Ok, I'll try explain this the best I can.

I have a Sony Vaio, I have Windows Visa home premium. I've had my laptop for just over a year.
Yesterday, my screen kept fading white. It would go slightly white and a after about 10 seconds the whole screen would be completely white and stayed white! I have to switch my laptop off using the power button.

I haven't changed anything, I did a windows update about 2 weeks ago? Nothing else has changed except deleting and reinstalling stuff I don't use any more. My laptop is my baby, I can't afford another one, and I have no other computer.

Any idea why my screen goes white?

and today t's been flickering with white and black lines going across the screen :( It hasn't as of yet faded completely white though.

When my hard drive failed, my screen would flicker to black. I'm not sure why it would fade to white.

All I could think of is maybe a graphics driver or hard drive issue. I'm no expert though :(

it sounds like its the graphics card and driver, you didnt update the driver did you?

Thanks for the replies!!

Nope... I don't think so.
Is there any way I can fix it?

My screen keeps going grainy now, then not so grainy, then really grainy, then kind of back to normal and i think it's going to go all white again but it hasn't/doesn't (yet) The colour is fine.
My laptop was brand new in june 2009 :( Why is it doing this. Grr.

Yeah that definitely sounds like a graphics card issue.
When mine crashes (its really a piece, that card of mine!) it still has color but it looks like a computer from back in the 90s. All super grainy and poor colors and stuff.

Maybe finding an updated driver for it would help? It surely couldn't hurt.


If you don't know how to find out what card you have (or really, any of your comp specs)
go to Start > Run > Type in DxDiag and hit enter.

It sometimes gives me a pop up. I just hit yes. It'll give you the low-down on all your computer stuff :)

When I click on the graphics card tab it tells me in the notes there "no problems found". It may tell you whats wrong with yours (Although I've never heard of anyone using that as a diagnostic tool)

@ Jessica, I did that, it says "no problems found" So Idk. Thankyou for your help!

It's done it twice today so far, I think it's the graphics card or something :(:(

My computer was stepped on a good 6 months ago, & now the bottom quarter of my screen goes grainy, then normal, then grainy. I'm just going to replace the screen. Is there any computer tech you can take it to to get it looked at?

Just as a heads up... it costs more to replace an LCD screen than it does to buy an entirely new laptop.

Judas. Well, I don't have the money for either right now, haha. I've only had my computer for a year & a half & there's SO much on it that it'd depress me to have to buy a new one. Not to mention, I want a Macbook, so that'd cost lots of money I don't have. :(

Why are computers so difficult!

Yeah, I know how that goes. I had SO many people come in when I worked at Geek Squad wanting to get the screen repaired. We'd all tell them flat out they'd probably be better off getting an entirely new computer. The LCD screens we had, the cheapest I think was about $500. And it went up about two hundred dollars for every INCH bigger the screen was.

It's really easy to transfer your hard drive though, if you chose to buy a new computer. Especially if you're able to start the original computer up and everything. With a laptop though, you should really think about investing in an external hard drive. From what I've seen they make them pretty cheap now. I only suggest the external because laptops tend to have more "accidents". What with carrying them around and whatnot. Don't want to lose all your stuff :)

sounds like where the screen connects to the keyboard area of the laptop was damaged. My daughters was damaged at the hinges and within days she started to have issues with the screen and being able to see it

I had the screen replaced in the laptop, and then the computer crashed. Damn toshibas anyway.

Also happened to my Toshiba one. Had the screen replaced and then the whole thing crashed and was not worth getting fixed! Must be a Toshiba thing :-/

I can vouch for Jessica on the LCD screen replacement. I have a Toshiba Satellite P300. Really nice, but thankfully, my grandma put awesome insurance on it. My mom cracked the screen. They replaced it for free, but I got a copy of the bill mailed to me. $474.74. That's ridiculous. I don't know about yall but I don't have that kinda money just laying around.

@ Minor_Catastrophe My Toshiba Satalite screen had to be replaced (I was in the kitchen with it, opened the cupboard and the ketchup bottle fell out straight on the screen) and I paid about the same to have it fixed.
My screen on this laptop isn't like that though, its not the same. I think its something to do with the graphics card. Idk. :(

Ok I just moved my screen/lid on my laptop and it happened really fast, then I moved it back to how it was and it happened again. I've fgured when it does start to go grainy just move my screen a little and it goes away......... How odd. Any thoughts on this? lose wire? I wonder how much that would cost to fix. It's the labor that's expensive they charge almost £50 an hour!!!!!!!!!! EEK.

@ Jessica, my friend is selling me an external hard drive, she's only used it twice. I really do not want to lose all my music and photos.
Thankyou for your advice/help

It's really easy to transfer your hard drive though, if you chose to buy a new computer.
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We have a pc and a external hard drive as we have so much stuff that if I lost any I would die! LOL!

I love my ext. hard drive. ALL my music/vids are on it. Really saves space on a computer hard drive.

Might just be a loose cable that connects the screen to the mobo.

(Had that happen to mine before... it did that whenever the lid/screen was opened/moved.)

@ Doc. I think it's that too, when it all fades/goes grainey, if i move the screen forward a bit it goes back to normal....
Any idea on how much it might cost to have fixed? :-

Thanks for all the replies guys :D