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M1210 - display issue = pictures/videos with artifacts as watercolor pictures

post #1 of 20
9/12/09 at 12:09pm
Thread Starter 
I've got an XPS M1210 with NVidia GeForce 7400 and since last week all the pictures/videos appear blurry with artifacts, … somehow like watercolor books or with burn efect pictures. Other observation: on the Windows locking blue screen, instead the clear light blue on upper left corner, I can see something like a sun with round circles around effect. Also, on the starting black Windows screen, the words are not shown clear. See the attachements as examples.
I tought is from a corupted driver, so I rebuild the system but, without luck. Even I opened the laptop and checked all the connectors plus clear the dust but, with the same bad luck. Also I replaced the LCD with a new one but again the problem is still there = I've got one new 12.1" LCD for sale now.
I connected another monitor and also a HD TV to the laptop and on these, the pictures and video are perfect.

Please let me know your thougths, what can be the problem: inverter, cables????. I appreciate any sugestion.
Thank you.

LL
LL
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post #2 of 20
9/12/09 at 12:30pm
How old is the comp? Try taking apart and clean it up? GPU failing?

Try running under safe mode?

cheers ...
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post #3 of 20
9/12/09 at 12:46pm
what are your GPU temps like now ?

But most likely it is your GPU
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post #4 of 20
9/12/09 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 
First of all thanks for sugestions. So:
- laptop is 3 year old and is out of waranty. Try to ask Dell for diagnostic thru the phone and they ask me for 50$
- I opened and cleaned already + all conectors inspected
- Windows opened in safe mode but, same symptoms
- the fonts on BIOS screen also are not shown clear (shadow conturs)
- GPU temperature 52deg C
- laptop connected to outside monitor /HD TV and displayed crystal picture = I don't suspect GPU problem

I already ordered an inverter board (20$). I'll post the results.

Thx
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post #5 of 20
9/13/09 at 11:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rogerius View Post
...
- Windows opened in safe mode but, same symptoms
..
I tend to agree with Dave, regarding the GPU failing.

cheers ...
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post #6 of 20
4/9/10 at 10:50pm
Any improvements no this?

I have the exact same problem with my XPS:

Quote:
- laptop is 3 year old and is out of waranty. Try to ask Dell for diagnostic thru the phone and they ask me for 50$
- I opened and cleaned already + all conectors inspected
- Windows opened in safe mode but, same symptoms
- the fonts on BIOS screen also are not shown clear (shadow conturs)
- GPU temperature 52deg C
- laptop connected to outside monitor /HD TV and displayed crystal picture = I don't suspect GPU problem
What is an inverter board?

Thanks
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post #7 of 20
4/10/10 at 12:38pm
The inverter board is a card that converts the low voltage from the laptop to a higher voltage for the LCD Bulbs that light up your display.

If your external monitor picture is good, than I would try check and/or replacing the cable from the GPU to the LCD display.

If that does not work, then more likley a new display is required
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post #8 of 20
4/12/10 at 10:03am
Thanks dave-p for your advice.

As i live in Uruguay, and spare parts prices are sky high, i can't afford to start try one solution after the other, even less with a 3 years old notebook.

I was hoping rogerius had a more accurate diagnostic, product of his effort to fix it.

I've read in other forums/posts that either the lcd or cable replacement work, so i'll wait untill someone finds a solution (besides replacing the MOBO)

regards
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post #9 of 20
4/12/10 at 12:20pm
It will be tough to rely on someone's else "concrete" solution pertaining to the screen issue. It is not always the same solution for everyone. Best bet is always to go the cheapest route to come close to a concrete problem before deciding if it is worth to repair

No good local places for used good replacement parts in your part of the world?

cheers ...
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post #10 of 20
4/12/10 at 3:10pm


If you are 100 % certain that the picture is fine in an external monitor, it really only leaves two things

1. Video Cable
2. LCD Display

The video cable is about a $ 20.00 part on Ebay, of course the LCD display can be over $ 100.00.

in some cases you can get a LCD Kit which includes the LCD display, Inverter, and the cable.
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post #11 of 20
4/12/10 at 3:38pm
Ummmmmmmmmm...
This might sound retarded, but are you 100% certain that you're running in 32 bit high colour? This looks like 16bit to me as opposed to a bad screen. Screen looks fine actually. WinXp HAS that sun effect, except with high colour it looks almost unnoticeable, of course on a lower colour quality that changes. Either that or it's the lcd cable. Screens don't fail like that from what I've seen. and a gpu issue would just give you checkered artifacts like mad.
Ask if you don't know how to check for 32 bit colour mode...sometimes it'll change the colour mode when an external is attached, just like changing resolution. x-y-z=colour!
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post #12 of 20
4/14/10 at 2:24am
If it's working on the external monitor just fine, I'd say it has something to do with the cables connecting between the graphics card and the screen
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post #13 of 20
4/19/10 at 12:45pm

Same Problem here with my m1210

I'm having / had the same problem with my m1210. Have you tried playing around with different NVIDA drivers for the go 7400 ?
About 4 month's ago, I ran into this problem where all the images had this blurry / distored looked 100 % of them time. I did some testing with a several different version's of the geforce drivers. Once I updated to version 178 (not 100 % on this since i'm not currently using my laptop). The problem essentially went away. When I first boot up I get the distorted watercolored images, then when I log in the images / screen revert back to normal.

I am currently working to get windows 7 x64 to work with my m1210. I get the same problems (boot crappy look, then after logon images screen clears up). The twist now is when I play a video in reverts to the crappy / distorted images. It will some times revert back to a clear image.

I to would like to put an end to the problem. Is it the LCD, Drivers , or the graphic card causing this?

On a side note. Windows 7 x64 - does speed thing up on my m1210.
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post #14 of 20
4/19/10 at 6:35pm
I would say in your case that the GPU is about to take a rest. But still here's the question: how does it function with an external monitor?

cheers ...
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post #15 of 20
5/18/10 at 1:21am
I have the same problem on my xps m1210 and it only started recently. Have done almost everything except for either replacing the motherboard, lcd cable, lcd inverter, or lcd itself.

Did full reinstalls and multiple hdd's, diagnostics, Vista, 7, 32-bit, 64-bit, but the problem still remains. However, for now, mine is intermittent and only happens for about a minute or two, then goes back to normal anywhere between 5-45 minutes, then back again.

On startup bios screen it has the watercolor video effect through windows 7 logo, but goes back to normal on login screen, when I log in with password, it goes back to the watercolor effect and after the initial minute of startup returns to normal.

From all the forums I've read, this doesn't seem to be the lcd display itself, but rather possibly the lcd cable connector or lcd inverter? When connected to an external monitor, it never has these problems.

Would the Nvidia geforce 7400, GPU be the problem?
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post #16 of 20
5/18/10 at 1:57am
if the GPU was the problem then you would also have problems using an external monitor
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post #17 of 20
5/18/10 at 2:00am
I would also rule the inverter if the screen is still bright - that is the only function of the inverter is the CCFL brightness.

So LCD cable is the next thing to try

If not the display is the last thing.

it would also be worth while inspecting the connector on the GPu that the video cable connects to for any damage
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post #18 of 20
6/14/10 at 6:57pm
Just a follow up, I was able to get mine repaired from an ebay seller offering GPU/video repair on these m1210's.

It WAS the GPU, however not a failing gpu, but the GPU connections to the motherboard itself. From what I read, a common problem with NVIDIA GPU's on these xps m1210's and other brands and models. Some people attempt a homebrew method, google search bake oven motherboard to reflow it.

The BGA connections on the GPU needed to be reflowed and now works normally again. Cost was considerably less than buying a new motherboard with the same GPU that essentially could run into the same issue in the future.
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post #19 of 20
6/28/10 at 7:53pm
Any updates from anyone who has fixed the washed out screen problem? I have a Dell M1210 that is having the same issue.

Tried:
Cleaning out dust.
Updating drivers for GPU
Reconnecting the LCD connector

No problems when plugged into an external monitor. Weird.
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post #20 of 20
6/28/10 at 8:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by g1mppy View Post
Any updates from anyone who has fixed the washed out screen problem? I have a Dell M1210 that is having the same issue.

Tried:
Cleaning out dust.
Updating drivers for GPU
Reconnecting the LCD connector

No problems when plugged into an external monitor. Weird.
read the post above yours, It maybe your GPU needs a reflow
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