Computer help!!!

[Eagle70]

Ok all, here's the deal

I've had my Sony Vaio laptop for over 4 years now (got it the summer of 2K1 before I went to college) I havent had any major problems that I havent been able to figure out myself, but latley the screen has been flickering. Yes, flickering. It's an LCD screen, and it will for split second go black, then come back normal. This has been going on for a couple of weeks, until the other night, it started going ballistic, like an old tv that isnt picking up the station. And finally...the screen just turned off. Click. like someone turned the light off on me. I've attatched the old monitor of my desktop to my laptop, so i can use it OK for now, but its just a short term fix. My question is, is there any way to fix this? Should I take my computer to a repair shop, and if i do, will it just be better to drop the cash on a new laptop? I'm really lost in all this...so any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[KarenDee]

Boy you're asking the wrong person for computer help, but if you need assistance in spending your money...well I'm your gal. I say "buy a new laptop" but then it's easy when you got your hands in someone elses wallet!

 

[Eagle70]

Boy you're asking the wrong person for computer help, but if you need assistance in spending your money...well I'm your gal. I say "buy a new laptop" but then it's easy when you got your hands in someone elses wallet!

Hahaha, I wish i had that option. No, I'm far too broke ass, I wish i had expendable income, but without a real freakin job...i'm up shits creek without a paddle. But I do appreciate the thought!!

 

[KarenDee]

LOL...see, that's what makes it so easy to give advice. The trick is for the other person to take it seriously. But getting back to your problem, it seems like the screen part of it must be toast. Not sure how much that would be to fix, but with computers getting obsolete shortly after they come on the market, maybe it's time for a new one anyway and it might not be worse than the repair option. Of course, I'm just guessing here, so don't take me TOO seriously!

 

[Eagle70]

LOL...see, that's what makes it so easy to give advice. The trick is for the other person to take it seriously. But getting back to your problem, it seems like the screen part of it must be toast. Not sure how much that would be to fix, but with computers getting obsolete shortly after they come on the market, maybe it's time for a new one anyway and it might not be worse than the repair option. Of course, I'm just guessing here, so don't take me TOO seriously!

I've gotten alot of different opinions of the problem, and everyone agrees for the most part that it'd cost just as much to fix it as it would to just buy a new one, so that's what i'm going to do in a few weeks...even though its gonna be a pain in the ASS to have to use my laptop/old monitor combo. Blah. It makes my eyes hurt cause i'm not used to being this far away from my computer, hahahaha.

I'm looking to get one after thanksgiving, on one of those "wake up at the ass crack of dawn, get to the store and buy buy buy" sales, haha. I need a nice laptop for my music storage and multimedia stuff...and of course, something that's fast and dosent suck would be great, haha.

 

[Gangrif]

There's two possibilities that i can come up with that might have happened.
First, the ribbon cable that connects the lcd screen to the laptop's video out has come loose, or severed. This is just like the cable on your monitor getting damaged, it'll cut out if the right lead is severed.

Second, the LCD screen has failed. Honestly, i think this is more likely.
Ive never had a sony vaio taken apart, but my DELL is easy enough to take apart and check connections. If you can find it, just take it apart and check the connection from the LCD to the mainboard. If the connections are ok, you might be able to find a junked viao with a good lcd and swap your bad one for the good one. Check ebay for people selling parts laptops with other bad components. Just make sure tha model of the laptop you have matches the one you find for parts.

Either way the laptop isnt junked, and as long as you dont have any other motivation to get rid of it you should be able to get out of the deal with only a couple hundred spent (at best).

 

[Gangrif]

PS. KarenDee, thats a nice avatar.

 

[Eagle70]

There's two possibilities that i can come up with that might have happened.
First, the ribbon cable that connects the lcd screen to the laptop's video out has come loose, or severed. This is just like the cable on your monitor getting damaged, it'll cut out if the right lead is severed.

Second, the LCD screen has failed. Honestly, i think this is more likely.
Ive never had a sony vaio taken apart, but my DELL is easy enough to take apart and check connections. If you can find it, just take it apart and check the connection from the LCD to the mainboard. If the connections are ok, you might be able to find a junked viao with a good lcd and swap your bad one for the good one. Check ebay for people selling parts laptops with other bad components. Just make sure tha model of the laptop you have matches the one you find for parts.

Either way the laptop isnt junked, and as long as you dont have any other motivation to get rid of it you should be able to get out of the deal with only a couple hundred spent (at best).

Best advice I've gotten on this all day. Thank you so so much, everyone's just been telling me to get rid of it and buy a new one. Thank you for taking the time to help!

 

[kitedemon]

There's two possibilities that i can come up with that might have happened.
First, the ribbon cable that connects the lcd screen to the laptop's video out has come loose, or severed. This is just like the cable on your monitor getting damaged, it'll cut out if the right lead is severed.

.

I would tend to agree with Gangrif. Ribbon cable or conection is a good possibility.
Don't throw it out without checking this out.