Laptop has 2 beeps and black screen at startup

Hello all,

I have an Inspiron 9100 which was recently jarred by a 2 ft drop. The screen immediately went black. Upon restart, the screen does not turn on (no back light). The fans spin and the lights come on as if were booting, but all I get is two quick beeps and nothing. (I do not ever hear the Windows start up tone, even when I let it sit).

I pulled both memory modules and tried them each singularly and as a pair. I also tried start up with all components removed. I hooked up an external monitor (literally just plugged it in) and started up, but got the same two beeps and no screen. Not sure if anything else is involved in hooking up an external monitor (I tried FN+F8 to switch). In addition, I opened the case to make sure the ribbon cable to the lcd was secure.

I'm willing to replace the display but don't want to shell out the $$ for one if theres a good chance there is something else wrong. Has anyone had a similar problem or confirm what the two beeps signify?

Thank you for any help,

Jon