| Author | Thread |
|
|
06/27/2013 10:12:59 AM · #1 |
Ok my dell vostro 1510 laptop worked fine this morning. I have never had a problem with it. I shut it down normally, log off then shut down, came back an hour later to turn it on and I can hear the windows log on sound but there is no screen what so ever...
I have been searching dell and other forums and I have yet to find some answers..
Anyone have a clue to what I can do to test it before I take it to the repair man?
|
|
|
|
06/27/2013 10:20:21 AM · #2 |
| If you have a desktop PC, you could try attaching the desktop monitor to the laptop assuming it has the correct connections. You can then see if the issue is the screen not working or something else. If you are able to see things on the external monitor it may help you troubleshoot the issue |
|
|
|
06/27/2013 10:31:00 AM · #3 |
| This happened to my dad's a while back. He needed to replace the cabling in the hinges that send the signal from the graphics chip to the monitor. |
|
|
|
06/27/2013 10:35:50 AM · #4 |
Thanks  P-A-U-L I am going to try connecting my old monitor to it, I gotta at least save some of my photos I put on it.. |
|
|
|
06/27/2013 10:57:51 AM · #5 |
| A very slim possibility is somehow the screen has gone into sleep mode. You could try removing the power cable and the laptop battery for a few minutes then reinsert and see if any joy - a bit of a long shot really. |
|
|
|
06/27/2013 10:57:59 AM · #6 |
Do laptops still use backlight technology?
I had a Dell that failed like this once, black screen but you could still hear it booting up. I confirmed it to be a blown backlight by shining a really bright torch onto the screen - you can just barely make out the graphics. |
|
|
|
06/27/2013 11:25:28 AM · #7 |
OK. Sounds stupid, but if there is an external brightness adjust for your laptop screen, try adjusting that - it can be easily changed without being aware of it.
You might also try the fn / F5 key combo (hold fn and press F5) - the laptop may have been put on external screen display (which blanks the laptop display). Hooking up your external monitor should work if that was the case. If you hook up your external monitor and it doesn't work, you might also try the fn / F5 (the icon on the key may look like overlapping monitors, or two monitors side by side).
Hope it isn't anything serious. If you can afford it, spend $80 on a 1T USB external hard drive, and copy all your pictures to it - the drive simply plugs into a USB port, and then it acts just like another hard drive on your system. |
|
|
|
06/27/2013 11:33:14 AM · #8 |
I just got it to power on normally and the screen was rather weird for a while like gray then it just came on. I guess now to save pictures. Check for driver corruptions??
Thank you so much for the responses I don't feel so alone in the matter.... |
|
|
|
06/27/2013 01:45:26 PM · #9 |
The fn/F5 key is not labeled on the images I could find of your system - nor did I see anything else that looked like a potential match. So, hopefully, it will auto-detect if an external monitor is plugged in and use it.
The system is circa 2008 - time to start planning for a replacement, but you still need a display to get all your existing stuff off - although some stores in the US will do a system transfer for you if you buy a new pc (some are free, some charge a fee). |
|
|
|
06/27/2013 01:47:51 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by tolovemoon:
I just got it to power on normally and the screen was rather weird for a while like gray then it just came on. I guess now to save pictures. Check for driver corruptions??
Thank you so much for the responses I don't feel so alone in the matter.... |
Sounds more like an iffy connection, because when it works, it works OK.
Make sure you are plugged in to AC power (and the light switch that controls the outlet is on) - sounds like it could be a weak battery too. |
|
|
|
06/27/2013 01:51:17 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by dtremain:
The system is circa 2008 - time to start planning for a replacement, but you still need a display to get all your existing stuff off - although some stores in the US will do a system transfer for you if you buy a new pc (some are free, some charge a fee). |
Definitely agree, you are probably better served replacing the laptop than repairing it, if it turns out that repair would be required.
With regard to getting data off of it, if you can't get an external display working the other option is removing the drive and hooking it up to another system. As David posted, services are available, but it's also relatively easy to do. Cables or external cases are available that will allow you to attach the drive via USB to another system. You can then pull off anything you might need. |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 08/14/2025 09:59:27 AM EDT.
