XPS M1330 LCD screen dead? or...

So I received a friend's XPS M1330. Who got it back from dell for motherboard replacement (gfx card problem). It was working great till one day he boot it up and the screen had nothing on it. The laptop runs with an external display connected. The warranty expired nearly a month ago =/

How do I know if the screen is completely dead, or that the inverter or backlight died. If the screen is still alive can i simply replace the inverter or backlight? How do i test that the screen is fully dead?

I am looking at a LED screen replacement with an inverter on ebay, it has no backlight but is very cheap and works, is there a way to replace the backlight?

Thanks

 

Look at the display in a well-lit environment, like a brightly lit room, or outdoors on a sunny day. If you can see the display but no light, then it means your inverter or backlight is bad. If nothing at all shows up on the screen, then it's the display itself.

 

thanks for the response!
I checked it under the light and no image =[
so looks like the screen is dead. Its a LED screen, how much do replacements go for?
I see one for sale with no backlight. Can I install a backlight i can purchase from ebay?

 

http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=143&subid=154 just under 300 US bills

 

Great news!
So i opened up the screen display and noticed the connector from the screen to the laptop was hanging half way from the socket. So I simply plugged it in properly and the screen works!

Thanks alot Dell Repair services....