I just acquired a laptop (Dell Inspiron 3200) which has a problem on the
display. It works, but all the pixels are red tinted. If anyone had any
ideas about where I should start looking for problems, or suggestions about
sites which would be useful in my search for help, I would greatly
appreciate your help.

I do have a use for the machine even if I can't fix the problem, but I'd
love to fix it if I can.

Bob

Bob wrote:
I just acquired a laptop (Dell Inspiron 3200) which has a problem on
the display. It works, but all the pixels are red tinted. If anyone
had any ideas about where I should start looking for problems, or
suggestions about sites which would be useful in my search for help,
I would greatly appreciate your help.

I do have a use for the machine even if I can't fix the problem, but
I'd love to fix it if I can.

Sounds like a ribbon cable problem to me. I'm assuming that it displays
properly on an external monitor. If you don't have the chops to open it up
and reseat the connectors (or replace the cable), it should at least be a
cheap fix.

Try moving the display open and closed (almost) while viewing. If the image
changes--at all--while doing so, the diagnosis is all but confirmed.

jak


Bob

jakdedert wrote:
Bob wrote:

I just acquired a laptop (Dell Inspiron 3200) which has a problem on
the display. It works, but all the pixels are red tinted. If anyone
had any ideas about where I should start looking for problems, or
suggestions about sites which would be useful in my search for help,
I would greatly appreciate your help.

I do have a use for the machine even if I can't fix the problem, but
I'd love to fix it if I can.


Sounds like a ribbon cable problem to me. I'm assuming that it displays
properly on an external monitor. If you don't have the chops to open it up
and reseat the connectors (or replace the cable), it should at least be a
cheap fix.

Try moving the display open and closed (almost) while viewing. If the image
changes--at all--while doing so, the diagnosis is all but confirmed.

jak


Bob




It's been reported that a bad backlight can cause a reddish tint. Most
of the reports I've seen have been related to thinkpads.
If by "red" you mean that examination with a magnifying glass shows that
green and blue are compeltely dark, that's probably a different matter.
mike

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"jakdedert" wrote in message
...
Bob wrote:
I just acquired a laptop (Dell Inspiron 3200) which has a problem on
the display. It works, but all the pixels are red tinted. If anyone
had any ideas about where I should start looking for problems, or
suggestions about sites which would be useful in my search for help,
I would greatly appreciate your help.

I do have a use for the machine even if I can't fix the problem, but
I'd love to fix it if I can.

Sounds like a ribbon cable problem to me. I'm assuming that it displays
properly on an external monitor. If you don't have the chops to open it
up
and reseat the connectors (or replace the cable), it should at least be a
cheap fix.

Try moving the display open and closed (almost) while viewing. If the
image
changes--at all--while doing so, the diagnosis is all but confirmed.

I have tried that, plus pushing, pulling, twisting, etc. It doesn't vary at
all.

Bob

"mike" wrote in message
...
jakdedert wrote:
Bob wrote:

I just acquired a laptop (Dell Inspiron 3200) which has a problem on
the display. It works, but all the pixels are red tinted. If anyone
had any ideas about where I should start looking for problems, or
suggestions about sites which would be useful in my search for help,
I would greatly appreciate your help.


It's been reported that a bad backlight can cause a reddish tint. Most
of the reports I've seen have been related to thinkpads.
If by "red" you mean that examination with a magnifying glass shows that
green and blue are compeltely dark, that's probably a different matter.
mike

I checked with a stylus microscope. It looks as though one color is not
working at all. I see varying brightnesses of 2 "bars" on each pixel. The
red works fine, the one to its left works also. I can't tell for sure what
color that is. The Bar to the right of the red is always blank.

What signals typically go through the ribbon cable? Can anyone suggest a
reference for this sort of info?

Bob

Bob wrote:
"jakdedert" wrote in message
...
Bob wrote:
I just acquired a laptop (Dell Inspiron 3200) which has a problem on
the display. It works, but all the pixels are red tinted. If anyone
had any ideas about where I should start looking for problems, or
suggestions about sites which would be useful in my search for help,
I would greatly appreciate your help.

I do have a use for the machine even if I can't fix the problem, but
I'd love to fix it if I can.

Sounds like a ribbon cable problem to me. I'm assuming that it
displays properly on an external monitor. If you don't have the
chops to open it up and reseat the connectors (or replace the
cable), it should at least be a cheap fix.

Try moving the display open and closed (almost) while viewing. If
the image changes--at all--while doing so, the diagnosis is all but
confirmed.

I have tried that, plus pushing, pulling, twisting, etc. It doesn't
vary at all.

Time to get out the screwdriver...or the phonebook.

jak

Bob

"jakdedert" wrote in message
...
Bob wrote:
"jakdedert" wrote in message
...
Bob wrote:
I just acquired a laptop (Dell Inspiron 3200) which has a problem on
the display. It works, but all the pixels are red tinted. If anyone
had any ideas about where I should start looking for problems, or
suggestions about sites which would be useful in my search for help,
I would greatly appreciate your help.

I do have a use for the machine even if I can't fix the problem, but
I'd love to fix it if I can.

Sounds like a ribbon cable problem to me. I'm assuming that it
displays properly on an external monitor. If you don't have the
chops to open it up and reseat the connectors (or replace the
cable), it should at least be a cheap fix.

Try moving the display open and closed (almost) while viewing. If
the image changes--at all--while doing so, the diagnosis is all but
confirmed.

I have tried that, plus pushing, pulling, twisting, etc. It doesn't
vary at all.

Time to get out the screwdriver...or the phonebook.

That'll be the screwdriver. I'm just trying to get a head start, since I've
never dealt with this sort of problem before.

Bob

Ribbon cable is a fairly common failure with laptops.
And often the only thing wrong, yet most makers perversely
refuse to supply the part for an easy repair.

One other possibility comes to mind - some laptops have
dipswitches to set for display type/resolution. A
Presario that I had to swap displays on gave me a red
screen until I figured out the right combination.

If someone has been in it, or if it got bumped...

In article ,
says...
I just acquired a laptop (Dell Inspiron 3200) which has a problem on the
display. It works, but all the pixels are red tinted. If anyone had any
ideas about where I should start looking for problems, or suggestions about
sites which would be useful in my search for help, I would greatly
appreciate your help.

"Ol' Duffer" wrote in message
...
Ribbon cable is a fairly common failure with laptops.
And often the only thing wrong, yet most makers perversely
refuse to supply the part for an easy repair.

One other possibility comes to mind - some laptops have
dipswitches to set for display type/resolution. A
Presario that I had to swap displays on gave me a red
screen until I figured out the right combination.

If someone has been in it, or if it got bumped...

Very good. I talked to the guy I got it from yesterday, and he said that he
took it somewhere for a virus problem and it came back with this problem. I
will research this possibility. I don't know why they would go inside for a
virus, but who knows?

Bob

Hmmm...

It's possible that this could actually be a software problem. Have you checked to make sure it's using the correct video
driver? Rather than let Windows auto-detect the display, I'd download the driver from Dell and install it manually.

If there was a virus, there's also a possiblity that a supporting .dll or other file could be corrupted or the wrong version.
This could be a real bear to troubleshoot.

Eric Law

"Bob" wrote in message ...
Very good. I talked to the guy I got it from yesterday, and he said that he
took it somewhere for a virus problem and it came back with this problem. I
will research this possibility. I don't know why they would go inside for a
virus, but who knows?

Bob

I did try booting off of a windows 2000 install disk, and the problem was
still there. I will try downloading drivers from Dell and see if that helps.
Wait. The problem also exists on the boot up screen. I guess I should look
in the setup for screen related settings.

Bob

"EL" wrote in message
m...
Hmmm...

It's possible that this could actually be a software problem. Have you
checked to make sure it's using the correct video
driver? Rather than let Windows auto-detect the display, I'd download the
driver from Dell and install it manually.

If there was a virus, there's also a possiblity that a supporting .dll or
other file could be corrupted or the wrong version.
This could be a real bear to troubleshoot.

Eric Law

"Bob" wrote in message
...
Very good. I talked to the guy I got it from yesterday, and he said that
he
took it somewhere for a virus problem and it came back with this
problem. I
will research this possibility. I don't know why they would go inside
for a
virus, but who knows?

Bob

Nah, I should have thought to ask that. If it's wrong on the boot screen, it's not a software problem (unless there's
something REALLY weird going on in the BIOS).

I don't think you're going to find a setting in there that says "make the screen all red" ;^)

Eric

"Bob" wrote in message ...
I did try booting off of a windows 2000 install disk, and the problem was
still there. I will try downloading drivers from Dell and see if that helps.
Wait. The problem also exists on the boot up screen. I guess I should look
in the setup for screen related settings.

Bob

I disassembled the machine enough to get to the LCD cables and
unplugged/replugged both ends - no change.

Looking at the screen with magnification, It seems like the red "bars" are
bright, the ones to the left of them are dim (enough that I'm not sure of
the color), and the ones to the right of the red are off. This is on things
that I assume should be white. My next question is: Are there any signals
going through the cables affecting this sort of problem, (meaning it could
be a problem within the processor/mainboard part of the unit) or is this
really a problem solely in the LCD unit?

Bob


I'm guessing that the
"EL" wrote in message
m...
Nah, I should have thought to ask that. If it's wrong on the boot screen,
it's not a software problem (unless there's
something REALLY weird going on in the BIOS).

I don't think you're going to find a setting in there that says "make the
screen all red" ;^)

Eric

"Bob" wrote in message
...
I did try booting off of a windows 2000 install disk, and the problem was
still there. I will try downloading drivers from Dell and see if that
helps.
Wait. The problem also exists on the boot up screen. I guess I should
look
in the setup for screen related settings.

Bob

Bob wrote:
I disassembled the machine enough to get to the LCD cables and
unplugged/replugged both ends - no change.

Looking at the screen with magnification, It seems like the red
"bars" are bright, the ones to the left of them are dim (enough that
I'm not sure of the color), and the ones to the right of the red are
off. This is on things that I assume should be white. My next
question is: Are there any signals going through the cables affecting
this sort of problem, (meaning it could be a problem within the
processor/mainboard part of the unit) or is this really a problem
solely in the LCD unit?

Bob

Now that you have it apart, check the individual traces on the cable with a
multimeter. It's very possible that one or more of them is open. It would
be nice if it the cable was just loose, but they often break as well.

You never did mention whether the unit works with an external monitor.....

jak

On Wed, 04 May 2005 09:41:56 -0700, mike wrote:



It's been reported that a bad backlight can cause a reddish tint. Most
of the reports I've seen have been related to thinkpads.
If by "red" you mean that examination with a magnifying glass shows that
green and blue are compeltely dark, that's probably a different matter.
mike

I once saw a thinkpad that had a red back light. It was so red I
thought the display or cable had a problem at first.

Look at a completely black screen. If black is dark, but has a red
tint, then it's probably the back light.

The other thing you can do is take apart the screen so you can see the
back. It should glow a bluish white. If it's pink, you've found the
problem.
Andy Cuffe

-- Use this address until 12/31/2005

-- Use this address after 12/31/2005

"jakdedert" wrote in message
...
Bob wrote:
I disassembled the machine enough to get to the LCD cables and
unplugged/replugged both ends - no change.

Looking at the screen with magnification, It seems like the red
"bars" are bright, the ones to the left of them are dim (enough that
I'm not sure of the color), and the ones to the right of the red are
off. This is on things that I assume should be white. My next
question is: Are there any signals going through the cables affecting
this sort of problem, (meaning it could be a problem within the
processor/mainboard part of the unit) or is this really a problem
solely in the LCD unit?

Bob

Now that you have it apart, check the individual traces on the cable with
a
multimeter. It's very possible that one or more of them is open. It
would
be nice if it the cable was just loose, but they often break as well.

You never did mention whether the unit works with an external monitor.....

I will do the cable check.
I haven't tried with an external monitor, but was told when I bought it that
that worked fine.

Bob

In article ,
says...
Very good. I talked to the guy I got it from yesterday, and he said that he
took it somewhere for a virus problem and it came back with this problem. I
will research this possibility. I don't know why they would go inside for a
virus, but who knows?

Lots of them have an internal jumper that clears CMOS if the
password has been lost or you need to start from square one.