Inspiron 700m - Am I Out of Luck?

A few months ago my speakers stopped working. I contacted Dell, and they did all the troubleshooting possible over the phone. I researched the issue and it seems that there is a faulty design with Dell in that the speaker wires actually get severed over time from opening and closing the notebook.

However, I have a bigger problem now. In the past few weeks my LCD went crazy, and I have intermittent flashing vertical lines and sometimes I completely lose the display to a "wash out," whether the majority of the display is white or black.

I was told by a computer repair person that Dell has also recently had issues with faulty designs of the displays. http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/200...8&printer=1;_ylt=Ak3iLgFzd7m1qFDfG83qmQsRSLMF Something about a vertical pad in the LCD that actually compresses and ruins the display after time. My notebook was purchased in July 2005, and of course the warranty is no longer valid. And I'm afraid they'll just keep mumbling to me that my model was not part of the recall...until it could turn into another lawsuit.

Is there absolutely *anything* I can do about my situation? This is very bad, as I'm a grad student in a rigorous program and the Inspiron is my only computer (and means of surviving in this age!).

What can I do, if anything about the speakers and more importantly the LCD?

Thanks,
slp2b

 

The problems described in the recall are not what you are experiencing. That is a 1 line of dead pixels while yours clearly is not.

Anyway when did you warranty expire and what condition is the notebook in?

 

This is one reason I get 3 year warranties, I bought mine around the same time, and had to have minor work done. There are part for it and can be fixed, just that you will have to pay for it.

 

My warranty expired three months after I bought the computer. The laptop was in perfect condition at that time.

 

Basically I'd have to buy a whole new LCD and have it attached, which would cost as much as buying a new computer.

 

Yep, they replaced my LCD because I had a few spots of the glossy coat come off, when I asked the tech that came out, if it was not under warranty what would it cost. In Australian dollars, $145 for the service call, and $800 for the new screen.

 

Mah this will be difficult. If you only got 90 day warranty then you may be out of luck. You can try calling them and explaing your situation. If your notebook is still in excellent cosmetic condition then say so. I doubt you will get anywhere though since your warranty is WAY far back. You will have to ebay for a LCD and replace it yourself. OR you can sell it on ebay as-is and get some $$ back. Then use the money towards another notebook.

edit: come to think of it take some pics of the lcd having problems. It can either be the LCD itself or the inverter. It may well be the inverter since you are not seeing dead pixels just "crazy stuff". If it is the inverter it can be found on ebay for much cheaper. The speakers should be easy if it is just a broken wire. Some soldering will get the job done.