My laptop screen is VERY dim. How can I tell if it’s the backlight or the inverter?
November 2nd, 2009 | 
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I have an HP Pavilion ZT1260. One day, the screen becomes VERY dim, and I can’t see it. All the images are still there, and if you look at the right angle, you can operate the laptop. If I plug it into an external monitor, I can use the laptop with the external monitor no prob. Extensive research on the web tells me it’s very likely either a bad inverter or a bad backlight, and most likely the former. Who can tell me a way to test and be sure what it is?
10 April: Boy. So far some really winner answers. I wonder did these guys even read the question?
Posted in sat practice test | 
Tags: 10 april, backlight, extensive research, hp, hp pavilion, images, laptop, right angle
Have you tried turning up the backlight. I have an hp and you hold down the blue fn (function Key) and then there should be a brightness key in the number somewhere (a sun symbol with up or down arrow). Your model may vary,
the backlight is a bulb, if it was broke, you would get no light at all.
i have an hp pavilion and i had the same problem it ended up needing a whole new screen because it was used a lot and it was in a lot of heat witch causes it to over heat and burn out
You would need to check with multimeter the outlet of the inverter. For it you will need to remove the frame around the panel. I would say there are possible at least 4 reasons for dim display. Lamp, inverter, inverter cable, or something wrong on the m/b. Lamp itself is supposed to go for 20 000 hours, so I would say not more than 20 % of lamp fault possibility. I would start with inverter and inverter cable – they are more likely to be faulty and not that expensive as lamp or m/b.