Dirt/Dust behind my screen

Well today while I was cleaning off all of the crap that shows up on this horrible glossy screen I noticed that one black mark will now, not go away. I have rubbed it until my heart is content and it will not go away... and I can't seem to feel it with my fingernail so it must be on the inside....

It's on the actual plastic because if I push the plastic glossy screen in it moves with it.

Any ideas?

Update:

I have taken some pictures:

http://i47.tinypic.com/2v7tlba.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/20qakhx.jpg


A very close up: (almost looks like blood lol)

http://i50.tinypic.com/213myqe.png

 

There is a video on youtube showing someone removing the plastic edge to edge cover thingamabob to clean the actual screen. You might be able to use the same trick to get rid of your black mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Qa...E301B9AD&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=10

Good luck!

 

I have taken some pictures:

http://i47.tinypic.com/2v7tlba.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/20qakhx.jpg


It seems to be on the backside of the glossy plastic...

 

Dell might replace your screen or they might say tough luck as you must be using you machine in a dusty environment. The best way to get your screen replaced (which I think it rightly should as this is a design fault) is to say your screen sometimes flickers.

 

Josh,

I sent my Laptop to Dell about 2 weeks ago for dust particles inside the screen, they did not replaced the screen like they were supose to , but they cleaned it. They are no more dust inside, but smudges every where. I personally don't think it can be cleaned without leaving any trace/smudge inside. The worse part is that now my screen has stuck pixels everywhere, i am talking about over 1000. I called them and the representative said he has to do an investigation to know who worked on my laptop. I think he was bullting me, he was suposse to call me back yesterday but he did not.
He said they will replace the screen but it can take up to 1 week for the investigation. Anyway, don't give up, it's a lot of trouble but no way i will keep this screen. The tech who worked on my machine is a moron imo. I hope next time it will be fixed profesionally.

 

i literally just received my new Studio XPS 16 and there is dust behind the screen. Kind of sucks but not that big of a deal i guess.

Edit: Actually I have dust in two areas and its really distracting. I'm wondering if i should return it (considering I just received it today) or if I should call support. I dont want smudges like Bidule had.

 

Dell replaced my screen.

@ jrm1010 - Dude, you bought a brand new notebook. I would to get a replacement or have it fixed. That's unacceptable imo.

 

Agreed. I contacted Dell via Online Chat and they are sending a tech to replace my screen. I was worried I would have to ship it somewhere, but the online chat went really well. I am very relieved.

 

If they cannot send out someone to replace my screen should I just replace it and claim that it's a manufacturer defect to avoid the restocking fee?

The invoice date which i assume is the date the paper was printed that came with my computer shows 2/15/2010 which is under 21 days...

Any ideas?

 

I really hope they replace it for you. I have 2 specs of dust behind my screen. One in dead center, and one in the lower right, and it might not seem like a big deal but it gets very distracting. If they say no, and you are in the 21 days, I might send it back if I were you(as long as there isn't a restock fee). I would probably have done that today if they said no to me. It hasn't even been a day for me and it was annoying, and for the 3+ years I plan on owning it, I couldn't handle being that annoyed in the future.

I would recommend going through the Online Chat. It wasn't a hassle at all, though they ask silly questions like "have you tried cleaning the screen?". Since you are close to the 21 days tho, I would contact Dell asap and then figure out what to do from there. Your options will be more limited in a few days.

 

This is what mine looked like before it was sent to Dell.
Look @ the dust in lower left hand corner.

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/1053/xps1640screen.jpg

 

This is how it look now, after it's been cleaned.
No more dust but...

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4364/stuckpixels.jpg
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/7270/stuckpixels2.jpg

... and now when the screen is turned off

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/9561/smudgek.jpg

I don't know what they used to clean it, but it left a foggy thing :-(

 

Wow!!! That really sucks! I'd be so POed I'd be demanding a new PC. That tech was a real idiot, (and I use the term "tech" loosely) He should be touching nothing but burgers and tacos.

 

Oh wow. thats just insane. agreed with demanding a new PC!

 

lol @ FlySwatter ... I totally agree with you
They asked me to run the "diagnostic" to verify the serviceability of the screen. I think i am too polite with them...accumulating frustrations...

 

@Bidule
You should tell them to run a "diagnostic" test on their support staff to verify their competency to work on PC’s

EDIT: Did you email those pics to the person investigating this? You should.

 

I tried to explain him this residue/pixels problem can't be diagnose with their software....and asked for an e-mail so i can send those pictures (i got more) and he said it doesn't work that way... he said he will call me back this afternoon but honestly i don't expect a phone call they never call me back... I tried to find an e-mail adress from their support site but it's only vie chat or phone i guess. I am still @ work atm but i will call them back when i get home.

 

Has anyone had any luck opening the screen themselves liKe in that YouTube video?

 

Good news everyone. I got through to dell chat and they agreed with the supervisor that they will send someone out to replace my rgbled screen.

I explained to the rep that there was dirt behind my screen and said I tried to clean it, and that it's not a dead pixel etc.

A local dell technician should call me in 1 to 2 business days to set up an appointment. Then they will come out and replace my screen with an "lcd kit".

After I was finished talking to "David" his supervisor entered the chat and asked me if I was satisfied and all of that, I told him David gave me excellent service and I made sure this was the same RGBLED screen I have that will replace this bad one, and it does include the glossy plastic cover which the dirt is stuck to on the inside.


I will give you updates when they happen.

 

Keep us posted on the results. I am afraid to replace mine in fear of getting a replacement that has worse flickering issues or more dust. I have two dark particles in the middle top of my screen that I can live with for the time being. I may try and open it up and see if I can "wipe" them away.

 

I am very glad to hear this! We had lucky days today. We are both having techs come to our homes to replace our screens. I would feel iffy sending it away and having it replaced (from the story posted in this thread), but with the tech doing the replacement in the home, you can at least verify their work. Definitely let us know how things turn out.

 

Another issue with the SXPS... If this is happening within days or weeks, I can only imagine this getting worse over time. Hopefully only a limited number of laptops are affected.

 

I hope it doesn't get worse over time. I just received my SXPS in the mail this morning, and i noticed it as soon as I turned it on. Right in the center of the screen, it was pretty noticable, though after inspecting, i found the one in the corner as well. So mine came shipped with the dust inside. At least the Online Chat with me was pretty brief (less than 5 minutes), though unlike Josh, its 3-5 business days for me. I didn't talk to a supervisor, and the person just said they are giving the technician a new screen to install for me (didn't mention anything about a kit, but i assume its the same for the both of us). But yeah, I hope that a year from now, our screens aren't filled with dust. It should be sealed.

 

For those who do try to open their screens, I did buy a putty knife today as thin as I could get it, and I followed that video of the guy doing his 1640, I only did one corner as it does pop in and out like in the video. But, there is sticky sealant that does unseal itself if you try to follow that video so I wouldn't recommend it.

 

Guys, if your machine is still under 30 day return warranty do NOT accept it. Demand a replacement unit. This is a known issue with these machines, I sent TWO back for noticable dust under the screen. Do a search you will see it is not uncommon. I would neve allow some burger flipping tech to come out and replace anything on a laptop that is under Dell's 30 day return window! You paid good money and should get a perfect unit.

My third one was fine by the way...

 

Thanks for the heads-up. I was debating on trying this. What I have may not be dust on the screen though it appears like two dark spots in the top portion of the screen. I'll post some pics this weekend to get some opinions.

 

The tech called me this morning and said she actually had an opening today, so she will be here in about 4 hours or so. I will let everyone know how it went. She was very nice and seemed knowledgeable.

@ViperGTS - yeah, I guess I could have gotten a new unit. I really dont want to wait. If something such as the motherboard went, I would definitely get a new system, or if I had to send the system in. I guess I am impatient. I hope I dont regret this.

 

Does anyone know when they replace the screen if they have to remove the hinges ? Is the back part of it ? (the black plastic top cover with the Dell logo)
jrm1013 i can't wait to see how it went for you.

 

When the technician called to schedule me for today, she told me that she was bringing an LCD kit that included a new LCD, hinges, back panel. She seemed pretty confident and said it shouldn't take very long. I will update later.

 

Not everyone wants to wait another month and a half to get a new system. And maybe you have "burger flipping techs" where you come from... But here in the actual word they are ceritified and trained and k ow what they are supposed to do. So next time you try to make some snarky remark or comment maybe you should actually pay attentioned to what the thread is about. And it's not about your OCD and selfish attitude.

 

The tech left a little bit ago. Happy to report that all went well She replaced the entire screen, hinges, screws, etc with brand new ones. She said she wasn't surprised about the dust and its somewhat common for dust to be trapped back there. After she replaced the screen, we looked for any trapped dust, all was well and she left. As far as this tech goes, it was clear she knew what she was doing, and I discovered actually quite a lot goes into replacing this laptop's screen. I am happy, and am glad I didn't return it for a whole new laptop and wait. As a side note - the manufacturer of the old LCD was LG, and this new one is AUO. I dont see any quality differences, and you have a random chance of getting either brand of LCD when you order the laptop anyway. Maybe I got lucky, or Dell knew I had the laptop for only 2 days and knew I could very well return it, but the service I received was really good, from the dell online chat to the on site tech. When I am no longer in that return window, however... will i still receive the same level of service...

 

Great for you. Do you think the new screen manufacturer (AUO) has found a better way to seal the edge of the screen ? I mean can the front protective plastic be poped off the screen like the LG or they are built in 1 piece ?

 

The edge does look exactly the same as the LG. It looks like it can be popped off just the same. I can't really see how the edge would be any better or worse sealed. To note: the viewing angles do seem a little less on the AUO than the LG, but not bad. How is your situation Bidule? did they investigate? are you getting a new screen??

 

I really (IMHO) don’t think that you can get dust behind your screen after it is shipped to you, (unless of course you pry it apart to clean it or the screen already has gaps) I think the issue is more in the manufacturing process and the purity of the “clean room” in which it is assembled (or lack thereof). Dell’s quality control has likely picked up on this and switched to another manufacturer (AUO) because they have better quality control and a cleaner “Clean Room”. Dell does not want to have to keep replacing these screens as they will just continue to lose money doing so.
Again, just speculation on my part.

EDIT: this could also be why there is (or was) a shortage of the RGB's as Dell figured this out.

 

Just as a note - when I said "the manufacturer of the old LCD was LG, and this new one is AUO." I meant my specific old LCD and my specific new one. I wasn't inferring dell is using AUO in place of LG now. I found the manufacturer info from the Hardware ID under Device manager - Monitors.

 

So how all is the screen replaced? I'M sure you can run us through it so we know what to expect.

 

Well, I can't really give you a step by step procedure as I was somewhat distracted, but the replacement was the entire "lid" part of the laptop, so it is the screen and the back cover (with the dell logo) that were replaced. It was one complete unit. She didn't have to mess around putting the LCD panel itself together with the backpanel or anything that would risk dust, smudges or dead pixels occuring as shown earlier in this thread with Bidule's really unfortunate experience. She had to attach a cable from the replacement unit to the motherboard and she installed the new hinges (not really necessary, but they gave her new hinges and screws to use) and then tightened the replacement on the hinges. The whole thing took roughly 25 minutes. She knew what to do, and it was nice to see she took her time and was very careful not to scratch anything. I guess I got lucky with dell service in this case, and I really hope everything works out for you guys too. I would assume its going to be a similar experience for Josh, but I really am curious to see what happens with Bidule. Those pictures you uploaded were CRAZY.

 

jrm1013 i don't really know what to to right now, i made about 10 phones calls whitin the last week, everytime they give me a different reason not to fix it, the last one told me they don't have the RGB led screen in stock and that it will take up to 10 days to get it. lol ? I know they are bull****ing me, but i won't give up. They are supossed to call be back everytime but they never call me back. If you guys have any tips on how to get this done feel free to contact me. I'll need a break from technical support right now. And why are they checking our adress and every personal info on every call i do ? The last one asked me all my personal info again, i asked him " Don't you have access to my personal file ? " he said "yes" I told him that nothing has changed from the previous day and he lol @ me.

 

I honestly went through the Dell chat, explained my problem, they agreed to fix it.... Lol

 

@ Bidule... you can email Michael Dell. I'm sure his assistant is the one who would take action, but I hear it gets results. They have jerked you around enough.

[email protected]

 

Too bad you can't request a color change. I would of liked white due to it not being as much as a fingerprint magnet as this black is... But oh well.

Can't wait

 

like Josh, I did the online chat through the Dell website. I would not try calling anymore. While in college a couple years ago, I worked at one of the "dell kiosks" for about 2 or so years, and it was pretty common knowledge to avoid calling via phone for support when at all possible. In my 2 years of listening to customers I've sold computers to complain about tech support (or lack thereof), never once have I heard a story about someone from dell calling them back. (However, feedback from Dell's local technicians was overall very positive). At least with online chat, it is semi-instant with no waiting. You can also try to email support, through the Dell website when you log in. It takes a day before you get a response, but you aren't sitting on the phone for that dreadful wait. It might be better to explain the situation in paragraph form, without making it too long. The important thing is with these methods, there is a conversation record of what you said and what the responses were (When you use Dell Online Chat, a chat log is emailed to you automatically). In my experiences, the best results come from a "positive, but upset" mentality. Explain how you are loyal and wish to continue to be, but this level of support is unacceptable and the issue needs escalated.

Also, try this - http://support.dell.com/support/top...t/dellcare/outstanding_issues?c=us&l=en&s=gen I am not sure if that will help or not, but its for major unresolved issues and I would use it after trying the above methods.

I really wish it was as easy as "here is a picture of what your tech did to my screen" Dell: "oh my god, we will send someone out right away to replace it". Instead you have to go through this asinine process and script reading that they do. I really want to know what happens. I honestly wish you were as lucky as Josh or myself with this and that everything works out for you in the end. Please keep us updated on everything.

 

This laptop can either look real good (when clean) or bad (when figerprinty). Wish I got the white too. Oh well

 

The tech should be here within an hour

 

nice. good luck Bidule, are you going to try the online chat or email??

 

Submit an escalation here: https://support.dell.com/support/to...lcare/outstanding_issues_tech?c=us&l=en&s=gen

It will go to a second level team.

 

Well you guys the tech came, and all is fixed now.

Took a bit longer than I thought it would but I'm just happy it's done. No dirt or crap behind my screen and everything works.

A screen replacement or "lcd kit" consists of the the hinges and everything above them. Since the screen and stop cover is all one piece they simply just ship a new one out to the local specialist and they come replace it.


When the new one was put in the web cam did not work and we almost had to have Dell send me a system replacement, but it magically started working.. so I'm happy for now. If there are any more problems that will be my next step.

Good luck to everyone, and use Dell chat!

 

Dunce-
My replacement units were here in less than 10 days.

If you prefer having your brand new system cracked open by a tech (oh, and there are PLENTY of horror stories pal, do a search) thats up to you. I'd prefer a new factory sealed unit.

OCD and selfish? Because I want a screen that isn't defective for which I paid? Is that asking a lot?

I'll try to pay more "attentioned" next time.

 

Update

BTW I live in BC, Canada. I work from 7 to 4 and by the time I get home the chat is not working anymore. It's only available Monday - Friday 11:00AM to 5:00PM EST so no luck with that. But I called them back Saturday, I spent about 45 minutes with another incompetent guy who didn't care and was going through his script. He was supposed to call me back the same day but it never happened. I called them back Sunday, and finally I think I got someone who understands the problem, and he allowed me to speak to his supervisor. The supervisor gave me a dispatch number and I should receive within 2 days a box to send the unit back to the factory for a screen replacement. She apologized for all the trouble they caused me...The problem is it can be fixed by another incompetent tech at the factory. I agree with ViperGTS, if you can get a brand new sealed laptop go for it. A fix is still a fix. I don't use my laptop anymore since they messed with it.

 

When I received my Dell Studio XPS 16 laptop about 5 months back, I noticed that the edge to edge screen was not perfectly flat. It looked a little bent (outwards) at the center. The top and the bottom portion of the screen fits perfectly in line with the outer shell, but the center portion of the screen bulges out (a little bit) from the shell resulting in a small gap on both sides of the screen. This did not bother me much initially.

Recently, I noticed some dirt on the screen. Even after trying to clean, the dirt didn’t go. It looks like the dirt is under the screen. It probably must have entered through the gaps on both the sides of the screen.

I had a chat with Dell support today and they offered to send a tech to have the screen replaced. However they told that the replacement screen will be a refurbished one. When I asked what they meant by refurbished, this is their response: “In an effort to reduce shipping costs and thereby reduce your product purchase cost and the cost of the warranties, we bulk ship everything. So, when the factory seal is taken off, to send a single component or part, we have to tag it refurbished." I got the same definition from a supervisor as well.

I would like to know from those who had the screen replaced, how's the quality of the new screen? Does it look like a used one? Or is it a new one, just tagged as a refurbished one?