I was having the same problem of the screen continuously going black but my lap top was on and running. I have a Dell lap top. I dimmed the screen by 2 notches and it hasn't blackened out since. Clcik on Fn and the up arrow to brighten OR Fn and the down arrow to dim the brightness of the screen.

That's what I've been doing, too. I can use AC since I lowered the brightness. But sometimes it will suddenly flicker brighter, then go black. I wish I knew what part is causing the problem.

my laptop is not working with software but there are still screen with black but i try to put in software window vista but it wont work there are still run drive

Thank you so so sooooo much for joining this forum just to answer the question for others with the same problem. This was the first page I found while searching for what to do about my Compaq laptop that had a black screen and would do nothing else. I did exactly as you said, and my computer started right up:) You are a life saver!!! I was able to complete my online quiz for my master's class before the cut off time thanks to you!!

Hi.

I just found this post and have joined to answer it for any others with the problem who may also stumble across this site in search of an answer. I recently contacted Compaq with this problem which happened after my laptop crashed in the middle of graphics intensive apps' running.

Turns out is something to do with excessive charge stored within the components of the laptop. In this situation there is a failsafe that will stop current going to different parts and being the screen uses more power than anything it is most often affected.

Unplug the power, take the battery out and hold down the power button for around 60seconds. This will release any excess charge built up in the machine. Put the power back in and turn on. That's it. You can also then of course replace the battery.

Now there will always of course, be various reasons for your screen to fail etc but most will not allow your laptop boot with all lights on and all the little 'plink' noises you can hear which suggest the laptop has fully booted.

I hope this helps although I would imagine far too late for the person who posted the original problem :P

That worked for me for awhile, but soon it started going black again. I found a new inverter on ebay, and an online demo of how to get to it. The replacing part is easy- simple plugs on both ends and one screw to hold it in place. Anyway - no more black screens, so if these other things don't work, try that.
Tearose49

Hi guys.

Thanks for the many good solutions. I just started experiencing problems with my soon to be 2 year old Sony Vaio, problems that I think are slightly different to these.

A few days ago my screen suddenly turned completely black whilst just surfing around youtube. I unplugged the power (I dont have my battery inserted as its useless anyway) and tried restarting. I got the startup-screen but with strange colored cubes scattered among the screen and when it was supposed to finally start windows the screen went black again. After restarting it again it went into repair-mode and that worked fine, the computer started again and everything seemed fine.

Now today same thing happened, screen went black, then on rebooting strange colors, screen black again, repair and then now it works again. While writing this im backing up the hard drive, thought I would try formatting and then installing windows 7 in some vain hope that the problem is software-related.

My first thought was that the video card or monitor had given out. But considering that I get a good picture if I start in failsafe mode and that I can occassionally get the computer to work again I dont think thats the problem.

Anyone got any suggestions? Would love some help here, thanks in advance =D

what is the screen inverter? i am learning how to work on puters and find myself enjoying working on them - but i am having the same problem with my dell - i did the holding the botton thing - didnt work - when i open and close the lid it occasionally comes on - but you can see the outline of the deck top at all times - reminds me of a negitive to a picture cant see it well cause there is no light behind it...i need some one to talk me through fixing it myself - i cant afford paying some one else to do it...

The screen inverter is what increases the voltage to light up the backlight, on your Dell it will be situated behind the screen bezel below your screen between the hinges. Be very careful with this if your laptop is powered on as it increases the voltage to a very high output.

Another problem. Now the screen comes on for a second or two, then goes black. Every time I boot up or wake it from sleep, it's the same- one or two seconds, then black. Also, I can start to lower the lid, about 2/3 closed, so it doesn't go to sleep. Then as I start to lift the lid the screen comes on for one ot two seconds. I can keep lowering and lifting the lid this way and it repeats every time. Any ideas on this one?

I have a toshiba satellite and had a same problem I left my computer pluged in the wall and turned on and just closed the screen. So the comuter was running all night and it was hot in the morning when I try to turn it on. Computer was running but the screen was black, I try to turn in on and off fwe times but the screen was still black. And then I found this post on my dasktop.
This worked at first try for me.
Thank you wery much.

Milan

Hello.

I found this thread today after my laptop screen went black. On Sunday my laptop screen went black out of the blue and when i turned my laptop off (held the power button down), waited abit and turned it back on, it was fine for abit then it went black again.

After that i packed up my laptop and left it till around 1:30pm yesterday (uk time) and it was okay for about 15mins and then it would black out at random time gaps from 2 seconds to 15/16 seconds but depending on how long i left it i could get some time out of it and now it just remains black but when i press the button that would normally turn the screen black, now turns it on for barely a second.

I have also tried with or without the power cable in and theirs no difference although when i first tried it without the power cable it was fine and only did it with the power cable in, but now theirs no difference and i don't really have a idea if where to go from here. I am researching the problem for my laptop and hoping to get a long enough lasting temp fix to get all internet favorates of it and put them into a wordpad document to then put on a new one when i get it as when i get a new one, sorting everything else out will be much easier.

A few details of my current laptop and the new one i want
Current - Compaq Presario V4000 Widescreen. Owned since April 2006. One prveious virus atleast 18 months ago and has had none since. Ran on power cable since first use. On 2nd cable which i have had for atleast 1 year.

Sorry for the big post.

Yours sounds just like mine is at the moment. Yesterday, I was able to get it to stay lit while in BIOS, and while in safe mode, although in both cases it occasionally went black. I've set the lid to "do nothing", so when I lower and raise it it just turns the light back on. Usually after a few tries, I can get it to stay on. Still can't find a cause for this behaviour. It's not the card, not the inverter, not a loose connection. I'm going to reinstall the latest video driver, and may try HP chat again. If I find a cure, I'll let you know.

I have tried the fix that seems to be the most recommended on my laptop and its not worked. I hope the issue can get resolved ASAP.

hello pals, i have the same problem but i am assuming it being a flex problem since i heard different convictions from people over that. i have newly bought an hp laptop recently but discovered that the screen would go off and completely black immediately i switch on the laptop and the power on wouldn't be stable, going on and off every minutes. please, is there any solution to that?

My toshiba laptop screen totally turned black,but if looking closely you can still barely see what is on the screen, but I restarted my computer many times and it loads up but still no results.

Mine is working pretty well now. I rolled back the video driver, then reinstalled the latest one by downloading it from the website.

I posted this on other thread entitled "Laptop display keeps flickering" but it will fit here as well since this thread was my starting point to fix my problem months ago.

My Toshiba M305D-S4830 laptop flickered to black when I would bump it and when I adjusted the screen by tilting it. Then later it went totally black. I read up on it and watched Youtube videos and then fixed it. This is how I did it: TEST 1) Run a VGA monitor cable to an external monitor. If the display works there then the mother board and hardrive are probably OK because it is sending a images out to the monitor screen eventhough the monitor can't show them.
TEST 2) Put a poweful flash light on the face of it and see if you can see a computer page or you desktop icons. If you can then it has to do with either you backlight, power inverter, or LCD screen plug wires(I call it the Medusa or Octopus cable since it is one piece with at least three heads). All three of these parts have to do with the lighting but only one of them may be bad.
TEST 3) Upon booting up does the screen turn reddish or pinkish at first and then get clearer in a few minutes. If so the backlight is almost burned out which is as long and skinny as the metal in a fireworks sparkler and is located in the bottom of the LCD screen.

If not the backlight then it is the power inverter just under the LCD screen which starts and converts power to the backlight. It is as long as your thumb and is just less than 1/4" thick and has a plugin spot on each end of it. This is the most likely culprit.

If this is not it then the LCD screen cable which runs from the upper back of the LDC screen, to the power inverter, to the base or bottom part of the computer through the left hinge. So this cable has at least three plug heads. I bought all three parts on ebay for about $40.00 each. You can see repair videos on Youtube.

I did not need the backlight because the power inverted fixed it. However the plugs are so tiny, my eyes so dim, and my tools so large that I smashed the plugs at the end of the inverter so had to get a new cable to. So it worked only shortly after the inveter installation because I gave the plug one extra push for good measure which broke it. Overall I think the wires are wimpy around the plugs and just get bent and broken when they wiggle too much. A company in town would do the repair labor for $100 but my son did it for $50. Everything works now. I ended up replacing both the inverter and the LCD cable but not the backlight.

OMG, thank you thank you thank you thank you..... it worked, uplug, battery out, hold start button 20 seconds, screen back on.... thank you so much!! :)

I have been reading this thread as I am having a similar problem with my laptop.

It's a Dell laptop and I have it about 2 and a half years so not under warantee anymore. The screen keeps on going black all of a sudden but I can just about make out the icons so I know it is an issue with the backlight. It usually happens anywhwere after 5 minutes up to 30 minutes and sometimes will come back on if left alone for awhile or else if I close the laptop down for a minute and re-open it will come back on but only for another 5 to 15 minutes and then goes black again.

I will try taking the battery out and holding down the power butto this evening to see how I get on but I think this only works in the case where the back light is permanently off from what I have been reading? Any other tips on what I can do?
Thanks

kk i called geek squad this is what u do hold power button unplug wall charger take out battery wait 10 seconds put battery back in and let go of on switch it should boot up then put start up normally