My grandson dropped his Acer 5100 model BL51. It keeps restarting and the screen is very dim, almost black. When we push the little rubber tab (The one near the rear that shuts it down when you close it) the screen brightens for a few seconds. What do you think? A lose wire or connection? Thanks in advance.
Sound lkie a ribbon problem
Hello, Paul. Your grandson's notebook's problem could be originated from number of things (caused - or not - by the fall). Let's break it down into two problems (which are probably unrelated): the restarting and the dim screen.
There's a very good troubleshooting guide online by Morris Rosenthal. You can check it here.
About the dim screen
On the aforementioned guide, which i'll be quoting from now on, you'll find particularly relevant information for this case: "Dim desktop image? Can you see a ghost-like image of your desktop that is functional, ie, one that changes if you drag an icon, launch a program or disappears if you shut down. Standard LCD screens produce very little visible light on their own, they require the Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light (CCFL) to light the screen from behind. The fluorescent tube is normally located at the top of the screen, and a bright reflective surface distributes the light across the back of the LCD, so it can shine through the liquid crystals of the liquid crystal display, which only transmit red, green or blue (RGB)."
When you say it brightens, it probably does so in sort of a tinted way.
"Red, orange tint, uneven? Is the entire screen tinted red or orange (probably growing worse over time) or is the background brightness of the screen uneven, particularly near the edges? The tin is caused by a failing backlight not putting out the full spectrum of white light, so the CCFL tube needs to be replaced."
This gives us some information about the backlight that is used in LCD screens, but there's also another component in play, which is the inverter. A damaged inverter is *the* greatest cause for failing notebook screens. Your grandson's notebook's backlight could be fine, but a damaged inverter may not be sending it enough current for it to work. I could only tell you exactly which one is at fault here by running some tests on it, but this information points you to the very likely source of the problem.
About the restarting
This problem unfortunately has a wider range of possible sources, ranging from OS-related problems (like viruses and a corrupt installation), faulty/misconfigured hardware (or drivers), overheating (though the computer usually shuts itself down when it overheats, instead of restarting. It depends on your available BIOS settings) and many others.
I hope this information was helpful, and i advise you to get that lappie checked by a qualified technician.
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