Dell Inspiron 8600 No display

Greetings everyone

I am requesting help with a friends laptop "DELL INSPIRON 8600"
There is no display.
None on boot-up. Just nothing.
Tried using my monitor, still nothing.
Replaced Video Card, still nothing.
Unhooked keyboard, Used USB keyboard, still nothing.
Is this machine DEAD?

Any help will be greatly welcomed.

Thant You.

Marty

Hi, sorry to hear of the problem with your friend's laptop.
1 Is it just the VDU that is blank?
2 Is the machine dead. ie no fans running no vibes from the hard drive, no Leds etc ?
3 Have you tried booting up to a live distro of Linux (go to the BIOS and set the boot priority as CD as Priority one with Hard drive 0 as priority 2
then boot from the Linux disc, I recommend Puppy
available from here:
http://puppylinux.org/main/index.php?file=Overview and Getting Started.htm
The download is only about 100MB so it should not take long, then burn the .iso as an image (it must be burnt as an image…just copying to CD will not do….. if he has trouble with burning as an image, then get ImgBurn from here;
http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download
and this will do the job for him.
4 Puppy will run in memory, doesn't need windows at all, if it runs Ok then the problem is within the Windows area..if it won't run then he either didn't do it right! or there is a hardware problem….and as you say you have eliminated both the video and the VDU then its looking like a dud mobo….
Connect up a mobo tester and see what code you get you will need the decoder book for your particular make of mobo tester…..
If you don't have a mobo tester available then maybe your friendly neighbourhood computer technician will lend you one ? ( together with the decoder sheets/book)
If no joy then have a look on ebay, some imported mobo testers are quite inexpensive, but do make enquiries first that it will do the job you want it to do and that it is approved by the authorities in your jurisdiction for electrical safety…for example in the EU it should be "CE marked"
Post back and let us know how things are going
Regards
paws

Hi Paws,

Thanks for the advice.
I did a cold boot on the machine again.
I did see a very faint image of the Windows LOGO.
The problem lies in the display.
All the lights are on.
What now?

Thanks again,
Marty

Hi, if you can see a faint image on the VDU…..shining a flashlight/torch on the screen helps to see if it really is a "Windows image") then its likely that the invertor or backlight on the VDU has failed….. Make sure that you get a good picture when you connect up an external VDU…..check in the owners manual to get the right key combination to activate the ext VDU (its often Fn+F5 or Fn+F6..but check the manual to be sure. If you want to replace the invertor they are fairly cheap but fitting them is not for the faint hearted!…. the back lights are more expensive but alas, also not easily fitted (by someone who has not done the job before.) Sometimes its cheaper to buy a complete screen unit (top half) rather than the component parts….. have a look on ebay for an idea of the cost. Did you get the same faint image on the screen when you booted into Linux Puppy? Two final points check the screen hinge area carefully….. the cable between the mobo and the VDU suffers from flexing each time the computer is opened , also the screen shut off switch can get filled with fluff/dust..check this is clear and clean………however if you are getting a faint image on the VDU this generally rules out the cable, the Mobo, the shut off switch and the video adapter circuitry……. leaving the invertor and or backlight as prime suspects. Otherwise its off to your friendly neighbourhood computer technician for a diagnostic…reasonably cheap, and a repair estimate……. make sure you are sitting down when she/he tells you the price….. Some shops charge more than the price of a new cheap laptop to replace invertor and backlight….( I'm afraid my shop does the same! Regards paws