Laptop turns on but screen is black

[Cubanicana]

Hi I have a Gateway laptop that runs on Windows Vista. I havent had any issues lately so I was surprised that when I went to turn on my laptop last night it wouldn't boot. The laptop was fully charged. The power light turns on but it seems that the fan isn't running like it normally is. I can feel a little bit of heat on the side of the laptop, but it is not strong like it normally is. The screen stays black/off the whole time. Please help me!!! :blink:

[Cubanicana]

Well I tried turning on the latop and its seems to be running as normal except that the screen is still black. After reading up online, I found that either the motherboard is fried or the video card is shot...any help would be greatly appreciated.  :D

[Corrine]

If you are not getting Windows loading, unless the screen is black with a blinking cursor which could indicate an MBR infection, it sounds like a hardware problem, in which case your best option is to take the laptop to a reputable repair shop.

[techie]

If you have a desktop monitor, try connecting it temporarily. If you get a display on the external monitor, check to make sure the USB, card readers, etc. are working. If so the motherboard is probably fine. This would allow you to retrieve your information and back it up.

Usually a back-light failure is the inverter board, but not always. Sometimes you may see a very faint display.

http://www.fonerbooks.com/test.htm

[Temmu]

true.  i've seen that a couple of times.

[Corrine]

Hi, Barb.

I split your post to a separate topic:  http://www.landzdown.com/index.php/topic,48310.msg136813.html#msg136813