# Dell Inspiron 1545 Black Screen (not a no-boot issue)



## rivcar (Jul 21, 2012)

Hello everyone, I have a 3-year-old Inspiron 1545, perfectly happy with it, until a couple of weeks ago it started acting up when booting.

Basically, what happens is this: When I power the computer on in the morning, it boots up, I get to see the Dell logo on the screen, and the screen suddenly goes black. At first I thought it was a no-boot issue, but no. Computer boots just fine, I just can't see anything (well, if I shine a bright light on the screen, I can see the desktop normally).

What I do is to force the laptop into sleep mode, then bring it back on, over and over, 4 or 5 times until the screen is on. Or, I connect an external monitor and restart it a couple of times until LCD screen works. Once I get it to work, I unplug the external monitor from the laptop, and everything runs smoothly for the rest of the day.

All I did so far was to backup all important information just in case. I haven't done anything else before I can get some feedback from Dell or another user who may have gone through the same issues.

I run Windows Vista Home Basic Service Pack 2- Spanish

Any help will be appreciated! Thank you so much 

*Summary:* 


Computer starts booting, then screen goes black.
Booting process runs smoothly in the background.
I can see when I connect an external monitor.
Once I get LCD screen to work, everything runs smoothly from then on.


----------



## Learn2day (Feb 16, 2012)

Please help me clarify, if i understood this correctly, the problem also happens on a external screen or everything is fine on external screen and you merely use it to see until the laptop LCD works?

If the 2nd option is correct i'd bet on faulty Inverter and start from there.

Good luck.


----------



## rivcar (Jul 21, 2012)

Learn2day said:


> Please help me clarify, if i understood this correctly, the problem also happens on a external screen or everything is fine on external screen and you merely use it to see until the laptop LCD works?
> 
> If the 2nd option is correct i'd bet on faulty Inverter and start from there.
> 
> Good luck.


Hi Learn2day, thanks for your prompty reply.

Indeed, everything is fine when an external screen is connected. And yes, I merely use it until I get the laptop LCD to work (which usually takes a few minutes, and several restarting cycles). Once my laptop LCD is working, it remains fine for the rest of the day.

I had never heard of an inverter until today. I guess I could give that a try. I googled it and it looks like a pretty inexpensive part (which is good because I can't afford anything too pricey at this time). Cheers and thank you!


----------



## Learn2day (Feb 16, 2012)

You're welcome. Just a quick sum description of an inverter for your kb..
An inverter it's actually an outdated laptops part from the last 1,5yrs.. I'll explain why.
The inverter is a small board under the screen that controls the LCD backlight and brightness of the laptop.
Since recent laptops LCDs are not back lighted anymore, and use LED, the part became outdated on newer laptops.
Most common symptom in a bad inverter actually is _"I just can't see anything (well, if I shine a bright light on the screen, I can see the desktop normally)"_..

Keep us updated. Good luck.


----------



## rivcar (Jul 21, 2012)

Learn2day said:


> Please help me clarify, if i understood this correctly, the problem also happens on a external screen or everything is fine on external screen and you merely use it to see until the laptop LCD works?
> 
> If the 2nd option is correct i'd bet on faulty Inverter and start from there.
> 
> Good luck.


One more thing: Based on the symptoms I have (I see DELL logo when booting up, then it goes black - or more accurately, extremely dim; it kind of flickers a few times when I restart it, and after a few times, it works; it also does that when I come back to my laptop after it's been sleeping for a while, etc), *do you think it might be the backlight?* Or are you more inclined towards an inverter issue?

Let me make it very clear that *after a few restarts* (which I do with an external screen connected to my laptop), laptop *LCD starts working just fine and it remains like that for the rest of the day*.


----------



## Learn2day (Feb 16, 2012)

It's not the backlight. Either the inverter or a board issue. Unfortunately the board is practically impossible to diagnose without a proper lab and knowledge, because if you have a faulty component on the board you can't really see it. Your best chance for a quick cheap fix is replacing the inverter.

You can also try to update your BIOS before, but chances it will actually work are slim.


----------



## rivcar (Jul 21, 2012)

Learn2day said:


> It's not the backlight. Either the inverter or a board issue. Unfortunately the board is practically impossible to diagnose without a proper lab and knowledge, because if you have a faulty component on the board you can't really see it. Your best chance for a quick cheap fix is replacing the inverter.
> 
> You can also try to update your BIOS before, but chances it will actually work are slim.


Hi there. Thanks again for your feedback. I will order the inverter today or tomorrow. I'm not US-based, so it's going to take a while for the package to arrive (it probably ships from USA or China). I'll keep you updated on how it goes when I receive it and install it.

One more thing, this how my laptop is working now:

- I switch it on in the morning. It starts booting but the screen goes almost totally black when the Dell logo comes on. (well, not totally black, I can still see when I shine the light on the screen)

- Then, I immediately plug the external monitor and wait for the Windows sound that confirms the booting process is complete.

- Then I press F1 to go back and forth between LCD and VGA (laptop screen and external monitor) until I get an image on both screens. That takes a couple of minutes. Once I have that, I just disconnect the external screen, and everything is fine for the rest of the day.

Do you still think - based on the current behavior - that it might be the inverter?

Cheers and thanks


----------



## rivcar (Jul 21, 2012)

Learn2day said:


> It's not the backlight. Either the inverter or a board issue. Unfortunately the board is practically impossible to diagnose without a proper lab and knowledge, because if you have a faulty component on the board you can't really see it. Your best chance for a quick cheap fix is replacing the inverter.
> 
> You can also try to update your BIOS before, but chances it will actually work are slim.


Hey there, I received my replacement inverter in the mail today, followed a video tutorial to replace it, and my laptop is working just fine. So far, so good. Thank you for your help!


----------



## Learn2day (Feb 16, 2012)

You're welcome. Glad to ear you got it fixed cheap, and it wasn't in the main board.

Please mark this thread solved in thread tools above.

Regards!!


----------



## rivcar (Jul 21, 2012)

rivcar said:


> Hello everyone, I have a 3-year-old Inspiron 1545, perfectly happy with it, until a couple of weeks ago it started acting up when booting.
> 
> Basically, what happens is this: When I power the computer on in the morning, it boots up, I get to see the Dell logo on the screen, and the screen suddenly goes black. At first I thought it was a no-boot issue, but no. Computer boots just fine, I just can't see anything (well, if I shine a bright light on the screen, I can see the desktop normally).
> 
> ...


Hi everyone, here I am again. Unfortunately, after a few months of my laptop running smoothly with the new inverter, it started acting up again.

Symptons? Exactly the same as described above:


Computer starts booting, then screen goes (almost) black (you can see the desktop *really *dim).
Booting process runs smoothly in the background.
I can see when I connect an external monitor or just by shining a bright light on the screen.
Once I get LCD screen to work, everything runs smoothly from then on.

I can't afford a new computer at this point, and I was wondering if it might be a poor quality inverter that I purchased (maybe used). 

Do you guys think I should order a new one from another vendor and give that a try?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cheers, rivcar


----------



## Learn2day (Feb 16, 2012)

I'd go for a second inverter, is your best shot at a cheap fix, even if temporary..


----------



## rivcar (Jul 21, 2012)

Thanks Learn2day. I am also trying to rule out other issues. I've been checking different forums, and this is what I've pretty much found out, just correct me if I'm mistaken:

- Video card (not the case here, since I can see perfectly when I either connect an external monitor or if I shine a light on my laptop LCD).
- Motherboard (I wouldn't see anything, anywhere, if that was the case).
- Flex cable (I wouldn't see a very dim desktop on my laptop LCD; it would be completely black).
- Backlight (if that was the case, then my laptop LCD would never come on, which is not the case, since I do get it to work after a few restarting cycles).

What do you think? I'm hoping it's just a matter of a poor-quality inverter, so I'm definitely getting a new one.

Do you think the battery and/or power source might be an issue as well? My battery has been almost dead (it lasts for 5-10 minutes), and it's been like that from around the same time when my screen started acting up (June 2012). I read somewhere that a poor power source (bad battery/AC adapter) might also be contributing to the LCD not getting enough power. What do you think?

Cheers and thanks!


----------



## Learn2day (Feb 16, 2012)

Here's what i think, considering all possibilities..
- Inverter cable - Would be a possibility if the backlight would turn on/off randomly when moving screen, not for half a second at boot, so that's ruled out..
- Motherboard - Definitely possible to be a power issue on the board (and most likely is) burning the inverter, but, the repair would be extremely expensive and not worth it. Best thing is to get another "temporary" inverter
- Backlight - There's also a thin possibility that the backlight is faulty and affecting the inverter, but fix implies a new screen and it's a mere guess. Unless you're a repair tech with spare replacements to test, there's no point in what's probably throw out your money.
- Video Card - Not the issue. The issue might be in the video module, but definitely not in the GPU.
- Battery - Nop.
- Laptop Charger - There's also a small possibility this is the issue, very small.

In sum, if the problem is not the inverter itself, my money is on the board. Accept your laptop is getting old, and start saving some money, just in case, that way it won't be so painful to get a new laptop.

Good luck!


----------



## rivcar (Jul 21, 2012)

Thanks for all that information. A new inverter is in the mail, so I'll keep you updated from there. Cheers, rivcar


----------



## Learn2day (Feb 16, 2012)

You're welcome, keep us posted. Cheers


----------

