Laptop Screen

Keyboard Hound · Jul 22, 2009

I've been noticing little almost mildewy looking places vertically up the left side of my computer screen. They're there all time, when I'm working in word or when I'm on the internet. When I highlight the boxes to minimize/maximize or shut down a screen, the red or blue color in the little boxes smears down a bit into the rest of the screen. The left side of the screen looks fine, along with the entire middle. It's just a line about the width of the scroll bar. Someone said the screen is going bad. Someone please tell me it's not that.

Or if it is that, does anyone know if it will it progressively get worse, or go out all at once?

Thanks so much.

Keyboard

Alphabeter · Jul 22, 2009

Somehow the screen was damaged. Depending on the extent, the "smear" could contain itself to the corner or slowly crawl down. Its not fixable without replacing the entire screen, which can be as expensive as a laptop. But if its a monitor for a desktop, let it go as long as you can stand working on it while the screen prices go down.

I still have a very old (1998 in computer age) laptop which has a shimmering 'rip' along the middle of the screen due to a small bang in a doorframe. I can see to write along the bottom before it disappears into the top, which likes to alternately blink to black before letting me see for a few minutes. I think a ghost editor is in there because its timing is quite amusing!

Keyboard Hound · Jul 22, 2009

Alphabeter said:
Somehow the screen was damaged. Depending on the extent, the "smear" could contain itself to the corner or slowly crawl down. Its not fixable without replacing the entire screen, which can be as expensive as a laptop. But if its a monitor for a desktop, let it go as long as you can stand working on it while the screen prices go down.

I still have a very old (1998 in computer age) laptop which has a shimmering 'rip' along the middle of the screen due to a small bang in a doorframe. I can see to write along the bottom before it disappears into the top, which likes to alternately blink to black before letting me see for a few minutes. I think a ghost editor is in there because its timing is quite amusing!

Thanks! It is running on down the line where it started. I can still see through it, and as long as I can see the screen, I'll ignore it. I was just afraid I might turn it on one day and it be black.

Keyboard

BigWords · Jul 22, 2009

Even if the screen dies on you, you should still be able to plug in a monitor to read off. Are you still under warranty? If it is less than a year old you should be able to get it repaired, depending on the guarantee.

Keyboard Hound · Jul 22, 2009

BigWords said:
Even if the screen dies on you, you should still be able to plug in a monitor to read off. Are you still under warranty? If it is less than a year old you should be able to get it repaired, depending on the guarantee.

Those are encouraging words. Thanks! It's over a year old and I did not buy the extended warranty. I bought it at the very time Vista come out and it has that on it. Can't remember now how long it's been. That might even make it two or three years old. Anyway, it's been well used, and i carry it around a lot, so it's had several bangs against doors and car seats.

Keyboard

Williebee · Jul 22, 2009

I'm dealing with the same thing on my old Gateway 675. (17 inch screen) It has gotten progressively worse over the last month. I connected a spare monitor to it, and configured the laptop to stay on when the lid is closed. (That's in the power settings in the Control Panel, btw) Last time I looked, the replacement display is going to cost me about $250, if I do the replacement myself. The machine is too old for that kind of investment. If I can find one free or cheap, great. If not, "drive it 'til it dies".

Keyboard Hound · Jul 22, 2009

Williebee said:
I'm dealing with the same thing on my old Gateway 675. (17 inch screen) It has gotten progressively worse over the last month. I connected a spare monitor to it, and configured the laptop to stay on when the lid is closed. (That's in the power settings in the Control Panel, btw) Last time I looked, the replacement display is going to cost me about $250, if I do the replacement myself. The machine is too old for that kind of investment. If I can find one free or cheap, great. If not, "drive it 'til it dies".

I'll drive til it dies, too. I got lucky on this laptop. Bought it at Best Buy for $260 when their back to school sale started. Usually they have a couple priced really low at every holiday. The trick is to be the first in the store and latch onto one. I've bought my last two laptops like this. The first one I paid 299.00 for. Last year my daughter bought one for around $300, also.

My last was a Toshiba. This one is a Compaq. I've enjoyed both. I'd love to have one of those small notebooks when this one does finally give up.

Keyboard

Alphabeter · Jul 30, 2009

Having tested one of those little Dell toytops, I can say...er, write that they are very clean-running and great for simple word-processing, web-surfing and email. Even the media players run fairly well with a strong connection.

The downside is the $40/month data plan and the lack of complete nationwide coverage. My city is covered but when I tried it roaming to smaller towns, it was the digital equivalent of playing telephone with tin cans and string. Everything crawled or just dropped out.

If you are in a great coverage area, the toytops are better investments than a big $1000-ish laptop but all their gadgets can distract you from writing. However research is made a lot more fun!

Keyboard--hopefully you'll be able to write on yours for a long while. I don't baby my electronics, but they have hung in there with maintenance.

Williebee · Jul 30, 2009

Keyboards -- for serious writing jags, the USB external keyboard is a blessing. Cheap, destructible, replaceable.

Keyboard Hound · Jul 30, 2009

Alphabeter said:
Having tested one of those little Dell toytops, I can say...er, write that they are very clean-running and great for simple word-processing, web-surfing and email. Even the media players run fairly well with a strong connection.

The downside is the $40/month data plan and the lack of complete nationwide coverage. My city is covered but when I tried it roaming to smaller towns, it was the digital equivalent of playing telephone with tin cans and string. Everything crawled or just dropped out.

If you are in a great coverage area, the toytops are better investments than a big $1000-ish laptop but all their gadgets can distract you from writing. However research is made a lot more fun!

Keyboard--hopefully you'll be able to write on yours for a long while. I don't baby my electronics, but they have hung in there with maintenance.

I don't think we're covered here, but I'd love to have one of the small laptops. (notebooks?) I've been looking and if this one dies, that'll be a consideration.

I try to take care of my laptop, too, but I carry it around almost daily. It's in a satchel, but it often gets bumped and banged. A little one would have to be easier to carry.

Keyboard Hound · Jul 30, 2009

Williebee said:
Keyboards -- for serious writing jags, the USB external keyboard is a blessing. Cheap, destructible, replaceable.

I love the the mouse pad on the laptop keyboards.

Laptop Screen

Keyboard Hound

Old kid. Tough skin!!

Alphabeter

Player of the Letters

Keyboard Hound

Old kid. Tough skin!!

BigWords

Geekzilla

Keyboard Hound

Old kid. Tough skin!!

Williebee

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

Keyboard Hound

Old kid. Tough skin!!

Alphabeter

Player of the Letters

Williebee

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

Keyboard Hound

Old kid. Tough skin!!

Keyboard Hound

Old kid. Tough skin!!