Dell Inspiron 1720 Laptop Display Problem

I've read the other posts concerning Dell laptop monitor issues. It appears that Dell replaces the display bezel and cable on this model and others. Unfortunately my daughter-in-law's laptop is out of warranty. Her problem is that the display shows the boot up screen until Windows 7 is about to finish and log her in then goes blank. She can connect an external monitor and that works. When she unplugs the external monitor the laptop display will briefly (a second) display the image and then go black. Yes, she has tried the Fn F8 keys. Want to make sure this is hardware problem. Her system did have a crash that required a system restore and I'm assuming that the right video drivers got reinstalled. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

 

Have her use the external monitor. Right-click a blank area of the desktop and select Screen Resolution. Change the resolution to 800X600 or similar low(est) resolution. Then try to switch to the laptops internal screen. Does it still go blank?

 

Thanks, I will ask her to do that. If that does cause the laptop display to work, then maybe it is a software driver problem...

 

I had a similar issue with a Dell notebook a few months ago.

First, have her put her ear up to the fan when the PC is turned on. If it is not blowing air the unit may be overheating. If not corrected, this may eventually fry the entire PC. If the fan needs to be replaced, check for one on eBay - a good used one will likely be about 80-90% less than a new one from Dell. If the fan cover is held in place with its own separate screws it is an easy do-it-yourself project. If the entire backside of the PC must be removed to access it I'd consider having someone who is experienced in notebook PC repair do the work.

If this doesn't cure the problem, go into the BIOS at startup (usually "DEL" or "F2"). Tab through until you get to video options. If there is an option for "internal video", toggle it on (or off) and restart the unit (at worst, you can always re-enter the BIOS and choose "Restore Default Settings").

Although others have argued with me on this, I think this disables any added graphic card (if installed when the PC was built). The video quality may suffer a bit; however it beats having no display at all. Don't ask me for the geeky details on why this worked. It just did.

 

Although the change resolution scenario didn't make any difference, I had her download and install the latest Nvidia driver for the 1720. That did the trick, think the driver went south before she did the restore and for whatever reason, the restore didn't get the right driver version. In any case, she's happy she now has a complete laptop back. Thanks again...

 

Good work! You solved it yourself.

Thanks for posting back with your resolution.