Troubleshooting Your Own Computer

Is Your Laptop Display Acting Strange? Here's What Might Be Going On

by Dora Barrett

Having your laptop develop display issues can be a major headache. Whether it's an unexpected flickering screen, distorted graphics, or lines running across the computer display, these problems can make it hard to use your computer for work or entertainment.

To help you out, here are some of the most common computer repair issues related to laptop displays and how you can fix them. With this guide in hand, you'll have a better idea of what might be causing your computer woes — and how to tackle them.

Flickering Display

This issue is usually caused by a defective cable or outdated driver. You might see random pixels or shadow images on the computer screen before the flickering begins. The constant flickering can be incredibly annoying, but thankfully, it's often easy to fix.

Start by checking the computer's power settings to see if the computer is set to conserve battery life. If so, change the settings to allow maximum performance and see if that eliminates the flickering. You can also try replacing the display cable with an updated one.

If that doesn't work, it's likely a driver issue, and you can try updating the computer's operating system or graphics card driver to resolve the problem. This is often a process for which you can typically find instructions on the manufacturer's website.

Oftentimes, all you need to do is download and install the new driver and then restart your computer. If that fails, then the issue could be something more serious that an experienced repair expert can help you fix.

Distorted Graphics

A computer with distorted graphics may be suffering from compatibility issues between the computer and its display driver. The display driver acts as a bridge between the computer chip and the screen, allowing the computer to send information to be displayed on the monitor.

If there's a conflict between the computer and the driver, then the computer may experience distorted graphics. This is often an issue with newer computers and programs that weren't designed to work together.

To fix this issue, try uninstalling the computer's display driver and then reinstalling it. If that doesn't work, check that all the components in your computer's display system are working correctly and update any drivers that may be out of date. If the computer still has distorted graphics, then it's likely a hardware issue that's much harder to fix without the necessary computer repair knowledge.

Lines Running Across the Screen

If you're seeing weird lines or patterns running across your computer's display, then it's likely a hardware issue. The computer may have a faulty monitor cable or a bad display, either of which can cause these unwanted lines to appear.

This issue can also be caused by an inadequate power supply or overheating components in your computer. To troubleshoot this, begin by using an external cooling system such as a laptop cooling pad.

Then check the computer's power supply and make sure it meets the computer manufacturer's recommended wattage. If these steps don't resolve the issue, then you can take your computer to a professional computer repair shop for further diagnostics.

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