Dell Inspiron 8600 - screen problems

Hey guys,
So the laptop screen is shot, it flicks on for a second during bootup, but it's red/green-ish hued, and then cuts out. May or may not show during entrance to desktop.

However, it works just fine while plugged into an external monitor (just tested it with this monitor I'm using now). Any idea what I can do here? Is it just a screen problem? Is there a difference between a screen and a backlight? (never replaced a lappy screen before). Is there a site anyone recommends for either of these? Thanks guys.
Best,
RM

 

Backlight or inverter is dead. The backlight is the element of the LCD screen assembly that provides the actual light. The inverter is a tiny transformer that provides juice for the backlight. If one of these components is dead, you should still be able to see (very faintly), an image on your display, if you can shine enough light onto it.

These are both cheap parts, but may be a hassle to replace on their own, the backlight especially. I'd save yourself the hassle and just buy a new LCD screen. It probably isn't too expensive, and Dell has instructions as to how to replace it.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins8500/en/8600cr/sm/index.htm
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins8500/en/8600cr/sm/display.htm#1001090

And:

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_trkpar...600+screen&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_sop=15&_sc=1

 

Thanks for the great info. So it seems, that: LCD screen = backlight + inverter?

So I can order:
Inverter: http://cgi.ebay.com/LCD-Screen-Inve...in_0?hash=item3ef8b000cf&_trksid=p4999.c0.m14
plus
Backlight: http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-8500-8600-...in_0?hash=item4ceb2a5ba3&_trksid=p4999.c0.m14

OR

A new LCD screen:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-Inspiron-L...in_0?hash=item3ef8ca1ff3&_trksid=p4999.c0.m14

The previous option seems a bit cheaper, but I'm willing to pay the little extra bit of money to just get it working faster/easier.

 

That's not quite true... there's also the LCD itself, a metal frame, some plastic sheets... the backlight and inverter are just the parts that could be broken in this case - they just provide lighting. The LCD itself is by far the most expensive part in the assembly.

Yep, would definitely recommend the complete LCD if you have the money. If the problem turns out to be the backlight, those are finicky to replace and you're almost always going to wind up with dust under the panel. Plus, you can sell your old screen for parts to recoup some of the cost...

 

if your external monitor is okay,,then you know its not the video card or drivers...that was a good first try to diagnose.

got to be invertor, bulb or lcd...i would get a know good invertor, and replace it first.....they shouls not be too expensive..or just get another panel with the invertor, the bulbs are built into the panel....ebay is probably your cheapest route-

http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=141&subid=72

 

I would check the internal ribbon cables before buying anything.
Dismantle your screen, and make sure that the ribbon cable on the reverse of the LCD is connected all of the way. If necessary, clean the end of the cable, with some rubbing alcohol, and a few q-tips.
Also check the connection between the ribbon cable and the graphics card.

If this fixes the problem, than you dont need an inverter or a new screen.

If the problem still exists, you can determine the problem pretty easily.
If the screen stays on, like the screen is black, but still lit up, than the inverter works fine.

K-TRON