# hp laptop's screen is dark



## nottooshabby814 (Sep 13, 2008)

i have an hp pavillion laptop and a while ago the screen went dark. What I mean is that the screen looks like it is black but when you look at it in the sunlight you can see the desktop. It did this before but all I had to do was jiggle the knob that would norally be pushed down when the laptop was closed and would sen it into hibernation. Now it will not work at all though, I can hook it up to a monitor like my tv and use it but it is soo annoying. This was a very expensive comuter and the internals are fine other than the annoying screen. Does anyone understan my babbling?


----------



## Shortyman801 (Jul 30, 2007)

It sounds like the knob that shuts the screen off is broken or stuck. As long as you didn't spill anything on the knob, you might be able to give it best buy and have them fix it. If it is still under warranty you could just send it to HP themselves...


----------



## Sylvain_S (Sep 14, 2008)

Maybe you could try shining a flashlight into the LCD. And if you see something then chances are the backlight that illuminates the LCD is burnt out.
Also what model specifically of HP Pavillion is it, because some of the older moldels do have an enhancement put out for them for the systemboard which would cause symptoms of this sort. If this is the case then it would need repair.


----------



## nottooshabby814 (Sep 13, 2008)

thanks for the advice... if i flash a flashlight on the screen you can see it so im betting it is the second. But that is going to be expensive so that would really suck.


----------



## Shortyman801 (Jul 30, 2007)

I didn't think about the backlight...

Maybe is the backlight, most backlights are fluorescent, so there is a small chance that it would have went out. I would call HP and see if this is a common problem and if they can fix it. I would imagine if they put a recall or upgrade on the systemboard then they would fix it for free...


----------



## erkansus (May 19, 2007)

well with some laptops theres a function key
on my acer its called FN and its colored blue
this key can be used to perform many different actions
such as darken and brighten the screen
check your laptop manual or your keyboard layout for 
a function button
on my laptop if you hold down FN and hit the right and left arrow keys it will darken and lighten the screen
try this, if not check the ribbon cable or backlight for your monitor, and if worse comes to worse you can purchase a new replacement screen and backlight from several websites for 300-500 dollars, which is very cost effective over buying a new laptop


----------



## nottooshabby814 (Sep 13, 2008)

how do i check the ribbon cable and blacklight


----------



## erkansus (May 19, 2007)

check your screen for screws
if there are any unscrew all of them, after you take the initial cover off check the parts on the edge of the monitor that have black tape, take off the tap and take out the screws underneath it, pry the monitor off, and look for flourescent bulbs underneath the screen.
check to make sure your bulbs are not blown out
as you can tell your screen is still working but your backlight may not be.
if your monitor does not have any apparent screws, please i repeat please consult your user manual and check to see how to remove your screen.
most likely your bulbs have gone out, and you can replace them for about 20 dollars or so ^_^


----------

