Dell Laptop screen freezes and fades to white but can still hear computer working; Is this a connection issue?

Question

So I've had this problem for about a year now. Someone recently told me it was a connection issue and I want to confirm this before I buy anything.

What happens is my laptop screen will freeze and fade to white or either freeze, invert the current screen colors then gradually fade to white. I know its just my screen and NOT my laptop because if I connect it to an alternative screen I can still use the computer (ie. my screen is still frozen on my laptop but I am able to use the laptop whilst using the alternative screen as a viewing platform for my actions). Sometimes I can shove a thick, soft object in between the screen and laptop which pushes on the screen and allows it to function normally. Also when I press on the bottom part of the screen it functions normally as well, however when I'm not pressing on it, it freezes and fades to white until I press and hold again.

So my question is: Is this a connection issue? Instead of buying an entirely new screen, can I just buy a LCD screen connector cable?

Thank you for your time and help!

Answer 1

It may be as simple as a loose cable inside the laptop. It may be the monitor screen going bad.



There should be a hardware diagnostic that can be run by pressing the F2 key as the computer boots (in the Dell screen). The fact that it works with an external monitor tells me that it is probably NOT the graphics card - but it doesn't give you a status on it being the internal monitor or something as simple as a loose cable.



Alternatively, there is a free hardware diagnostics test on Dell.com's Technical Support page - it takes about 20 minutes to run the whole computer test or a few minutes to run just the graphics card and monitor test. It might be able to tell you if you need to get the monitor replaced or just open the laptop up and reseat a cable or two.



YouTube will probably have videos. Dell.com's Technical Support page will probably have links to an illustrated repair manual or the user guide. A Google search may turn up a DIY page with a series of photos.

Answer 2

Laptop Screen Fades To White

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

Dell Laptop screen freezes and fades to white but can still hear computer working; Is this a connection issue?

So I've had this problem for about a year now. Someone recently told me it was a connection issue and I want to confirm this before I buy anything.



What happens is my laptop screen will freeze and fade to white or either freeze, invert the current screen colors then gradually fade to white....

Answer 4

What happens is you are trying to do something on your laptop.. like starting a program ect..

and then yes the screen slightly turns into a fade of white.

the program will say not responding.



This is normally because your cpu is being over loaded by other programs that are on the computer/laptop that you have either installed or downloaded.



ways to prevent this problem are to ctrl alt delete, and then open task manger and closing some of the games / program that you wish to not use at the time.



another thing that could be the issue is that you were infected by a virus... or the program is simply just not made / designed correctly.





=============================

hardware related issues.



if you laptop is 4 years or older you might want to try a disk cleanup and then a disk defragment.

this normally helps the computer organize its self. to prevent the cpu from being over loaded.



Some kids like to leave the laptops on a bed.... or on their blankets or their lap....



Even tho these computers are called Lap tops.... they are not really 100% designed for the use of putting it on your lap...... they can get over heated very easy b/c of the lack of air flow, plus body heat. so that may sometimes cause computer parts such as the hard drive to over heat.



if you shake your laptop a lot... you could have shaken a cord inside loose.

you basically unscrew the laptop very carefully and remove the plastic ect until u can start checking cables... I recommend finding someone decent with computers that Knows how to put things back together lol.. some laptops can have weird plastic parts that needed to be held in place when putting back together ect.



But basically what it comes down to is

1. virus / program issue

2. old computer needs organize-ing cleanup.. maybe even dust free...

3. over heated. ( most common case is a hard drive ) 50$ average replacement in the USA

4. loose cables

Answer 5

Yes I have the same problem like wise as both of you exactly as u mention ,,,Got Dell D 620 it is old LP but i trust this device Dell,,very durable i got other 2 Loptop Lenovo and Samsung but better this dell,,,That s why i want to keep this device alive, Fading to white suddenly Hangs and freezes mouse ect,,,then when i press the upper left side of the Lcd turns Normal as it was I think a cable connecting to LCD is the caused of this problem,,,,But it is old LP very hard to find replacement,,I look everywhere on the net encluding eBay still can t find the cable any help pls. I need to keep this Device Alive,,,,,,,,

Answer 6

An LCD screen is hardware, so technically it is a hardware issue.

You have confirmed that your laptop functions with an external display so this narrows it down to a bad connection, cable or faulty LCD panel.

A technician who specializes in laptop repair can remedy this however the expense may not be worth it for an older laptop.

Answer 7

You may have a virus. You will need to reinstall the OS, get all your goodies off first or you will lose them. If you take your machine to a shop, tell them to save your goodies, and I will bet new York to a brick you have a useless free AV

Answer 8

Hi Katarina, I have a laptop with exactly the same problem as yours. I am curious to know what happened to your laptop? Would you please update?

Thanks!

[e-mail]

Akasu