Multiple Problems with my PC. Massive Dilemma. Need help.

Hey SevenForums users.

I have a lot to explain here so please bare with me. So here's the sitch':

I have a Dell Inspiron 1545. Had it for nearly 3 years now and some parts and components are on it's way out. So what I did is decided to purchase some replacement parts instead of buying the upgrade to mine (Inspiron 15r/N5010). This was done because they were minor parts and would make my Laptop look fresh and new again. The parts that were changed are:

-Palmrest. Went from a Black Touchpad Palmrest to a White for the new Touchpad and color. Touchpad was faulty on the Black one.
- Speakers. Speakers were nearing death as they started to sound very distorted.
- Keyboard. The X, B and Media Next >> keys were missing as they have popped out.


(As you can see from the above picture, the laptop looks fairly NEW)

All of the above parts came up to £50 or $81. I'm expecting to change another part on there which is the Back Cover, where the DELL Logo is located, to Blue as my current one is worn out and messy. And also the Motherboard. I'm switching the Motherboard to an ATI one instead of my current Intel Intergrated Graphics (Later on from now. I'm on a very tight budget and can only afford a few parts).

My problem is:

More and more problems are arising on this machine. After all of the parts were changed I noticed a Dead Pixel which seemed to have appeared out of no where. Now, I know there's no way to remove it, but does that mean I'll need a new screen? They go for £40-£70 or $64-$113. Like I said, I'm on a very tight budget.

So, that being said, I was wondering if I should find a way to repair this laptop. Or sell it and save up to get the newer Inspiron 15r/N5010? I don't really want to sell it as I've had this for a while and it would be a waste of £50 or $81 really Plus, it's a perfectly working laptop but has reports of common problems. But I need your opinions on this, please.

Also, are there any possible ways of removing Dead Pixels without a screen replacement? Do I need a screen replacement? Do they get worse after a while?

Thanks,
T4K3ND0WN.

Hi Ishmael ,I think you could live with 1 dead pixel on todays standard of LCDs . have a look here Dead Pixel on Your Laptop Screen - How to Fix it this may be of interest to you

8uckw1ld said:

They usually disappear. From what I've been told they disappear within days, and sometimes they don't. Try searching up some methods and see what happens. It would be a shame to replace something that didn't need to be fixed.

I heard they don't dissappear and are inrepairable. I think it's because it's a Black Pixel. Others such as Blue, Red, Yellow and stuff, known as Stuck Pixels, are repairable.

Thank you so much for these suggestions and your post!

pebbly said:

Hi Ishmael ,I think you could live with 1 dead pixel on todays standard of LCDs . have a look here Dead Pixel on Your Laptop Screen - How to Fix it this may be of interest to you

I can probably live with it. It's barely noticable but it is irritating. I just fear that it'll get worse. I was going to purchase a new screen soon anyway. There's better versions of mine. My screen is a 15.6" HD CCFL with Truelife and the one I was going to upgrdade to is a 15.6" HD + WLED with Truelife.

Thanks for your post, Pebbly!

good link pebbly. here is a similar page. leave it running overnight , preferably in a different room to where you are trying to sleep
LCD repair v2.0

click the ? & i button for info. apparently a black pixel is a dead pixel and red/blue or green is a stuck pixel
stuck pixels can be fixed

Ishmael,
Get a new laptop.
If you can sell what you have, then more power to you.

Comp Cmndo said:

I have a 17" flat panel monitor with a "stuck" pixel. I tried repair software & it was unsuccessful.

As for replacing a motherboard on a laptop: it's not worth the expense. Sell your current laptop for parts & buy a new one. Laptops are like cellphones, disposable. Dell parts are in high demand.

If your budget is really tight, I've seen new netbooks on sale for $199(US). If you shop around you can get a very nice notebook for $400.

I was thinking about replacing the Motherboard because the Motherboard I was going to buy boasts an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 which is 100x better than my Intel 4500HD. I love this darn laptop so I was willing to put money into it.

The Inspiron 15r/N5010 has Intel HD3000 is a lot better than my one (as they discontinued my one and made the 15r/N5010 as a replacement). The Intel HD3000 features in the Intel Core i7 Processor. You have the option to get the 15r/N5010 with the 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 for more money.

ripbox said:

Id say sell it while it still worth something... around £230 tops
As for the pixel if you take a lint free cloth & a ballpoint pen... wrap the cloth over the ball point and use this to put a firm amount of pressure on the pixel and massage it but be careful not to press too hard as you may damage the screen further..... if all is well the pixel will become unstuck though red pixels generally indicate 100% dead
There is a fe programs that can get them unstuck but you can be waiting a loooooong time days even b4 the become unstuck.....
your best bet is to hang on to it until you get a bit of coinage together and trad it in for a new one, you should get around £90 - £100 trade in easy, but as i say you get more for a private sale but thats only if you can manage without a pc

£230 seems like a good deal meaning I'd have to add on about £300 more to get a decent one with a decent dedicated graphics card. Maybe I could bump up the prices as some parts are new, like the Palmrest, Speakers and Keyboard.

boohbah said:

good link pebbly. here is a similar page. leave it running overnight , preferably in a different room to where you are trying to sleep
LCD repair v2.0

click the ? & i button for info. apparently a black pixel is a dead pixel and red/blue or green is a stuck pixel
stuck pixels can be fixed

That link you gave is excellent. I'll give it a try. I'm not sure if mine is Dead or Stuck because it's fairly small. So small, it looks like a piece of dirt or dust on the screen. It could be red or black. I'm not sure. Can't tell really.

Thanks again for that link.

seavixen32 said:

As far as most computer manufacturer's are concerned a display will have several dead pixels before they consider it a problem.

If it were me I'd bite the bullet and get a newer computer.

As funds are tight you could ask the reseller to give you a good deal on an ex-display (no pun intended) model.

Maybe I could ask them to give me an even better deal because of the new parts I had replaced? It seems reasonable. When you look at this Laptop, it looks as good as new. No scratches, scuffs or grazes exist on this Laptop. Plus, it's a nice performing Laptop! Nothing is wrong with it but that little pixel on the screen which is when I started thinking about replacing the screen. I could probably get the money to replace it with a WLED one instead of a CFC one. But, like I said before, this laptop has a very faulty history. Many problems go wrong with it as many owners has said. I've seen a few problems with it. One after the other. But I've repaired them all. I think this is the reason why DELL discontinued it and made the 15r? Maybe.

karlsnooks said:

Ishmael,
Get a new laptop.
If you can sell what you have, then more power to you.

It's easier said than done, really. I'm not sure on what I should do. I posted in another forum explaining the same thing. They were saying I should hang on to this until I can rack up enough to get the 15r. The only reason why I'd go for the 15r is because it's an upgrade of mine.

Does DELL do trade-in deals?