Member Avatar for mtostro29

Very recently, I let my laptop (HP) battery get too low, and it died on me. Usually, upon plugging in the adaptor, everything starts right back up again. However, this time, the laptop runs, but all I can see is a black screen. I can even hear the little chime when windows starts (vista), but all I can see is black. I don't think it's a backlight issue, as I the black screen still emits a sort of "glow". I know I need a new battery, but as long as it's plugged into the power supply, shouldn't it work fine? I've already tried the electro static discharge several times (unplugging power and batter, then holding power button for 60 seconds) as was suggested by most forums that I read. This didn't work at all. I'm just wondering what it could possibly be, and if there were any easy fixes to this before I took my computer into a professional?

  • 6 Contributors
  • 5 Replies
  • 571 Views
  • 9 Months Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by alicia.n.gallegos

Dani AI

Generated

Short, practical follow‑up based on what wrote and the suggestions from , and others.

Because you hear the Windows chime but the LCD stays dark with a faint glow, work through these checks in order so you narrow hardware vs software quickly:

  • Connect an external monitor and reboot. Interpret results: if the external shows a picture but the laptop screen stays black (or only faintly shows one), the problem is almost always the panel, the panel cable, or the backlight/inverter — not the GPU. If the external is also blank, the video subsystem or motherboard is suspect. If the built‑in screen shows BIOS/POST but Windows is black, that points to a driver/OS problem.
  • Do a simple software check before opening anything: press the display toggle keys (Fn+the monitor key) or use Windows+P to cycle outputs, and try booting Safe Mode (F8 on Vista). If Safe Mode shows the desktop, uninstall the video driver and reboot or use System Restore.
  • Quick hardware tests you can do safely: with the machine off and battery removed, reseat the RAM sticks; boot with only one stick if you have two. Use a bright flashlight at an angle on the panel — if you can see a dim desktop image, the backlight/inverter is likely bad. If you’re comfortable, power down, unplug, discharge, and carefully reseat the LCD cable at the hinge/motherboard (do this only if you know how; it’s easy to damage connectors).

Cautions and next steps: avoid opening the case if the laptop is under warranty. If an external monitor is blank too, or reseating the LCD cable doesn’t help, this usually means board or panel replacement — time to see a technician. If the display works in Safe Mode, focus on drivers and Windows fixes rather than parts.

Member Avatar for Barber2012

check you screen and the battery.

Member Avatar for tDanzer

Try to connect it to an external monitor - If you get a picture on the monitor you know that the computer works and the graphic card works. If there are no picture on the monitor, it could be the graphic card which is "burned"..
There could be other explanations, but first you must tell us the maker and model. - Who knows, somebody might know of a problem just like it with this or that model.. Or maybe there are a keyboard shortcut which turns of the screen, to save battery..

Member Avatar for jeremaih

CONNECT TO EXTERNAL MONITOR AND ENSURE IT DISPLAY, THEN CHANGE THE DISPLAY CABLE

Member Avatar for anson_kv

I ALSO HAVING SAME PROBLEM....I CONNECT IT TO EXTERNAL MONITOR .. ITS SHOWS NORMALLY...

Member Avatar for alicia.n.gallegos

I have a dell Inspiron 1501 it's doing the same I can only see a little but it's mainly black and I tried adjusting the brightness but it won't do a thing

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.