ProBook 4710s screen goes black for no good reason

[kalinolin]

hello everyone,

I have a probook 4710s FM851UT, that I have been barely using. It is running on windows vista 32bit.

the p r o b l e m I encountered is that the screen suddenly goes black for no reason at all during the first few minutes of use. It seems to be completely black, but it is more like it is dimmed out to 1%... you can barely see what is being displayed. Basicaly, a blacksrcreen.

I tried turning it off, and on again, and the problem continues. Sometimes it will come right back, only to blackout again. Other times it blacksout and it won't come on, no matter how long I wait.

does any body with a 4710s have the same type of issue?

thanks!

[erico]

Hi,

Have you connected it to an external display to see if the same  thing happens?

The reason I ask is to determine if the problem is with your LCD display.

If the same thing happens then there is the likelihood that your motherboard has an issue.

If not, then your LCD backlight inverter could be dying. That is not an expensive repair .

Is the laptop still under warranty?

If the answer is yes, then the repair will probably be covered under your warranty. 

Please perform the external display test and report your results here in your thread.

regards,

erico 

[ArunG]

Call up HP Tech Support (1 800 334 5144)

[kalinolin]

Thanks to both of you for your replies! 

I will perform the external display test that was suggested, and i will call teh hp tech support number given. 

My laptop is still in warranty since it was very recently bought, no more than 2 months ago. 

However I live in Mexico City, and the computer was bought in the US via amazon.com.

will that pose as an inconvenience for the repair (if needed) or will HP in Mexico be able to take care of it?

best regards!

[erico]

Hi,

That (having bought the laptop in US) may prove to be a bit of a hassle for you in terms of warranty repair if needed.

regards,

erico 

[hot_hornet]

see my thread for possibly same problem, along with Ericos advice!

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/psg/board/message?board.id=Display&thread.id=6561

[kalinolin]

Thanks HotHornet, i read your thread and am coming to the conclusion that it is an LCD backlight inverter problem...

As Erico suggests in your thread to check to see if you can see very dimly the windows on the screen with a flashlight... I actually CAN see the windows, even without the flashlight.

I haven't had the chance to do the external display test yet, but will try it soon.

Ill keep you all posted.

[erico]

Hi,

---

kalinolin wrote:

Thanks HotHornet, i read your thread and am coming to the conclusion that it is an LCD backlight inverter problem...

As Erico suggests in your thread to check to see if you can see very dimly the windows on the screen with a flashlight... I actually CAN see the windows, even without the flashlight.

I haven't had the chance to do the external display test yet, but will try it soon.

Ill keep you all posted.

---

If you are handy with tools and really patient, you can perform the backlight inverter replacement yourself and save yourself quite a bit of cash. There are "How to" tutorial videos at insidemylaptop.com. Just do a search there for the series of laptop that you own.

regards,

erico 

[erico]

Hi, 

  If your display is black and you can dimly see Windows then you backlight inverter is dead. It is still wise to do the external video out test to verify that your onboard video chip is still functional.

regards,

erico 

[laptophobo]

I've been having a similar problem, and I don't think it is hardware related.

I have an HP Pavilion dv2700 (Vista 64 bit) notebook. It is now 2 years old. For more than a year now the screen goes down to about 1% brightness and the controls become disabled. This ONLY HAPPENS when on battery power--and not all the time. My temporary remedy has been to close the lid on the notebook, which puts it in sleep mode, then open the lid and the brightness and controls returns. 

I've noticed that the programs it tends to be affected by are the  Windows Photo Gallery and some video viewing devices. I've tried manipulating all of the power saving settings, but that does not help. To me, it seems like some sort of driver issue. And since I see a lot of similar postings on the Web about a similar problem, I don't think it is an isolated problem.

I'm hoping that an HP expert will be able to help me (us!) with this matter.