Latitude D800 LCD Video Troubleshooting Help

Long time lurker, first time poster...I'm really hoping some of the folks here will be able to help or share their experiences.

I have had my Latitude D800 for quite some time...never really had any problems. In the past few weeks, my D800 has become unusable because of my LCD/Video problems...there's nothing wrong with the machine itself. Here are the symptoms:

First...there are no dead pixels, etc...the LCD itself seems to work...sometimes. The screen will freeze or pixelate or blank out completely at times before coming back...it's almost as if a connection between the LCD and the video card is loose or going bad. It's tough to describe, but hopefully this gives a good starting point.

If I plug the laptop into an external monitor...I have no problems whatsoever. The problem only occurs if I'm using the laptop's LCD. So...the question is what is the culprit and where can I get the needed parts? Is it:

1. The LCD?
2. The inverter? (I don't exactly understand what the inverter's function is...if someone could enlighten me, I'd appreciate it).
3. Some connection between the video card and the LCD...I don't know what/where this is, so some insight would be useful.

Any help would be appreciated...I'd rather not shell out a large sum of money on a new LCD if I don't actually need one.

Thanks,

HJD.

 

Hello,

My name is Mike, I’m a Technical Analyst located at Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock, TX. I’m part of an internet outreach team developed to interact with the online community regarding technical questions and issues that customers face with Dell products. I’ve read your post and wanted to chime in. First, I know how complicated troubleshooting these problems can be so I appreciate the troubleshooting already done. Next, with the system working fine on an external monitor the problem is more then likely going to be the LCD. You can reseat the LCD with this guide: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latd800/sm_en/index.htm. It has pictures and step by step instructions to help you reseat the video cable. Hopefully this fixes it for you. I’m not certain if we sell just the inverter for this LCD, I can only pull up part numbers for the entire LCD kit. I’ve heard mixed reviews on replacing the inverter so if you don’t feel comfortable working inside of the notebook it’s something I wouldn’t try. You can contact our spare parts department at 1-800-357-3355, follow the prompts and when the representative gets on the line you can ask if the inverter is available or if the whole kit must be ordered. Just supply him your service tag and he should be able to help you. I really hope all that’s needed is to reseat the LCD cable, but if not give the spare parts department a call and they will be able to let you know the cost of the LCD. Also, don’t be afraid to shop around. As long as the LCD came from a Dell notebook of the same model you should be ok.

Thank you,

Mike
Dell customer advocate