Help - My Screen is Black!

[JohnnyElle]

Hi, i purchased a vgn-a517b 3 years ago and up until a couple of weeks has been operating fine. Then, all of a sudden the screen went black when i logged on last week. It happened for a day or so and then returned to normal. The other day it happened again and hasn't worked since.

I can vaguely see Windows if i squint hard enough through the darkness of the screen but only bare outlines.

Any suggestions or ideas as to what it could be?

Thanks!

[Thalamus.]

Hi JohnnyElle,

welcome to Club VAIO..

Try connecting your Vaio to an external monitor, do you still have the same problem.?

To enter safe mode restart your Vaio and when you see the Vaio logo press the F8 key repeatedly..

[JohnnyElle]

Hi Thalamus,

Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately no such luck on the F8 option.

It seems it all goes black about 1 second after the VAIO logo comes up. Even though i can vaguely make out the setup screens/safe mode in the background, it just stays black. Doesn't matter whether i hit F8/F2/F10. Nothing seems to prevent it from going black after the login.

I don't have access to another monitor until the weekend, so i shall try that out then.

Let me know if you have any further suggestions.

Thanks again.

[Thalamus.]

Nothing seems to prevent it from going black after the login.

Unfortunately the cause is possibly either a faulty Inverter, backlight bulb or cabling problem..

[CHBCDavid]

Hi, I have the same problem with my 3 year old VGN-A317S. I tried all the support ideas of hitting function key and got nowhere. Eventually hooked up a separate monitor which works but offers no portability. A tip to help you get another monitor going is to use a torch (flashlight) on the laptop screen to see what you are doing (yes it actually works).

I suspect it is a cable connect fault on the screen or similar as with my case the screen will illuminate when it is just open about an inch but when I get past this point it goes out.

As I am unable to get anywhere with this problem it seems that i will have to pay Sony to fix but I am not happy about their policy of saying it may cost either £200, £400 or £600 they will not tell me which it will be on the basic info I am providing. So I will be in their hands and why do I think this will cost the £600 fix!!!

David

[JohnnyElle]

Hi David,

Sounds identical to your situation.

External monitor works, so i spoke to the Sony help-desk who suggested it is most likely a backlight problem.
They quoted me about £300-£400 to have it repaired.

So i took it into a Sony store on the high street to get a second opinion. They informed me that the problem is actually the screen - needs to be replaced. To replace the screen, they quoted me about £300.

I have managed to find a Sony repair store which provides 3 month guarantee that will replace the screen for £180.

At this stage, i'm leaning towards that option.

Cheers

J

[JohnnyElle]

Just an update to anyone that's interested.

It seems the independent repair store i selected have informed me that the problem was in fact the backlight - all is fixed now.

This conflicts with the advice the SONY store gave me, when they said it was the screen that needed replacing, and not the backlight.

Either way, i've come out with a significant saving and a 3 month warranty. :smileygrin:

Cheers

J

[Thalamus.]

Hi JohnnyElle,

glad your screen problem has been repaired..

This conflicts with the advice the SONY store gave me, when they said it was the screen that needed replacing, and not the backlight. 

I guess the Sony store staff are salepeople and not technictians..

At least the advice that you received from the Sony support gave was correct..

[JohnnyElle]

Hey Thalamus,

Don't mean to harp on it but i actually left it with the SONY store for a few days for their technicians to look at.

The 'screen needs to be replaced' was the verdict of their technicians, which although disappointing, highlights the value of a second opinion.

And yes, you're spot on about the SONY support advice.

Thanks for the suggestions along the way, much appreciated.

J

[Thalamus.]

i actually left it with the SONY store for a few days for their technicians to look at.

The 'screen needs to be replaced' was the verdict of their technicians, which although disappointing, highlights the value of a second opinion.

Ah that's not so good then..