Random laptop screen Black out / Turn off .

[Ntas]

 Hi, 

 first of all my laptop is : HP Pavilion dv6-6160se Entertainment Notebook

to the problem now 🙂

A few days ago my laptops screen started  out of a sudden shutting down/turning black( no lights at all ). This was happening while using the laptop at random. The screen  had no lights, and if i use a flashlight on it there is nothing. like its turned off completelly.

Before this happens. Ths behavior varies. Sometimes it flickers from my desktop to a black screen then back on and some times not. Most of the times screen changed to a radom color (green mostly) then becomes black/shuts down.

 NOTE: The laptop keeps runing, i can hear the videos playing so it probably isnt a gpu chip or gpu issue , music and games.

I searched the web for all kind of reasons that this could happen and tried some of the fixes .

Here are everything i tried and all or the details i could accumulate in past coupe of days:

1. If the screen flickers , blacks out and then turns back on i get a message that gpu drivers have stopped working and recovered (  on both amd and intel ).

2. If the screen blacks out, on rare ocasions if you close the laptop lid and let the laptop go to sleep , when waking up screen works again ( noticable due to screen moving)

3. I tried installing 4 different drivers all with clear install. ( didn't work)

4. I tried to  to recover system with restore point. ( didn't work)

5. I tried to lower the screen brightness. ( didn't work)

6. tried this trick: 

1. Turn off laptop
2. Remove battery
3. Hold the power buttong for 30-45 seconds
4. Plug-in the charger ( dont put the battery in )
5. Turn on laptop and see if it works.

Very Noticable details:

7.  Since  on of the rare fixes requires to move the lid  i tried shaking the screen a bit or pushing it slightly to different directions. This actually  does the trick and turns the screen back on ( i am right now typing  this after using this "trick"

So, with this one as a hint there are a couple of stuff i have in mind but i am not sure  and need help since i am not a technician.

a) There is a loose LCD cable and when i type a little vibration moves it and ends up in a black screen.

b) I read that if you use a flashlight and you cant see  your desktop it means its a bad inverter.

c) Can the inverter have a lose cabe instead of the lcd ?

That's all the feedback i could give you that i can recall now.

Currecntly the screen looks ok ( maybe its the certain angle it has after i moved it  so i would aprecciate a fast reply before  it goes black again 😛

EDIT: Tried to play a game for a few mins and i got the black screen again. Closed the lid  so the laptop goes in sleep mode then opened it and it worked. Just for the records.

EDIT#2: Just tried to play a game again. got the blackscreen, shaked the screen a bit and it worked but for the 1st time i get the message " Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware" , Can it be that its the GPU after all or maybe drivers? 

EDIT#3: Tried to play a game again and it seem to trigger the issue . ( i am currently running the laptop with only the intel drivers installed)

thanks in advance

Sincerely,

Ntas

P.S. Please feel free to ask me any question if you need more information, i am not a laptop expert but i know   more than the average person 😉

[Malygris1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Ntas 

I have read through your post and it seems there are a couple of possibilities, and I noted that you have already tried several of the things I would normally suggest.

I will however post some of those links anyway for you to review, it is always possible there may be something in one of them that may have been missed or may inspire an idea of the cause. Since you mentioned that sometimes just moving the screen will cause the problem or make it disappear, that does seem like either a loose connection or maybe something like pressure on a part of the display causing the issue.  Of course that last part may just mean the display is on its last legs, but hopefully not.

First I will give you a link to the service manual, to help you check the connections. Just be careful to read the sections on precautions, to protect yourself and to prevent any other damage.This manual is also useful in that it lists all the compatible parts, so if the display is defective you could use this guide to help order a compatible replacement if you choose to do so. HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook PC - Maintenance and Service Guide

Here are some other sources, that may be helpful to you.
Resolving Problems with Notebook Displays (Windows 7 and Windows 😎
Diagnosing a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) for Damage

Also for your convenience here is the drivers page for your notebook.
HP Pavilion dv6-6160se Entertainment Notebook PC Drivers

I hope this all helps.

[Ntas]

Malygris1 thanks for the reply.

After troubleshooting further more using your suggestions i found out that it was a faulty screen cable.

Even if i was not moving  the laptop physically it looks that its bad connection was the issue. I suppose the drivers crashing were due to the  weak or faulty  communication it had with the screen .

the cable was replaced and now the screen works fine 🙂

thanks again

Ntas

[jazzzlyn]

Do I add the battery in when I am going to charge the laptop?

[Riddle_Decipher]

@jazzzlyn

Thank you for posting on HP Forums,
The Riddle_Decipher is at your service.

The answer to your question is: YES,

However, to provide an accurate solution I will need more details,

Which OS are you using?
What is the product number of your computer?

When was the last time it worked without these issues?

Keep me posted,

If the information I've provided was helpful, 

give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons, 

that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Good Luck.