Dell Backlight problems

[Sugar Ray]

Hi

I have a Dell Inspiron 8600 and have problems with the backlight. After 10 - 30 seconds the screen goes black. I have plugged the laptop into an external monitor and everything is ok - so assumed it mut be a problem with the screen / invertor. I thus bought a screen of ebay but this hasn't worked. The ebay guy said he thought its likely to be the graphics card, which apparently fairly cheap to buy and easy to slot in. Can anyone concur or advise? Much appreciated K

[plowter]

Is there a suspend/resume key combination, probably Fn+F8?

If you can output to an external monitor it sounds unlikely to be your graphics card. It could be 1. the internal connector to your laptop monitor, 2. the switch that powers off your screen when you close the lid, or 3. the screen display itself.

Check out the Dell Support Website. There's a troubleshooting section for your make and model.

There's also a general troubleshooting guide for laptop displays (Information and Troubleshooting for LCD Flat-Panel Monitors and Portable Displays).

There's a user manual and, most useful, a service manual (how to take it apart guide) for your laptop.