Dim display on Dell E1505

[PKRipper1]

Hi guys. I've got a Dell E1505 that just started this a couple of days ago. The monitor is dim when it is plugged into the power supply. When it's on battery, it's bright. I don't have the OS that came with it. I have my copy of XP Pro installed. It's been running fine for almost a year.

Thanks, Paul

 

[pcgeek11]

Check the power options for the different modes and see what you are set to. There is a setting for When on AC power the LCD will XXX and When on Battery power the LCD will XXX. It seems like these are reversed for the power setting you are using.

It is normally set to Dim when on Battery power.

pcgeek11

 

[corkyg]

Those settings in Power Options are not like that in XP Pro - but, yes in Vista. Make sure your overall power settings are for "Portable/Laptop" and then try setting all three of them to "Never."

If that fixes the problem, then you can go back and set the options for Battery "sleep" times.

Dell may have its own battery saving program installed.

Since it has been working OK for a year, you may well have something else at play here, and that is a backlight tube that is getting ready to go, If you are still under warranty, you ought to contact Dell about getting that replaced.

 

[Ruptga]

Look in your Bios, you can change the backlight settings there. Or, if you don't really feel like doing it the hard way, hold Fn and push the up or down arrows to change your brightness. Those are the only two ways I know of changing the screen brightness, and I've had my E1505 for a bit over a year now.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger
". . . hold Fn and push the up or down arrows to change your brightness. Those are the only two ways I know of changing the screen brightness, and I've had my E1505 for a bit over a year now."

Good call! And that could have happened thru a keyboard error, like an accidental typo.

 

[PKRipper1]

Awesome! Fn + up arrow did it. The weird thing is I was in my device manager right before this happened and saw 4 default monitors. I uninstalled all 4 and rebooted. When it came back up, I didn't notice the monitor was darker right away and also didn't go right back into the device manager. I got side tracked onto something else. I looked in the device manager yesterday and saw all 4 monitors were there again, which didn't really surprise me (but don't understand....2 but not 4). Any way, thanks for the easy fix. I really don't think the device manager deal had anything to do with the problem. Just fat fingered it.

 

[pcgeek11]

" Dell may have its own battery saving program installed. "

Dell uses "Quickset Utility"

Some Dell Notebooks have an option in the BIOS and some do not. My 5100 did, my 1501 doesn't.

pcgeek11

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: PKRipper1
Fn + up arrow did it.

:thumbsup: You can also set defaults in BIOS.