable? Is is the same thing as the LCD cable? Or, more specifically, is it the cable that connects the display panel to the motherboard?

I had to competely remove the display to get the part number. I decided to reassemble everything after reading your posting; I was hoping that a loose connection was the problem, but the vertical lines were still there when I powered it back up.

So...do you think it would be wise to order a replacement LCD cable and install it with the existing display? It looks like the cable only be around $20-$25.

I've not had much luck in locating a replacement display yet, so if the panel has to be repaced, it may take quite a while! There were two different vendors for the WXGA+ LED used on the E6400- LG and Samsung. I have the LG panel, which is the better of the two. But all of the online dealers who speciailize in Dell parts are out of stock on the unit (CT008) and unsure when they're receive more....

Thanks for your input....

 

LVDS cable is the cable that runs from the MoBo to the display panel. LVDS = Low Voltage Differential Signaling

If the cable itself is only 20-25 bucks then yea, I'd do that first. Sometimes all it takes is one little pinch or kink in the cabling and things go south. If you get the new cable and it's still doing the same thing then see about replacing the panel. If it ends up being the panel itself, you can just resell the cable online. LVDS cables are always in demand.