Dirt in my laptop screen?

[DaJe]

A while ago, I noticed what appeared to be a small "smudge" in my laptop screen. It wasn't really noticeable, and wasn't in the way, so I just brushed it off and ignored it. Some time after that, I started to notice another little spot on my screen. And now it seems like the screen just keeps getting worse. More and more spots than ever are now on my screen, and it really is becoming a problem for me. I sent it into Dell when it was under warranty, because the video card died. I also informed them of the screen, and it seems like when they sent it back to me, it had more problems with the screen and none of the spots were fixed.

They don't really look like dead pixels to me, because they're irregular in shape, and when you look closely you can still see the pixels through them.



Here's a high resolution picture of the whole screen, showing where the different spots are. http://codeinsurrection.com/screen/DSC_05842.jpg



This is the original culprit that I first noticed

http://codeinsurrection.com/screen/DSC_059322.jpg


And if you look at a larger version of it, you can see that the pixels are still visible through it.

http://codeinsurrection.com/screen/DSC_05932.jpg


This is the most noticeable one. As you can see, it's irregular, doesn't cover all of the pixels, and the pixels are still slightly visible through it.

http://codeinsurrection.com/screen/DSC_05952.jpg


This one seems to have appeared after Dell serviced it.

http://codeinsurrection.com/screen/DSC_05892.jpg


And there now seems to be a bunch of little tiny specks in one corner of the screen.

http://codeinsurrection.com/screen/DSC_05912.jpg



Now, before I try to open up my LCD and risk breaking it, I'd like to get the opinion of the people here. Do you guys think it's dirt in the screen, or are the pixels just messed up? If you guys do think it's dirt; any advice for cleaning it? I did read an article online which details opening the screen, but it's still a risk.

[Luke122]

That looks like dirt in the screen to me... what model laptop do you have?

[DaJe]

It's the Inspiron 1720.

[Luke122]

I'm not sure, but I think most laptops use a protector that actually covers the LCD panel itself, so dust/dirt between the protector and the screen WOULD cause this.

I guess it comes down to this: Is the risk of disassembly greater than the annoyance at the dust? If not, go for it! :D

[DaJe]

That's what I figured, that it would be between a front screen and the actual LCD. I just hope I manage to take it apart correctly. Eh, I shouldn't be too worried though. Not like I haven't ever messed around with a computer before. That's why I'm a part of this community : P

[Luke122]

Welcome back by the way! How have you been?

[DaJe]

Welcome back by the way! How have you been?Heh, nice to see somebody noticed me :). Lately I guess I've been alright. As you've noticed, I sort of disappeared for quite a bit of time, and if you look at my post history, you see my last real post was at the end of April in 2008. Soon after that, I headed 2500 miles across the country, and ended up living and working in Yellowstone for 3 months. Then after that, you'll notice brief posting around August, which was shortly after the time I got back home. Then after that, school started up again, and that made me busy.

Sadly, I sort of forgot about this place, and I just didn't have the time to focus on an online community. Since then, I've had a lot going on in my life, a lot of it personal, so I'll just leave the timeline of my story right there. I've also done a lot since then too. Lately, I've just taken a break from basically life. Basically the past month has been a complete stop on everything in my life, and just taking a break and trying not to worry about anything. Right now I'm actually in Montana, as I've been travelling a bit over the past year. I should be heading back home soon, and then I can start again on working to get certain things in order. But then get to come back out here again in May, before taking a road trip across the country to get back to Massachusetts.



So that was sort of off topic I suppose, and somewhat of a rant, but I just felt like at least partly explaining what's been going on, even if no one really reads it. Hopefully I didn't go too much into it for you. But overall, I think I'm alright.

[Luke122]

Well I'm glad that things are turning around for you. :)

Hows the photography coming?

[DaJe]

Pretty good actually, I suppose. Have all new equipment since the last time you saw me. I now upgraded myself to a D80, have 3 news lenses (though I want to replace one, but no money for that), and a fancy flash and all kinds of other little things. Like always, I've been trying to get myself more active with it, but sometimes I just don't have inspiration. But I really just need to go walk around more and explore places and get all kinds of ideas. I do now have quite a larger collection of photos now, especially from being out in Yellowstone (I have a 3 foot by 2 foot photo I took of a bison hanging on my wall) though I'm still needing to put together a portfolio to show off what's actually good. And recently I've started using my telescope again, and have started to experiment with astrophotography. Though really, I just want to have my telescope out here in Montana to do that sort of stuff. It's pretty good though. I should be able to actually photograph nearby galaxies even and whatnot with it, with long exposures and photo stacking.

[Bopher]

If you head down this way (Nebraska) the local area is beautiful to catch on film and if you go to the top of the bluff here you can get some crazy panaramics(sp) all the way to the curve of the earth.

[xRyokenx]

Welcome back dude.

Laptop Screen: I've had electronics get dirt behind the screen cover before.

Photography: I went to Yellowstone when I was four, that was fun. I still remember a good part of it now, ~15 years later, lol. I used to live in NE, it really is a beautiful place. Try Niobrara State Park. I used to go camping there a lot with and without my Boy Scout troop.

[reedcook19]

Some people asked me if there is an easy way to remove dust or dirt from inside of the laptop screen. Nope, there is no easy way. You’ll have to remove the screen from the laptop and then take the whole thing apart. This guide (http://kenkinder.com/literally-debugging-a-laptop/) is only for people with experience.

Here are a few tips if you decide to follow this guide:

- remove the battery before you start taking the laptop apart
- handle the LCD screen by the edges
- do not touch transparent layers inside the screen with your fingers
- be careful with the circuit board attached to the LCD screen

Source:

http://kenkinder.com/literally-debugging-a-laptop/