Please help with troubleshooting for my M1330

I've recently run into the problem where any time I attempt to boot up my M1330 I just encounter a screen of vertical colored lines. I sent Dell an email explaining the situation and received an automated response with some troubleshooting steps they'd like me to try before sending a technician out. A bit of searching on the internet has made it apparent that it's going to take someone replacing the faulty hardware to fix the problem, but in order to minimize the amount of time I have to spend on the phone with customer service I'd like to be able to say that I already tried their suggestions before making the call.

Well, here is where I turn to the expertise of these forums to see if/how I can even perform these steps with my laptop in its current state. I had already tried their first suggestion of connecting an external monitor, to no avail, and the rest are as follows:

"2. Download the latest video BIOS for your notebook.

To locate the latest BIOS for your system, go to http://Support.Dell.Com and click on "Drivers & Downloads." Enter your system information and select your operating system from the drop-down boxes. Click "Find Downloads" and choose "FlashBIOS Updates". Follow the on-screen prompts to install the update.


3. Download and install the latest video driver.

To locate the latest video driver, follow the instructions in section 2 above, but, after selecting "Find Downloads," choose "Video Adapter." Then select your system's adapter from the list provided. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the update.


4. Run the Dell Diagnostics.

To run the Dell Diagnostics from your resource CD, Boot to the CD and press F12 after you see a Dell Logo or any printing on your screen. Choose "Boot from CD" from the boot list that appears. Choose "Run Specific Tests or Run One Test," and choose "VESA-VGA Test."

To run the Dell Diagnostics if you do not have a resource CD, Follow the instructions in step 2 above, but after selecting "Find Downloads" you should choose "Diagnostic Utilities." Follow the instructions to install and run the Diagnostics. "


Thank you for any help!

 

well, if the vertical lines problem appears ... and when you boot, u don't even see a boot screen, you can safely assume that it's either the LCD or GPU problem

i actually went to dell chat three times before getting a tech who ordered the repair

first time, the tech said do FN+POWER to do the diagnostics boot... at that time, my GPU was semi-running, so my boot screen still works (but once you boot into an OS, it'll fail)...

the second time, went on dell chat, after explaining the problem, the tech ignored me for 30 minutes and d/ced

third time, i explained the problem, gave them links to the two pics (in my signature, the colorful pic and the vertical line pic), gave them a link to a community.dell.com post, and said i need a motherboard replacement.. then the tech asked me if i needed to replace my LCD screen to (i said no), and sent the part to a dell tech in my area and said that dell tech will call me to arrange an appointment

 

Thanks for the tips. Am I even able to install the latest BIOS and video driver when I only see the lines rather than a boot screen?

 

if you can't see anything but the lines, ur GPU's dead.... you can't really install anything when u can't see anything...

just tell them you want a mobo replacement

 

Your GPU is dead, Dell will replace the mobo, even if your out of warranty they extended motherboard issues by 1yr

 

+1, y'er toast. Get it replaced, common issue with the M1330/8400M-GS combo.