Where in the World is Bob Saget?

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englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
PUSH said:
So I got the LCD inverter for my laptop, and replaced it myself (not the easiest thing to do). And now I don't think that was the problem at all. When I turned it on I didn't have the battery in, and just used the power cord instead. It worked fine, so I thought the issue was resolved. Then I went to use it with just the battery. When I turned it on, I had the same problem as before. The screen was very dim to a point you could only tell something was on the screen when shining a flashlight on it. So I powered it back up with the power cord and everything is dandy. Except for when I try to turn the brightness down. If it's on anything less than the brightest setting, there is a flicker on the screen. You can imagine how annoying this is.

One more thing that's wrong: when I turn my laptop off, a white/gray screen remains lit on my computer. The computer says it's off, and it doesn't seem like anything is running, but it's obviously not shut down all the way.

I don't mean to bug you @englanddg but would you know what's wrong with it?
Click to expand...

Well, it could be a few different things, but it sounds like hardware. If it works fine off wall power only, but not battery, AND you've already replaced the LCD Inverter, well...lets start with a few questions...

How old a machine and what manufacturer?

What OS? (I assume Windows, but...)

Have you looked in device manager to check the status of your hardware (look for red x's)?

Also, have you checked the power management settings in Windows?

What happens when you connect it to an external monitor?

After this, my next guess would be your battery...try swapping it with a new (or refurb with warrenty) one.

But, as @StarWarsGirl95, if the laptop is more than 2.5 - 3 years old, you're probably better off just getting a new one. They are so cheap in the current market compared to parts...and, personally, I hate working on laptop hardware if I can avoid it, outside of minor upgrades, because unless you know exactly how to take apart the electronic sandwich that is that particular model laptop, and sometimes you require special tools, you run just as much risk of breaking something else...as actually fixing the issue.
 
PUSH

PUSH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
englanddg said:
Well, it could be a few different things, but it sounds like hardware. If it works fine off wall power only, but not battery, AND you've already replaced the LCD Inverter, well...lets start with a few questions...

How old a machine and what manufacturer?
It's a 2009 Compaq Presario CQ61

What OS? (I assume Windows, but...)
I'm using Windows 7.

Have you looked in device manager to check the status of your hardware (look for red x's)?
How do I do that?

Also, have you checked the power management settings in Windows?
I checked the Power Options, if that's the same thing.

What happens when you connect it to an external monitor?
Works fine with an external monitor, it's what I've been using since I spilled water on it.

After this, my next guess would be your battery...try swapping it with a new (or refurb with warrenty) one.

But, as @StarWarsGirl95, if the laptop is more than 2.5 - 3 years old, you're probably better off just getting a new one. They are so cheap in the current market compared to parts...and, personally, I hate working on laptop hardware if I can avoid it, outside of minor upgrades, because unless you know exactly how to take apart the electronic sandwich that is that particular model laptop, and sometimes you require special tools, you run just as much risk of breaking something else...as actually fixing the issue.
Click to expand...
Answers are in red up above.

And thanks, by the way!
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
PUSH said:
Answers are in red up above.

And thanks, by the way!
Click to expand...

Power Options = Power Management, yes. The reason I asked is that there is generally a "low power" option that windows likes to default to that runs the LCD monitor at lower brightness to conserve battery life. When you put your battery in a laptop, even if it's plugged into the wall, most laptops will run off the battery, not the wall power, and wall power will be used to trickle charge the battery as you use your computer.

I've run across a few models (lenovo, you sneaky bastards) that won't RUN without a battery...but that's aside the point.

Device Manager is only one step, but it can help isolate whether this is driver or hardware (sounds almost certainly like hardware)...but, it's worth checking...

Go to start -> run
Type "Device Manager" (no quotes) and press ok.
If you get any warnings from windows, accept them
Expand all of the + boxes on the right of the categories, and look for something with a red circle and an x in it or something with a yellow triangle with an exclamation point in it.

Obviously the key category you are going to look under is Sound, Video and Game Controllers, but go ahead and check all the others.

I seriously doubt this is a driver issue (otherwise, your external monitor would likely exhibit the same behavior), but it's worth ruling out.

After that, the next step is battery. If a new battery doesn't resolve it, well, then things start to get more complex (I'm frankly impressed, by the way, that you even thought about replacing the Inverter, kudos!)

It may be worth, if you are enamored to this laptop, to find a certified repair center and either ship it or take it to them. The reason I say this is that they have spare parts for these laptops lying around and can more easily diagnose / test than you purchasing parts online, waiting for delivery, testing, etc...

If it's hardware, at this point, it pretty much becomes a guessing game, swapping out part after part until it finally works.

There is also a chance that the LCD bulb actually got damaged, in this case, you would need to purchase a new screen and replace it. The only thing that makes me question that...well, two things...one for, one against...

1) Against - The screen works when the battery is not involved
2) For - The screen only works with the highest brightness settings, even when the battery is not involved
 
PUSH

PUSH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
englanddg said:
Power Options = Power Management, yes. The reason I asked is that there is generally a "low power" option that windows likes to default to that runs the LCD monitor at lower brightness to conserve battery life. When you put your battery in a laptop, even if it's plugged into the wall, most laptops will run off the battery, not the wall power, and wall power will be used to trickle charge the battery as you use your computer.

I've run across a few models (lenovo, you sneaky bastards) that won't RUN without a battery...but that's aside the point.

Device Manager is only one step, but it can help isolate whether this is driver or hardware (sounds almost certainly like hardware)...but, it's worth checking...

Go to start -> run
Type "Device Manager" (no quotes) and press ok.
If you get any warnings from windows, accept them
Expand all of the + boxes on the right of the categories, and look for something with a red circle and an x in it or something with a yellow triangle with an exclamation point in it.

Obviously the key category you are going to look under is Sound, Video and Game Controllers, but go ahead and check all the others.

I seriously doubt this is a driver issue (otherwise, your external monitor would likely exhibit the same behavior), but it's worth ruling out.

After that, the next step is battery. If a new battery doesn't resolve it, well, then things start to get more complex (I'm frankly impressed, by the way, that you even thought about replacing the Inverter, kudos!)

It may be worth, if you are enamored to this laptop, to find a certified repair center and either ship it or take it to them. The reason I say this is that they have spare parts for these laptops lying around and can more easily diagnose / test than you purchasing parts online, waiting for delivery, testing, etc...

If it's hardware, at this point, it pretty much becomes a guessing game, swapping out part after part until it finally works.

There is also a chance that the LCD bulb actually got damaged, in this case, you would need to purchase a new screen and replace it. The only thing that makes me question that...well, two things...one for, one against...

1) Against - The screen works when the battery is not involved
2) For - The screen only works with the highest brightness settings, even when the battery is not involved
Click to expand...
Okay, dumb question here, but where do I select "run" after I go to the start menu?
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
PUSH said:
Batteries are expensive, aren't they? ($70 range)
Click to expand...

You may be able to find a certified refurb in the $40 - $50 range...

A new LCD screen is going to run you in the $150 - $200 range, maybe more (unless you find a really good deal on a refurb)

That's why I was saying...for $500 or less, you can get a pretty decent new one...and by the time you do all this to your old one, you are still only looking at another year or two max of life before something else is likely to die.

Laptops generally age at about 3 years. Once they get around 5...it's time to start being pretty leery. (of course, there's more to it then that, I'm just speaking as a general rule)...
 
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