How to resolve laptop display issues

Laptops are versatile tools that allow users to take everything from their work to their entertainment wherever they go. However, because of their portable nature, laptops may be more susceptible to common issues, many of which often have easy fixes.

One kind of issue is with the display, a common part of every laptop out there. Even small problems with the hardware or the software of a laptop may lead to a malfunctioning screen, with problems including lines on the screen, spots or even a completely blacked out display.

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The first instinct of many is to take the laptop straight to the service centre on an IT personnel. In today’s blog, we will look at what these issues are, and how to easily fix them.

Black screen

A black screen is one of the more common types of laptop display issues. Usually, a dark, unresponsive screen will also prevent people from realising if the machine has turned on or not.

The first step towards fixing this is to figure out if the rest of the laptop is turning on. You can do this by feeling for heat, air escaping the vents, or sounds made by internal fans. You can even connect your phone through a USB port and see if it detects a charging source.

If your laptop is on, the black screen may be caused by a faulty motherboard or memory sticks. Unfortunately, this requires a more in-depth look into the issue, and may need hardware components replaced. So, your best bet is to take the laptop to a trained technician.

Vertical lines

Vertical lines on a functioning laptop screen are yet another issue that could be a sign of bigger issues to come. Whether it is a single black line or a coloured bunch of lines, this problem could be the result of hardware failure on either the screen’s end, the motherboard, or the connector that joins the two together.

Alternatively, lines could also result from a software glitch. Try restarting the laptop and see if the issue persists. If it does, you may need to take the laptop to a service centre. Lines may be fixed by replacing minor or major components, so be prepared for a hefty cost.

Dimmed display

Sometimes, your laptop’s display may be too low in terms of brightness to be legible. While this may sound alarming, the solution can be as simple as increasing the brightness on the laptop. If that doesn’t work, you can also try restarting the device to get rid of any software-related glitches.

If that too doesn’t brighten your display, you may want to check if you have the latest graphics drivers. You can find the same online from the website of your integrated or dedicated GPU (Intel, Nvidia, AMD, etc).

Flickering screen

A flickering screen on your laptop’s display is usually caused by software issues. This could be a particular program conflicting with your display drivers, corrupted display drivers, or other smaller issues. Fortunately, all of these are the easiest to fix.

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Start by updating the display drivers of your laptop, and restart the system to see if the issue has been fixed. If not, uninstall any recently installed programs and restart the machine again. If this too doesn’t fix the screen flickering, you can try a full system reset, which should get rid of any software issues.

These are some of the easy ways to fix a variety of issues with your laptop’s display. Remember to try all possible software fixes before you move to the hardware components, and if software fixes don’t work for you, always take your laptop to a trained technician.