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Find information about how to troubleshoot and resolve common issues like blank or black screen, no video, distorted image, flickering, fuzzy or blurry screen, horizontal or vertical lines, touchscreen problems, color problems and so on when using a Dell monitor or Dell laptop.
Display or video related issues on Dell desktop monitors and laptop screens can be caused due to incorrect display or video settings, outdated graphics card drivers, incorrectly connected cables, and so on.
Identify the symptoms that you notice on your Dell computer and follow the link to the Dell knowledge base article for further troubleshooting.
| Screen, Icon or Font Size Too Small or Too Big | If the screen, icons or font size is too small or too big, changing the video settings can help resolve the problem. Select the appropriate operating system on the right to learn more about how to change the video settings on your PC. | |
| Blank Screen or No Video | Either there is no display on the monitor or the screen has horizontal or vertical lines going across it. | |
| Distorted Image or Video, Flickering, Fuzzy, Blurry, or Color Problems | The icons, font or screen is distorted, flickering, fuzzy, blurry or has color problems. | |
| Brightness, Contrast, Horizontal Lines, Vertical Lines or Geometrical problems | The Screen is either too bright, too dim or has a black space on the top of the screen or on the bottom of the screen or has horizontal lines or vertical lines. | |
| Bright or Dead Pixel | Learn how to identify a bright or dead pixel on a Dell laptop or monitor screen. | |
| Touchscreen Troubleshooting | The Screen is not responding to touch, touch is working intermittently or is too sensitive to touch. |
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Last Published Date26 Aug 2021
Version8
Article TypeSolution
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Dell laptops have integrated diagnostic tools that can determine if the screen abnormality is an inherent problem with the LCD screen of the Dell laptop or with the video card [GPU] and computer settings.
When you notice screen abnormalities like flickering, distortion, clarity issues, fuzzy or blurry images, horizontal or vertical lines, color fade, running a diagnostic test on the LCD helps identify if the issue is with the LCD panel.
Method 1
- Turn off the computer.
- Disconnect any devices that are connected to the computer, and connect the AC Adapter [charger].
- Ensure that the LCD screen is clean [no dust particles are on the surface of the screen].
- Press and hold the D key and turn on the computer to enter the LCD built-in self-test [BIST] mode. Continue to hold the D key until you see the entire screen change colors.
- The screen changes colors to black, white, red, green, and blue.
- Carefully inspect the screen for abnormalities.
- Press the Esc key to exit.
Method 2
- Turn off the computer.
- Disconnect any devices that are connected to the computer, and connect the AC Adapter [charger].
- Ensure that the LCD screen is clean [no dust particles are on the surface of the screen].
- Turn on the computer and tap the F12 key several times until the One Time Boot Menu appears.
- Use the arrow keys on the keyboard and select Diagnostics, and press the Enter key.
- The preboot computer assessment runs a series of tests on the computer.
- Press the N key to enter LCD-integrated self-test mode when you see the message Do you see the color bars? Yes/No.
NOTE: If you do not respond for 30 seconds, the diagnostics will automatically assume your response as No and go to the LCD built-in self-test.
- The screen displays multiple color bars and changes colors on the entire screen to black, white, red, green, and blue.
- Carefully inspect the screen for abnormalities.
- The computer restarts after the remaining tests are completed.
If you do not detect any screen abnormalities in the integrated self-test mode, the LCD panel of the laptop is functioning properly. Go to the Update the video card [GPU] driver, monitor driver, and BIOS section.
If you notice any abnormalities in the LCD built-in self-test mode, contact Dell Technical Support to learn more about repair options that are available in your region.
Duration: 01:44
Closed captions: English only
Hi,
At the bottom of the screen horizontal lines have started to appear forming a rectangle and covering almost 25% of the screen. The lines change color depending on the color of the background. Please provide solutions to this problem.
Hi, It seems like the problem lies in the LCD itself but here are some troubleshooting steps that may help.
- First, connect an external monitor to the laptop then press the Windows key + P at the same time then select Duplicate display and see if the same problem will persist on the external display.
- If you'll still see the horizontal lines on the external display that could only mean the the problem is the GPU itself.
- Do a clean install of the graphics card driver that may solve the issue.
- Go to Device Manager and uninstall the graphics card driver.
- Next is to open Programs and Features then uninstall anything related to the graphics card.
-Once done, download and install the latest driver from the manufacturer site of the GPU.
- Reboot the laptop once the latest driver has been installed.
- After the reboot and if the same problem will persist I would suggest contacting Dell support for a repair if it's still under the factory warranty.
- But if the line will not appear on the external display, try to open the laptop and check the ribbon cable that connects the LCD to the motherboard. If it will still not work after reseating the ribbon cable, last option would be to replace the LCD already.
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