Member Avatar for RobertScruggs

OK.... so i was i was having unrelated problems with my laptop so i was in the process of restoreing it to stock by useing the default programs disks when i was finished everything was good the computer asked me about some of the display settings and i was'nt paying attention and just clicked. i cant remember exactly what i clicked but ever sincs ive had a black screen when i start my computer. it will boot up though. it comes up with the dell screen and the windows xp when i turn it on but when the main screen is supposed to appear the screen goes black but the computer remains on. how do i solve this problem if i cant get anywhere on my computer due to the black screen! the the screen still lights up but with a black screen. i already tried the fn key with the up arrow.

please help!!

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As reported by , the Inspiron 1150 completes POST and the Windows XP splash but then the display goes black while the machine stays on. Replies from , and already mention Safe Mode, driver checks and external-monitor toggling. The notes below add targeted diagnostics and fixes that avoid repeating those suggestions.

When the screen is black but the system feels alive, the Windows shell or a misbehaving driver is a common cause. If Ctrl+Alt+Del brings up Task Manager, use File -> New Task (Run...) and enter explorer.exe. If the desktop appears, investigate startup items with msconfig, check Event Viewer for explorer or driver faults, and verify the registry Shell value at HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell (should be explorer.exe). Export keys before any registry edits (regedit) to create a backup.

If Task Manager does not appear, the boot menu option "Last Known Good Configuration" can restore driver/Winlogon registry entries from the last successful boot and is a low-risk first step. If Safe Mode is available, uninstall the display adapter from Device Manager so Windows falls back to the Standard VGA driver on reboot; once the desktop is visible, install only the driver that matches the OEM model and hardware.

When an external monitor shows the desktop but the laptop LCD stays black, the fault is likely hardware: inverter/backlight, the LCD panel, or the LVDS cable. A quick diagnostic is a bright flashlight held close to the screen—if a faint image is visible, the backlight/inverter is usually the problem; no faint image suggests panel or cable failure. Hardware parts and reseating connectors are best handled by a qualified technician; always back up important data before attempting repairs or part swaps.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

as soon as the pc boots up hit f8 repeatedly until you get to a text menu with options. Choose "Safe Mode". Once booted into safe mode change your graphics settings to the correc values and shutodwn properly

Member Avatar for Dell_CA

OK.... so i was i was having unrelated problems with my laptop so i was in the process of restoreing it to stock by useing the default programs disks when i was finished everything was good the computer asked me about some of the display settings and i was'nt paying attention and just clicked. i cant remember exactly what i clicked but ever sincs ive had a black screen when i start my computer. it will boot up though. it comes up with the dell screen and the windows xp when i turn it on but when the main screen is supposed to appear the screen goes black but the computer remains on. how do i solve this problem if i cant get anywhere on my computer due to the black screen! the the screen still lights up but with a black screen. i already tried the fn key with the up arrow.

please help!!

Hello,
My name is Mike, I’m a Technical Analyst located at Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock, TX. I’m part of an internet outreach team developed to interact with the online community regarding technical questions and issues that customers face with Dell products. I know exactly how tedious a reinstall can be so clicking through the menus without reading is a very common thing to do. A couple of suggestions would be to restart the machine in safe mode by rebooting and pressing the F8 key when you see the Dell start up screen as previously mentioned. Enter into “Safe Mode with Networking” and see if the screen will display the desktop here. If it does, chances are it’s a driver issue. At this point you can update the driver in safe mode by installing the video driver from our support site, www.support.dell.com. Reboot into normal mode and see if works for you.

Also, try using an external monitor. You may have to push the Fn + F8 keys to activate the external video, but this will at least let you know if the problem exists with the driver, the video card, or the LCD itself. I hope this is of some help to you, but if you need any further assistance please email me back at with this topic in the subject line, ATTN: Mike B (Blank Screen I1150), and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Thank you,
Mike
Dell customer advocate

Member Avatar for Dell_CA

OK.... so i was i was having unrelated problems with my laptop so i was in the process of restoreing it to stock by useing the default programs disks when i was finished everything was good the computer asked me about some of the display settings and i was'nt paying attention and just clicked. i cant remember exactly what i clicked but ever sincs ive had a black screen when i start my computer. it will boot up though. it comes up with the dell screen and the windows xp when i turn it on but when the main screen is supposed to appear the screen goes black but the computer remains on. how do i solve this problem if i cant get anywhere on my computer due to the black screen! the the screen still lights up but with a black screen. i already tried the fn key with the up arrow.

please help!!

Hello, My name is Mike, I’m a Technical Analyst located at Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock, TX. I’m part of an internet outreach team developed to interact with the online community regarding technical questions and issues that customers face with Dell products. I know exactly how tedious a reinstall can be so clicking through the menus without reading is a very common thing to do. A couple of suggestions would be to restart the machine in safe mode by rebooting and pressing the F8 key when you see the Dell start up screen as previously mentioned. Enter into “Safe Mode with Networking” and see if the screen will display the desktop here. If it does, chances are it’s a driver issue. At this point you can update the driver in safe mode by installing the video driver from our support site, www.support.dell.com. Reboot into normal mode and see if works for you.

Also, try using an external monitor. You may have to push the Fn + F8 keys to activate the external video, but this will at least let you know if the problem exists with the driver, the video card, or the LCD itself. I hope this is of some help to you, but if you need any further assistance please email me back at with this topic in the subject line, ATTN: Mike B (Blank Screen I1150), and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Thank you,

Mike
Dell customer advocate

Member Avatar for Gunnarh

Even if you don´t have an external monitor, try to push fn+f8 once or twice to see if that activates your internal monitor...

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