FS: Semi-Working Dell Inspiron 1000

[coolkatz321]

My Dell Inspiron is having a monitor problem, I'm not sure if it needs to be replaced or if there's just a loose cable inside. Once the computer starts up, it's fine; however, if the monitor is moved, then screen goes black. It seems to be a fixable problem, but I don't want to deal with it. Here are the specs of the laptop-

15" Semi-Working LCD Monitor
30gb hard drive
512mb ram
2.2ghz Celeron Processor
DVD/CD-RW Drive
Wireless G Card (Not integrated, sorry!)
Battery Holds a full Charge (Approximately 2 hours)

Everything else is in perfect working order. I'm looking to get about $350 for this, which I think is pretty optomistic. I will look at ANY offer for it, please PM them to me ASAP. Thanks!

[handrail]

don't discount eBay for this item. many buyers on eBay snap up working laptops to fix them and resell. i've sold a couple non-working laptops on eBay for good prices and they are snapped up quickly.

[Ardnek]

I had the same problem with my Inspiron 1000 with the screen going blank when moving it. I reseated all of the video connections and then reassembled the laptop. When I attempted to turn the computer on, however, the LCD didn't turn on at all. Now I was in worse shape than before. I took the laptop apart again and reseated all of the connections but to no avail. I decided to take the next step and replace the flex video cable but then found out that Dell doesn't carry the part (though they do suddenly have it if you want to send in your laptop for them to fix) and I couldn't find it on eBay or anywhere else either. So, I took the laptop apart yet again, reseated all of the connections, and uncrinked the flex video cable; however, this time I booted the computer back up before reassembling it and the screen came to life. I then reassembled the computer piece by piece and checked at each stage whether the screen would still come on. It worked until I reattached the metal plate that covers the motherboard, fan, etc. I noticed that this metal plate severely pinches the video flex cable as it comes up to go to the LCD and so I assumed that this poor design was responsible for the black outs when moving the screen. To fix it, I took a pair of metal snips and cut out a tab for the cable to freely move through without being pinched and then covered the sharp metal edges with electrician's tape. The laptop now works perfectly even when moving the screen.

Fortunately for me, the short in the flex video cable was mild enough that simply straightening it out was enough to fix it. However, for others, you might have to replace this cable (if you can find one). I would recommend cutting out a tab in the metal cover even if you replace the cable so as to avoid future shorts. One final note: the plastic outer housing still requires the cable to be squished a bit as it goes to the LCD but it isn't nearly as severe and damaging as the metal plate.