First of all, make sure you haven't turned video off. Is there an external monitor plugged in but not turned on? Did you press the Function key which transfers the display to an external monitor, or the one which turns the display off? Did you turn brightness or contrast all the way down?
If none of those solve the problem, you need to determine whether the LCD screen or its backlight are failing. Start the machine and illuminate the screen with a flashlight held close to the screen. If the backlight has failed and the LCD is okay, you will be able to make out a faint image. If the LCD has failed, you will see nothing.
If it's the backlight, you need to get a DC-DC converter board. Cheapest to get one on eBay and find installation instructions on the Dell website. If it's the LCD, also cheapest to buy on eBay and instructions are on the Dell website.
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04 Support Dell US
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