Laptop bulb? help!

[techhelp]

Here we go, Ive read many screen problems but not sure if they are the same as mine. So im going to try my best to describe it.

Im running Windows XP
Its a HP Pavilion dv4000 (laptop)

About 2 weeks ago I started to see a tint of red in the corner of my screen.
Everyday the tint of red would transform and move on the screen.
Otherwise, if it was located in the bottom left corner one day and then shifted to the middle of the screen. The bottom left corner looked perfectly normal again.

I lived with this for a while until my screen turned black. My cpu would still be running but the screen went out. Then I realized that the image was still there. The light bulb (?) was not on. If I put a flashlight or placed the laptop under bright light I can see the screen. So now im thinking its maybe just :
1. Burnt out light bulb?
2. Bad chip somewhere?

Now when I shut my laptop off and let it sit for a while and restart it. The screen comes on perfectly fine and theres no red at all and it looks like its working fine. But then after a short period of time, anywhere from 5-15 minutes. The light goes out on me again but the image is definately on screen.

My question basically is this:

What do you think is causing this problem? bad screen? bulb? chip?
What can I do to fix this problem?

I would love to keep this computer and simply repair it since it does give me that hope for 10 minutes after restarting it.

Ive been told a screen replacement is so expensive that its better to buy a new laptop (if thats even the problem). But then again Ive seen videos on youtube of people having screen problems and they replace a $20-30 chip and its fixed.

Thanks for any help.

[ronallandottk]

The way you describe it, it seems like your LCD backlight probably needs replacing.

To make sure, just hook up your notebook to an external monitor. If the display on the external monitor is fine, then it's just your notebook's LCD/backlight.

Backlights are are basically small and thin fluorescent bulbs (specifically, cold cathode fluoresecent lamp, CCFL) which light up the display. They are rated for very long lifespans, though, like any other light bulb, they tend to die out after some period of time.

The first symptom that the backlight is failing is an orangy or reddish tinge (some have reported other colors, or colors aren't just what they should be) that appears on the screen, and the screen is sometimes darker than it used to be. When the lamp warms up, it sometimes dies, only to light up again when it cools.

Obviously the solution is to replace the CCFL, but you run into some complications:

Not many technicians are willing (or skilled enough) to replace the CCFL itself, and may instead suggest that you replace the entire LCD assembly. This can be expensive, about $100 for the replacement LCD.

http://www.yallstore.com/laptop-replacement-lcd-screen-for-hp-pavllion-dv4000-154-wxga-p-1449.html

If you're not not much worried about cost (lucky you ) and want your notebook repaired ASAP, this is the way to go.

If you think the cost of a whole LCD is a bit too much, you may have to look around for a technician willing to just replace the backlight. I think there are shops nowadays which specialize in replacing backlights. Good news is, it's a lot less expensive than a whole replacement LCD unit. For example, less than $10 for this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-15.4%22-CCFL-BACKLIGHT-LAMP-for-HP-PAVILION-DV4000_W0QQitemZ310136417237QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090418?IMSfp=TL090418159008r18782

If you're so inclined, have steady hands, and nerves of steel, you could even do it yourself. But you may want to look at this first:

http://www.frc-tech.com/docs/manuals/SG/hpcompaq/MSG%20HP%20Pavilion%20dv4000%20-%20Presario%20V4000.pdf

To conclude, the only thing wrong with your laptop in all likelihood is a $10 lamp. It's a pretty straightforward fix...but you may have to look and ask around to pay a reasonable price for the repair.

Good luck.

[techhelp]

Thank you very much. You were very helpful.

[Alarbus]

I've experienced that kind of problem and I was thinking for the proper replacement of the backlight. Today, I was looking for the best changes of my LCD backlight into my laptop.