Hi, been away for a while, mostly because my laptop's screen screwed up. Basically the thing that transfers the electricity from teh puter to the screen's backlight got borked large. Apparently it's a piece that changes the 12v current or whatever into 50 and lights the screen. you can almost make out the start bar in windows on the screen, but it just won't light up anymore. Now here's my problem. I have a Dell Inspiron 5100. Bought in the UK. Warranty was one year, shot 6 months ago. I need that piece. The computer's in perfect working condition aside from that thing. I need someone to send me that piece from either the US, Canada or the UK. Somehow. I can't get it here in Romania because Dell has only sold Latitudes here. So I'm borked. Any chance of that? I'm going to the Dell chatline and gonna ask for some service, but I think the answer will be no. Which borking sucks. Thanks, drac

Have you tried ebay? you can normally pick up all kinds of computer stuff there for cheap.

hmm..if they still do them the way they used to, the LCD screen has 2 connections inside; the signal, and then the power. Back in the Day (I fixed laptops from the original Compaq Portable to the..uh..dang, about '97 or so, and have done work on IBM T40's..;) they actually had a little backlight, that was a tiny florescent light the length of the screen. It's possible that maybe the connection is loose, and they can reseat it. If it's gone out, then you're looking at a new LCD screen. I can tell you it's the most expensive piece of the laptop, even including the motherboard.
Sorry to be such a 'bundle of joy'. I'm actually slated for Dell training, if my @#$ing PIN number (yup, even techies have to get them) ever shows up. Used to work on the desktops back in the Day (GX1's, etc), but it's been awhile..;)
here's something to try; plug the video cable into the back, and see if you get a signal. If not, it could be the system board; if so, it looks like the LCD. If you see a flicker of light when you turn it on (i.e., the screen lights up 'slightly') the power part may be ok, and the LCD portion (the really spendy part) might be it. If no change in the lighting, then it's likely the power supply
Well, on the bright side, at least it's not stolen..;) good luck, hope this gives you enough to go on getting a repair done.

I had a Dell Latitude P2 a couple of years ago and was quoted $950.00 for a replacement Lcd. (Same symptoms as yours). I bought an external 15" crt and plugged it in and gave it to my sister. My current IBM Ae22 laptop's LCD went out about 4 mos. after warranty, and without having seen it IBM said it could easily cost upward of $1200.00 to repair it. I freaked. I had paid $3200.00 for it new, directly from IBM. Never abused it, spilled beer on the keyboard, or let my dog chew on it. I gave it to a techy buddy of mine and he soldered in a new power supply. Cost? $40.00. I don't know the moral of the story here; just relaying my experience. Good luck Drac.

Where can I get the part and where do you want it sent?

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Did a little searching, and it looks like you can order a replacement screen for around 365-385 U.S. dollar$.
Heres a couple of places I found. Sorry I didn't link 'em 'cause I know how you hate that.
http://www.laptopsetc.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=364
http://www.screentekinc.com/dell-lcd-screen.shtml
Good luck!

many thanks to all, especially the offers for help :) i'll figure something out, most likely i'll just buy a monitor and plug that in. drac

What you are looking for is called an "Inverter" You are looking for around $50 dont pay much more than that. Now sometimes when an Inverter goes bad, it also burns out the bulbs that give the back lighting of your LCD Screen and those costs $50 as well. So if you are tech savvy enough, you can purchase the Inverter and Replace it yourself. Do a google search and you can find the specific model for you laptop. They are easy to remove from a laptop but let me warn, you that you make sure the battery is removed from your laptop and the laptop is not plugged into an AC outlet.

Sometimes the screen on my ol' Presario 1690 goes on the fritz like that. (It barely lights up.) So far I've only been able to attribute it to the wiring or associated connector being bad. Opening it up and then slapping the monitor screen shut a few times seems to fix it. Just don't do it too much harder than what it takes to close it normally. (I've already mentioned that to you in chat though.) If it's a just a connection that's bad, finding info on how to open up the 'puter online is a good start. Then it's just a matter of reseating the offending ribbon cable. (If the laptop sees a lot of use and abuse, it's not that hard for some cables to work loose.)