Laptop Screeen going bad?

This is the machine:
http://www.pcpitstop.com/betapit/sec.asp?c…;report=Summary

Historically the machine has been treated harshly, used in a College setting and traveling overseas.
Keyboard is missing keypads but all keys still function.
Screen is moderately "floppy" at the hinges.
Operating system and utilities were not maintained adequately.
Maybe worst, was that no internal cleaning was conducted.

I opened the case and removed all cooling units.
Lint and dust had formed a thick filter-like material completely surrounding the air path from fan toward radiator fins.
Temperatures were in mid to high 60° range.

Cleaning and replacing TIM resulted in substantial temperature improvements.
Here's the current Everest - Sensors Report:

Sensor Properties:
Sensor Type CPU, HDD, ACPI

Temperatures:
CPU 40 °C (104 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #1 41 °C (106 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #2 43 °C (109 °F)
WDC WD800BEVT-22ZCT0 35 °C (95 °F)

Voltage Values:
CPU Core 0.95 V

______________-

The Screen shows distortion, primarily as color distortion and pixelation most notable viewing Desktop
Here's a picture taken of the Desktop with arrows added to point to areas of pixelation and color distortion
(note: This "pink" shouldn't be there)
📎Screen_distortion.jpg

The distortion and pixelation occur only on the Desktop and on borders of application and utility panels.
No distortion seems to be evident if for instance an MS Office application is opened full screen (except on borders)

Otherwise this machine runs briskly and demonstrates no problem.
The screen problem began many months ago when machine was running XP Home, and continues exactly the same with this freshly installed Vista.
I didn't think it was an OS issue, I'm just saying

To determine if the Graphics Adapter was involved, I attached a second Monitor.
No pixelation nor color distortion appears on the 2nd monitor.

So this laptop's screen is dying?
What should I expect?
—Total Replacement?
—Components that can be replaced?

Thanks in advance for your diagnostic and fix suggestions.

Best Regards

Hi Doug, Smart move on removing the "fur coat" from the CPU heatsink/pathways/vents etc…… temps look……cool ! I take it you have updated the Video driver and tried the onboard Dell diagnostic? (its usually quite good for display problems.) The fact that your ext VDU works OK seems to indicate its a "panel" problem and probably caused by rubbing or pressure at the points on the screen concerned, over a long period of time. 1 Do you get the same problem when viewing the BIOS screens? 2 If you boot the machine with a Bootable disc..Barts, or Puppy Linux for excample do you get the same problem? ( I guess you can see the way my mind is working on this one!) 3 As the panel hinges are sloppy it might be an idea to inspect them carefully…maybe you can tighten them a tad… and also check the cable twix VDU and mobo….they can get loose or even the outer braidings/coverings can wear through, causing all sorts of problems… Regards paws

Similar distortion occurs when running SUSE 1.1 from Live CD 📎Screen_distortion_SUSE.jpg 📎screen_distortion_SUSE_panel.jpg The background of the first image should be a nearly solid light-grey The distortion in the second image only occurs in the panel borders (where I drew in indicator arrows indicate) Second monitor also appears with this SUSE Live CD without any distortions. Of minimal but annoying interest is that the distortion is somewhat "intermittent". When Screen turns off (default screen saver in SUSE) and then I touch the mouse pad to activate the screen again, the distortion may or may not still appear. I mention this because I initially thought that maybe this machine was simply having problems with AERO features, but then I remembered that the same distortion was appearing when running XP Home., and now of course with SUSE Live CD. __________________________ As to the Screen Hinges being "wobbly"… The machine is setting firmly on my bench, and the "changes" in the above cited distortion presence or not occurred without the screen or machine moving at all… just a light touch of the finger on the mouse pad to bring back the display. Similarly, if I intentionally "jiggle" the Screen back and forth, there is no effect upon the Display.

📎Screen_No_Distortion_in_BIOS.jpg 📎Screen_Distortion_on_Welcome.jpg No distortion appears in BIOS/CMOS display I have tried various Display Resolutions and 32bit vs. 16bit color. Same distortion occurs in all settings.

Hi Doug, Then it looks as though its a panel problem caused by pressure rubbing etc.
Replacement is the usual route…ebay may be able to provide one at a reasonable price (usual caveats!)
A workshop workaround that I've used in the past follows….. However this is a potentially dangerous practice and may damge even further the panel…. it works only in about 3 or maybe 4 times out of 10….. but if you want to try it at your own risk…….here's the procedure:

Its possible sometimes to reduce or even eliminate part of the colour discolouration, by "massaging" the pixels…… Take a clean freshly laundered hankerchief or clean non linting cotton cloth and dampen with distilled water….Note the cloth should be damp but not dripping…. it you can squeeze water out of it, then its too wet!
Now with laptop computer disconnected from all wires..mains, internet, peripherals etc and battery removed, press and hold the power on button for 20 seconds….

Next find an unobtrusive part of the screen where you know distortion occurs (it helps if you "mark it" by using accurately measured co-ordinates (from the corner maybe?) I use pencil marks on the screen surround (x and y axis) and can judge the "crossing point" pretty accurately by eye.
Using a moderate amount of pressure, massage the defective area with the dampened cloth in a circular motion keep the circle as tight as you can…a finger even a small one is generally too big! I have made a dedicated "tool" for this out of a biro top (ballpoint pen top?) its nice and small, and smooth and rounded…if you use too much pressure the panel will be damaged…if you use too little pressure then it won't work either… ( maybe that's why my "success" rate is fairly low!)

I only use this procedure as a last resort…. as the scope for aggravating the damage is quite high…
Regards
paws

Hi Doug, whilst typing my last response you must have been sending your last post…. so please belay following my last post…. if the BIOS is showing no distortion then please try booting up in safe mode with VGA and see what happens Regards paws

The image below in SAFE Mode may be hard for you to detect the color distortion. But the upper left hand corner in the border has "pink" instead of scales of Blue. 📎Screen_Distortion_SAFE_Mode2.jpg

Thanks Doug, What I'm trying to figure out is why the screen seems OK when you look at the BIOS screens, but not in VGA mode or regular mode. It hink that its a "panel" problem but if so, I would have expected the BIOS screens to be affected as well… Must put my thinking cap on…. I'm out on house calls now all afternoon but will get back this evening (GMT) Regards paws

I can add this to what paws has already offered: Sorry. I got nothing. With it looking fine on the external monitor, that is pointing to the notebook panel. Perhaps the display in the BIOS looks fine since it is using solid, few, and basic colors.

OK then. We seem to have confirmed that the problem resides with the display panel and not the graphics adapter. The problem is not a "dim" or completely dark display. In fact the display is quite serviceable as is, with only a few locations of distortion. The only way I would suspect a problem is because of the very localized streaks of pixellation and wrong color. If it was dark or blank black, I suppose I would think to replace the inverter. ___________________________________ So now I decided to get gently aggressive with the LCD panel itself while in place and turned on. Light pressure using the pad of my thumb upon specific locations of streaked or pixelated color had no effect at all. Applying pressure and a bit of torque to the screens frame did have a big effect. My first result effected a giant increase of the problem, causing additional blotching and incorrect color. So I continued a bit, experimenting with different twists and amount of pressure. Voila'. The screen is now completely free of any distortion and any color errors/pixellation. ___________________________________ Reflecting back on what I know of this machines handling by the original owner, I have seen the machine passed back and forth between individuals and/or moved to different locations. The humans would sometime lift the laptop using the keyboard case, and sometimes by grabbing the open Display panel. I'm suspecting that this rugged (abusive) behavior caused the distortion I have been trying to track down. Here is a screen shot that includes the native Inspiron panel, plus the extended external monitor screen. 📎Desktop_no_distortion.jpg Picture perfect, I would say. I may be in for future problems, and eventual replacement of the LCD screen, but I hardly ever move this laptop and I am a kinder/gentler person when handling it. So I think I'll just "limp along" for now. Thank you gentlemen for your assistance. Any other comments or suggestions?

Hi Doug, That's good to hear….you obviously have a highly educated thumb…… Glad you got it fixed… Next time I come across a problem like this I'm going to ask if I can borrow your thumb!….. also Bill..thanks for the thoughts about the BIOS… I hadn't thought of that…but it makes perfect sense….. Regards paws