Laptop monitor issue

Question from my boss to anyone who has any advice....

"Got a Dell Latitude C600 that has worked most excellent for the past year (bought it used/rebuilt on ebay). So am working on the laptop and get a virus ... net result ... I had to format C. Ultimately, after putting the OS back on (XP) I can get the laptop to work via the dell docking station with an external monitor. But I can not get the laptop's screen to work when it is out of the docking station. I have tried to utilize the function key to switch between screen views but that does not bring the screen up. I tried reloading xp and that didn't help - I am bummed.

So when the laptop is docked, the external monitor (and everything else) works fine.

When the laptop is undocked, the screen works in that it does work in that I can change things by interupting the loading of windows (clock speed, which drive fires up first, etc.). When I power up the laptop (undocked) the windows page pops ups and then dissapears as xp kicks in and then the screen goes blank/black and stays empty. If I put my nose to the screen and stare at it in direct sunlight, I can just faintly/barely see the monitor is working. So I think that all is in order ... but ... why in the hell is the contrast ratio (or whatever) so low that I can't see it.

The laptop originally had an LG Active Matrix screen but in the process of refurbishing the unit (the rebuilder) used a samsung screen.

The reason I am writing this is that I have worked on electronics back in the 80's and built PC's back in the 90's and I just know that the screen on the laptop is working and that it is a configuration issue that may be related to the OS or the drivers or something to that effect

But at this point I am clueless.

My thoughts are that reloading xp is a waste of time in that it is not xp related but rather when I reformatted the harddrive I erased the driver since it is a samsung screen and not the OEM screen (LG).

Help?"

Anything that anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks

I have the exact same problem with a C600. The blanking problem did not occur until I upgraded from Windows 2000 to XP Pro.

I'm still looking for a solution as well. Anybody else come across this??

Doug

Grabbing the latest ATI rage mobility driver might do the trick. You can get that from here.

http://support.dell.com/support/down...l=en&s=gen&cs=


You might also have luck in accessing it by changing the display properites in safe mode. In safe mode, change the displays refresh rate and resolution to the laptop screens default. (Usually 60Hz).


A BIOS update might also help, but I would use it as a last resort. Check your version first. You may already have the final BIOS.

http://support.dell.com/support/down...l=en&s=gen&cs=

It sounds to me that when you reformated you deleted some dell drivers that are needed for the screen. The only thing that makes that theory a little wierd is the docking station issue. IF you have an old moniter lieing around, try pluging one in and seeing if its windows or your laptop screen.