15" Powerbook screen SUDDENLY dimmed

[elliotay]

So i was using my 15" powerbook 1Ghz yesterday and all of the sudden the screen went VERY dim. I could barely see the desktop or the open windows. It was plugged in at the time and the battery is fully charged now and it's the same. I don't understand what happened. The screen was bright and normal and the next second it was almost as if it was turned off. Restarting does nothing. Adjusting the brightness does nothing. It doesn't make any darker or brighter then it is. Please help.

 

[scan300]

Try the reset to factory defaults button.

It's a tiny button on the back of the powerbook where the ports are, it has a small triangle symbol next to it. (You make need a poking device)

I had a 1400cs where the monitor went crazy once. The reset fixed it.

 

[elliotay]

will resetting it lose any of my files or anything?

 

[jxyama]

you might have had a kernel panic...

i noticed on my pb that the screen went really dim and the instruction to reset the machine was barely visible.

 

[MacManDan]

Originally posted by scan300
Try the reset to factory defaults button.

It's a tiny button on the back of the powerbook where the ports are, it has a small triangle symbol next to it. (You make need a poking device)

I had a 1400cs where the monitor went crazy once. The reset fixed it.

I think the reset button on PowerBook DVIs and 867Mhz/1Ghz (DVI and newer models) is a little white button underneath the keyboard on the motherboard on the upper right hand corner near the power button. Push that with no battery installed or AC plugged in. You'll lose your time and date though! (no big deal).

[Edit: if none of this works, it may be that the power cords or controller for your backlight suddenly died .. since your machine is the 1Ghz PowerBook you should still have the 1yr limited warranty right? Just BE SURE that it's a hardware problem and not a software problem (unless you have AppleCare) when you call because if it ends up being a software problem Apple tech support will charge $49...]

 

[Nermal]

Originally posted by MacManDan
Just BE SURE that it's a hardware problem and not a software problem (unless you have AppleCare) when you call because if it ends up being a software problem Apple tech support will charge $49...]

Boot off your X CD and see whether the problem still exists. This should let you know whether it's a software or hardware problem. You should also try resetting the PRAM.