Flashing Laptop Screen

[Mumble]

My laptop (3 1/2 years old) screen keeps flashing - any ideas what is causing this and what I can do about it? It started back in about March with the occasional flash - I thought it was some wire thingy coming loose because moving the angle of the screen seemed to solve it - I'm thinking now that this was a coincidence. It's recently got much worse - sometimes it flashes so much I can't see the screen and have to turn it off. Turning it back on doesn't help usually, but sometimes it does. Sometimes it will go for days being fine and then it will start the flashing again. It can't be a loose cable, because when I turn it off and it goes through the shut down process it stops flashing and behaves properly as soon as the shutdown screen replaces my usual background screen. I thought it might be a memory thing so I closed all the background running programmes but this had no effect.

 

I'm supposed to be getting a new laptop as part of my disabled student allowance sometime so I don't know if it's worth me wasting my money on getting this one repaired? Can it be repaired?

[llisa32]

Hi - we had a laptop with the same problem a while back - it had a problem with the hard drive (no idea what sorry) and it had to be sent back to manufacturers for repair.

 

Maybe a good idea to chase up your new one

 

It prob can be repaired, but maybe the expense is not worth it if you are getting a new one soon anyway

[summertime]

does it only do it when your power cable is in and when running off the battery only is the screen duller.

 

if that's the case it could be the power connection being loose, most laptops are configured so that when running on the battery the screen is duller so as not to use so much power, therefore if the cable is loose or the connection is dodgy it will keep switching from one power setting to the other and the screen will flash from full power to maybe half power.

 

you can change the power settings in your control panel, go to power options and change the battery scheme so the display brightness is on maximum.

 

the reason it wont flash when closing down is that the laptop will revert to maximum power to log off so it wont matter if its running off battery or mains

 

but if its not that then I havent a clue ... sorry

[Mumble]

Thanks Lisa and Summertime. If it's the hard drive there's nought I can do except hope the new one is approved soon.

 

Summertime - I always run it plugged in (and battery in - I know, supposed to take it out and all that - but no one told me when I got my laptop, so I've knackered out the battery and as I only use the laptop at home - it's too big and heavy to cart around - I just keep it plugged in as you would a desktop PC) so it could be that, although when is flahes it flashes from the bright screen to black rather than dull (as I get on battery) - but I will check my power settings and make sure it's properly plugged in and see it that helps - thanks

[Mumble]

you can change the power settings in your control panel, go to power options and change the battery scheme so the display brightness is on maximum.

Ok, stupid question - how do I do this? I found power options in the control panel but that only gives me options to change when the monitor and hard drive turn themselves off - I can't find something to tell the screen to stay bright all the time. :unsure:

[flipper]

Ok, stupid question - how do I do this? I found power options in the control panel but that only gives me options to change when the monitor and hard drive turn themselves off - I can't find something to tell the screen to stay bright all the time. :unsure:

 

That's usually specific to the make of Laptop - IBM laptops, for example, have this hidden away under Thinkpad Utilities (on mine it can be access from Screen Saver / Power / Power Manager) but it might not be so easy on yours!

 

In my experience, laptop screens are somewhat succeptible to this - it probably is repairable, but almost certainly needs specialist attention (though the parts may be quite cheap, you'll probably end up paying a fair amount for the investigation!). If you do decide on the repair, independant specialists generally the best - avoid the large chain-stores...

 

Phil

[summertime]

might depend on what laptop you have but there should be an option there to change it, unfortunately im running windows vista and its a different setup and can't quite remember how its done in xp but I'll have a look later and let you know

 

in the meantime try taking out the power lead and change it manually, you can do this by pressing the fn button and then look for a key that looks like sun and an up arrow and tap this till the screen is brighter. if nothing happens then the screen brightness setting isnt the problem

[Mumble]

I found the thing to keep it bright - it was labelled as something strange in the control panel, have changed it but it doesn't help. If I take out the power cord and run on batteries, the same problem remains - it makes no change, so it must be something inside the computer. It's been getting steadilty worse over the last few days - now it's doing some really strange stuff - I've got lots of pink dots on the screen, and I've just been making sure all my copies of files are up to date on CDs in case it totally dies (loosing PhD work isn't funny), and it was flashing 'ghostly' images of various files and screen images (a bit like I get on my TV if I have freeview on and it's picking up analgue through the arial??) - very strange - as well as it's flashing on and off. Think it might be dying :(

[Mumble]

Hmm - don't know if this is relevant - it was flashing really badly when I was typing that last post - I aimed with my mouse at the 'X' to close the programme because I couldn't see what I was doing, missed and hit the minimise button instead (so I went back to the desktop image with the little forum bar at the bottom, and the main flashing stopped and it just did the occasional flash (As it used to do when this problem started). Opened up the forum again and the flashing started again, so minimised it and it stopped, opened it and it's started again but less. It does the same with any programme an whether or not I'm on the internet. I have noticed that the problem is much worse when I have my memory stick in - could this be part of the problem?

 

It's being fine just at the moment - I think it knows it's in trouble and might get replaced

[baddad]

Hi mumble -

 

Something else that could lead to this type of thing is if you've (or some new piece of software you've run) somehow changed the display settings...

It could be that the desktop has been resized (maybe from 800/600 to 1024/768 or something like that - a 'clue' would be in the size of the desktop icons, which would look smaller if the 'desk' was larger?) or that the 'refresh' rate has been changed from the default setting... The latter actually sounds quite plausable, given the info above about it not flashing when you shut down, as it would default back to the original settings as it closed down, adjusting them again after the welcome screen when you reboot and the new driver settings are introduced.

In either case, re-setting your colour scheme to a more basic scheme (16 bit 800/600) might make things more stable in the short-term while you wait for the nod on a new machine... you could also try re-setting the 'refresh' rate to default if it isn't set on default.

To open the settings panel you may have a 'display' icon on your task bar, or alternatively you can RIGHT click anywhere on the desktop and select 'properties'. The colour settings (16bit/32bit) should be on the 'general' tab together with the desktop size slider...

For monitor refresh rates click on the 'settings' tab, and the 'advanced' button... In that dialogue box click on the 'monitor' tab and look at the refresh rate. Make sure you've ticked the 'hide modes this panel cannot display' button, so you can't set anything that isn't supported. You may find a 'default' setting, or it may just show different 'hertz' values... as long as you've ticked that 'hide modes...' box you should be able to try any of the options on offer. If your display goes REALLY funky, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING and it will revert to the old setting in about 30 seconds!

 

All of the above is based on 'Windows XP' on a tower rather than a laptop, but the same principles should apply, I think (I'm a laptop virgin!)...

If you're nervous about fiddling yourself, you could ask (or ask someone else to ask) someone from the 'geek' end of the uni to help out - a tutor in IT/Computer design - anything like that - would probably fit the bill nicely

 

Other than the above and/or opening and closing the lid & banging the sides and top I'm pretty much out of ideas, but i hope it turns out to be something simple or inexpensive

 

L&P

 

BD

 

Ah - and just read your last post:

 

1 - take the memory stick out except when you're using it (and ALWAYS use the 'safely remove hardware' icon in the taskbar, bottom right!)

2 - It sounds like you've got too many tasks running and it's thrashing the CPU/RAM... Right click on the taskbar and open 'task manager'... look at the 'processes' and 'running applications' tabs but DON'T turn anything off! On the bottom of that dialogue box you'll see a 'CPU usage' figure, if it's very high (90% +) that's a big clue...You can also look at the 'performance' tag and see a running graph of system resources being used...

There are a couple of windows 'glitches' and some in other widely used software that hog system resources from time to time... if the task manager indicates this might be a problem (you'll see one or two 'processes' hogging huge chunks of available resources) jot down the names of the processes and we can try to id any possible problem...

 

Hope that helps! And that you read this edit - it's taken so long to write the thread could have jumped on!)

 

BD

Edited August 7, 2007 by baddad

[Mumble]

It could be that the desktop has been resized (maybe from 800/600 to 1024/768 or something like that - a 'clue' would be in the size of the desktop icons, which would look smaller if the 'desk' was larger?)

I've tried resizing it - it came up with a very strange (still flashing) looking screen and a warning message about reconfiguration saying it was going to do something or other and counting down . . . I got scared and clicked abort. I also tied changing the colour thingy from 32 to 16, but this just made it flash with more dots and lines in odd colours on the screen.

 

or that the 'refresh' rate has been changed from the default setting... The latter actually sounds quite plausable, given the info above about it not flashing when you shut down, as it would default back to the original settings as it closed down, adjusting them again after the welcome screen when you reboot and the new driver settings are introduced.

Hmm, found this setting in 'advanced users' - always feel a bit wary about heading in there. The drop down menu thingy though didn't have any options other than 60 hertz so I couldn't change it.

 

If you're nervous about fiddling yourself, you could ask (or ask someone else to ask) someone from the 'geek' end of the uni to help out - a tutor in IT/Computer design - anything like that - would probably fit the bill nicely

I think I'll take it into college this afternoon and see if the nice techi guy is around and do a little practicing of my female flirtation, woe is me I can't work a computer I'm female skills. Stuff feminism!!!! And I'll also email the stpid woman who has been taking since March to order my new laptop and perhaps place a small explosive devise under her chair to get her moving.

 

Other than the above and/or opening and closing the lid & banging the sides and top

That was my first option :lol:

[Mumble]

Found your edit. I take out the memory stick because I always keep that with me.

 

The task manager thing - it says I only have one task (internet) running, but I have 39 'processes' whatever these are. One in this list caught my attention - ccApp.exe - because nearly everytime I turn off my laptop at the end of its shutdown whatdoyoucallit, it comes up with a box about this application and not being able to read memory. I tend to leave it, because I've found the computer sorts itself out but I've always wondered what it is.

 

My CPU usage is generally about 2% although it seems to jump occasionally to around 20% for no reason at all. There are also some odd peaks in the graph, but I don't know what's normal.

 

The other big 'processes' are:

 

iexplore.exe (that's the biggest)

KHost.exe

KService.exe

svchost.exe

 

Puter's behaving itself now btw with just the odd flash to let me know it's still there - might take it in tomorrow instead rather than risk laptop on busy London bus two days in a row - I'll see how it goes this afternoon.

[TheNeil]

It still sounds like a problem with the screen itself and a damaged/broken connection (possibly to do with the invertor board although that would probably just burn out and be dead and buried). As it's been getting worse and worse I'd suspect that whatever's damaged is getting more and more damaged, resulting in more and more flashing and the changing of the screen angle not being as effective in curing it.

 

You could probably get it repaired but, to be honest, it would no doubt be expensive and, if you've got a new machine on the way, a better option might be to beg/borrow/steal an external monitor, plug that into your laptop and use that as your display (most laptops should allow you to do this).

 

BTW, svchost.exe is a Windows doohickey (so leave it alone), IExplore.exe is Internet Explorer (tsk, tsk, tsk - too much time spent in online forums methinks ). KHost and KService I don't know but could be something that the University are making you run or could be specific to your laptop. CPU usage 'jumping' isn't strange as Windows quite happily does things in the background that you're totally unaware of.

[flipper]

The task manager thing - it says I only have one task (internet) running, but I have 39 'processes' whatever these are. One in this list caught my attention - ccApp.exe - because nearly everytime I turn off my laptop at the end of its shutdown whatdoyoucallit, it comes up with a box about this application and not being able to read memory. I tend to leave it, because I've found the computer sorts itself out but I've always wondered what it is.

 

ccApp is part of Norton Anti-Virus and related Norton tools. According to a site I just checked, the latest version should stop this problem with the hanging app - try running LiveUpdate from within Norton to see if that fixes the problem.

 

If you don't have (and have never had) Norton AV or any other Norton products, then you should run a anti-virus/spyware scan as something else could be hijacking the name.

 

KHost.exe

KService.exe

Khost and KService are Kontiki File Sharing files - have you used Sky Broadband/On Demand or Channel 4OD service? I gather they install them.

They are certainly not essential processes, though you might have trouble removing them.

 

You could try disabling them - Control Panel / Administrattove Tools / Services and set both to "Disabled" - you might be able to stop them, if not you'll need to reboot to take effect.

 

Phil

[Mumble]

It still sounds like a problem with the screen itself and a damaged/broken connection (possibly to do with the invertor board although that would probably just burn out and be dead and buried). As it's been getting worse and worse I'd suspect that whatever's damaged is getting more and more damaged

:tearful: Poor 'puter - do you think a card and some grapes will help? The burning out thing - I assume that's bad - do you mean my 'puter will actually burn up when it finally gives up totally? What's an invertor board? If it's the screen why is it ok when it goes through the shutdown process?

 

I don't know anyone I can steal another monitor from - could I plug it into my TV? What sort of electrical string would I need?

 

BTW, svchost.exe is a Windows doohickey

Erm, a do-whaty?

 

IExplore.exe is Internet Explorer (tsk, tsk, tsk - too much time spent in online forums methinks )

Me?

 

Flipper I do have 4OD and Norton which explains those processes thanks - I had this problem before getting them though.

 

Another question - assuming the small explosive devise under my disability officer's chair works and I get a new laptop is there:

1. an easy way to transfer all my stuff over
2. a way of making sure I get 'everything' - when my laptop died last year and I had to have it re-something-or-othered I put everything on disk from My Documents, but I lost things like all my saved RollerCoaster Tycoon games
3. any possibility of transfering the problem to my new laptop with the files

[Mumble]

Now here's a tricky question - my laptop has been absolutely fine for the last 4 hours - no flashing at all - yet it was awful this morning - can it warm up to work properly - could that make sense? In which case, do I turn it off now and hope it's ok when I turn it on again in the morning or just leave it running as it's happy? :unsure: