Thursday, June 2, 2011

How do I fix a laptop screen that is too dark to see?

My laptop's screen is extremely dark. If I squint or hold a flashlight to it I can barely see my desktop.

It's a Toshiba Satellite A205-S8571. I've tried the keys(Fn+F6/F7) that are supposed to change the brightness, and they do nothing. There is no external 'wheel' that I've seen mentioned on other sites to control brightness either.How do I fix a laptop screen that is too dark to see?
There are two possibilities.



Either your inverter is dead... and this is the device that inverts the DC power from your power brick to AC power that the Cold Cathode Tube bulb needs to light your screen...



Or your Cold Cathode Tube bulb is burned out, which is very unlikely since they have a life span of years measured in decades.



Now, replacing the inverter is relatively straight-forward. The part will cost upwards of $50, and it's between an hour and an hour and half of labor.



Replacing the Bulb itself is something no self-respecting shop will do, because no technician wants a face full of mercury vapor when one of these bamboo skewer-wide bulbs snaps in their face.... because they ARE so fragile and thin. This is why if it was the bulb, any shop you went to would insist on replacing the entire screen. However, any shop you go to is first going to check out the inverter, and they are most likely going to find out that this is the issue.



So, unless you want to learn how to do replace it yourself, take the computer to a shop to have it replaced.



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