My Dell Inspiron 15 5584 touchscreen laptop suddenly started showing severe screen glitching and ghosting. The problem is present at every screen angle and also appears in the BIOS setup, so it does not seem to be caused by the operating system or normal display drivers. The touchscreen still works correctly. The laptop is old, out of warranty, and repairs are expensive where I live, so I want to identify the likely cause before paying for a repair. Would replacing the LCD panel or the display cable be the more likely solution? My dad has successfully replaced the charging port and battery before, so he may be able to do the repair himself if we can make a reliable diagnosis.
2 Answers
Because the distortion is visible in the BIOS, this is almost certainly a hardware problem rather than a Windows or driver issue. The main suspects are the display cable, the LCD panel, or less commonly the motherboard's display circuitry. Since changing the screen angle does not affect it, the cable is not proven to be good or bad, but a failed LCD panel may be more likely. Check the laptop with an external monitor first: if the external display is normal, the problem is limited to the screen assembly or cable; if both displays glitch, the motherboard or graphics hardware may be involved.
Do not order an LCD immediately. First inspect or reseat the display connector at the motherboard and behind the panel, looking for a loose connection, damaged pins, or a pinched cable. If gently moving the cable near the hinges changes the image, replacing the cable is the better bet. If the cable and connectors look good and an external monitor works normally, the LCD panel itself is likely defective. Use the exact compatible touchscreen panel and cable part numbers for this model, since touchscreen and non-touchscreen assemblies may differ.
The touchscreen continues to work normally, and the same distortion appears in the BIOS. I’ll try an external monitor before ordering parts so we can narrow down whether the fault is in the panel or elsewhere.