Diagnosing a laptop screen problem

[GreenLantern]

Hi guys, I've done some googling and tried a few fixes but it hasn't gotten me anywhere so I thought I would come here for some specific help.

I've got a laptop, a Dell Inspiron 5500 its a few years old now. The screen likes to freeze up, lines will come across it and it will start fading a white light from the top right corner that builds slowly outwards to cover the screen.

If I adjust the screen, like say tilt it forward, it becomes 'unstuck' and the screen functions normally. But as soon as I let the screen rest backwards again, the same thing happens.

I've tried fiddling with drivers, I even replaced the LCD cable... still the same problem. Anyone had any experience with this issue and/or no of a solution?

Probably due to buy a new laptop, but I've got a lot set up on this for my current project that is just a few months away from being completed. So I hate to have to transfer hundreds of gigs worth of stuff when I am so close to being done with it forever.

[DoubleF]

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...4022430AAnPwcA

Does this seem similar to you? Can you connect an external screen and have it work fine?

Pure guessing... Even with a replaced cable, if the way it's built is stressing a cable, it might be causing the issue.

[Wormius]

The LCD that's integrated into the laptop, or an external monitor? I was confused because you said you replaced the cable.

I had a Dell laptop and the video adapter crapped out. Sounds similar to your problem, but I couldn't use the laptop's display or an external monitor.

If you need to buy more time, set up an RDP account into the laptop so you can access it from another computer and move the files. That way it doesn't matter what the display does.

[GreenLantern]

Sorry for the confusion, it is the actual monitor in the laptop itself. If I plug in a VGA cable it works fine on another monitor (what I am now using). I backed up all the important files on an external and have just kept working off of this laptop for now. I might take it apart again and see if maybe a pin got bent somewhere, but it seems unlikely.

The cable I replaced was the LCD cable inside the laptop itself. If I fiddle with it enough the screen will work, so it makes me think that it wasn't the LCD cable to begin with but is another problem. One I can't seem to figure out through google.

[DoubleF]

Likely, it's not the graphics card which is a problem. Probably some issue with some type of connector to the laptop LCD in my opinion.

If I may ask, why did you replace that cable in the first place?

[GreenLantern]

Because of all the googling I did it seemed like the most common solution to the problem. So I ordered one online for under $10 and it took me just over a hour. Obviously it didn't work though.. heh. I did take a close look at things when I had it open and I could not pinpoint any actual damaged wires or anything that looked out of the ordinary. To replace the LCD cable you basically have to take the entire screen apart, so I saw everything in there. But obviously something still isn't working.

[DoubleF]

I know the hinge in many older inspirons were complete crap around the LCD screen. I have a older inspiron 6xxx with completely locked up hinges which blew up my screen. I wonder if it's a variation which pinches a cable or something odd like that.