Vaio VGN A517S black screen with windows running HELP!

[bilconst]

Screen goes black after 10 secs but responds to some actions. OK at load, laptop display shows "VAIO"  start screen, then "Windows Resuming", then main screen of fully loaded OS and then external screen (TV) comes on at that point and stays on. This  allows me to work but is inconvenient.  The Windows screen seems to be there if a bright light shone very close to the screen just after it goes black. It comes on again for 10 secs if lid closed then opened, after "display timeout"(external screen goes blank), touch any key or pad, and if you switch screens from duplicate to external and back. From other sources on Web sounds like Backlight Inverter problem but it's not clear if the Inverter has a fault or if the backlight can be controlled separately from the graphics display/driver which is original NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT GPU. The symptoms are the same if I load in safe mode & Ubuntu from a USB stick.

[Blencogo]

Hi bilconst

If you can see the image on the screen with a torch and also view on an external monitor, then it seems like the graphics and the screen are OK and your problem is the backlight.

The constant 10 seconds before turning off is puzzling as this sounds more like software than hardware. Are you running the original OS (XP)?

It is unlikely but I would firstly check your power management settings as it is just possible that the screen is set to turn off quickly to save battery. Does it do the same on battery and on AC?

If it is a hardware problem - your Vaio has been around for a while - it could be the inverter is faulty or it could be the lighting tubes.

Sorry I can’t be more specific. Replacing the inverter may be the a cost effective step but there is no guarantee it will help.

[bilconst]

Thank you for your reply which confirms my own conclusions that it is likely to be old age, over 10 years of regular use, and therefore hardware but the regularity of the switch-off makes me suspicious of software.

      I upgraded from Vista(as purchased) to Windows 7 in Jan 2018 with no real problems.

I have been in touch with NVIDIA who have taken considerable interest in the problem with similar concerns on the software. they have recommended re-installing the latest  version as recommended by Sony, before they removed support for this model, but I am now in the middle of some voluntary editing with a community newspaper and reluctant to make any significant changes for a couple more weeks. I will when finished editing.