Help. My computer screen is black and blank

geegerbee · ‎03-09-2010

I turned on my Dell laptop today and it is blank. It lights up as if it is going to load, but nothing happens. I can't even enter my password---there is nothing to click on. Online someone said to turn it on and keep hitting F8, but that didn't work. Can anyone help me.

lolakimono · ‎03-29-2012

@geegerbee

How old is it?

sandraskates · ‎06-26-2014

@geegerbee I hate to say it and I really hope I'm wrong but it sounds like a part of it died. Maybe the hard drive or the motherboard.

Do you have anymore details?

KentuckyWoman · ‎03-13-2010

Could be the motherboard or the LCD screen backlight. Our laptop screen went black and blank. It was the LCD backlight. We had to get a new PC. How old is your laptop? Is it still under warranty?

Lovethesea · ‎03-15-2010

Is your laptop running only on its battery or is it plugged into a wall outlet? If only running on its battery, it could be that the battery needs to be recharged or has died. I would suggest that you google for forums that address your particular laptop where others have had this problem and hopefully have solutions.

Lovethesea · ‎03-15-2010

I just googled this: can a laptop backlight be repaced? and found some interesting info. HTH

geegerbee · ‎03-09-2010

I just bought it in September at Sams Club. It is plugged into the wall and it still doesn't work.

Lovethesea · ‎03-15-2010

@geegerbee wrote:
I just bought it in September at Sams Club. It is plugged into the wall and it still doesn't work.

Have a warranty? You may want to call Dell and discuss it w/ them. I would try to return it.

Lovethesea · ‎03-15-2010

This google search may help: my dell laptop is 2 months old and my screen is black and it won't turn on

ThinkOutsidetheBox · ‎01-23-2011

A major problem with many laptop computers of various brands is the internal temperature getting too high and the processor and/or video processor then desoldering themselves from the motherboard. The symptom for this problem is a computer that appears to power on, but the screen remains dark/blank and some of the keyboard LED lights blink on and off at a slow pace.

Now, your symptom could be several other things as well, but since this problem that I have described is so prevalent when Googled, and crosses a broad spectrum of brands and computer ages, this could likely be the issue for you. If so, you are probably out of luck. However, when it happened to me, I was able to send off my laptop (minus my hard drive) to one of the companies listed on eBay who specialize in repairing the issue. I was able to diagnose the problem myself as a certain thing, so sending it off for repair cost me about $120 to have the video processor "reflowed" onto the motherboard. I then got another year out of the laptop before I had to finally order a new one. For me, that $100 for another year was worth it, and I may still do it once more.

Since the initial design issues that cause the overheating in today's laptops are not addressed with the reflow repair nor can they be, the overheating will almost always occur again. To avoid that as long as possible if you get this fix, always use the laptop only on a hard surface, preferably a cooler, always turn off the PC after you are done with it, and use it only for low load activities (do not game on it). Good luck with whatever the problem may be.