I'm alone in the dark.

July 3, 2006 1:47 PM

The backlight on my Windows laptop randomly turns itself off. It used to randomly go into hibernate, until I turned off the hibernate-on-lid-closed feature. Any ideas?

I cannot find anything physically wrong with my computer. I've taken apart the relevant portions of the apparatus, and cannot find anything physically broken. It started doing this only recently, after I installed a new copy of Windows XP SP2 (the MSDN version).

I can bring the backlight back by (blidnly) putting it into suspend and then bringing it back out. This, however, has deliterious effects on my internet connection and any program that's actively doing something.

I'd tell you what sort of laptop it is, but it wouldn't do you a bit of good (it's a LACLinux laptop; which means it's a rebranded Chinese somethingorother).

posted by Netzapper to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

Well, obviously the lid-is-closed detection device is malfunctioning and providing extraneous "the lid is closed" signals. I have no experience in the specifics of that device, but typically it's a tiny switch near the hinge (visible) or embedded in the hinge (invisible). Depending on whether the switch is electrically normally open or normally closed, you may be able to hack it by cutting a wire or shorting a pair of wires, respectively. However, that would have the effect off keeping the backlight on, even when the lid was closed.
posted by intermod at 2:56 PM on July 3, 2006

Windows can be programmed to shut off the display after a certain amount of idle time. In the control panel, select the "Power options" applet. The relevant entry is "turn off monitor".
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:30 PM on July 3, 2006

You can also simply increase the backlight on your laptop (without suspending / unsuspending). For a dell, its Fn + Up arrow. Google around if you have a different laptop. Just do that if your backlight goes out.
posted by special-k at 11:12 PM on July 3, 2006

It might also be the BIOS, some of which have laptop monitor settings to conserve battery power when it's unplugged.
posted by i8ny3x at 9:51 PM on July 4, 2006