black screen

i have a 13.3 macbook
when you power it, it swtitches on for a second then goes black
if you put the lid down - you can see the power light
if you open the lid the screen comes on for a second and goes black again
any idea?
thanks

Was it exposed to liquid, dropped or otherwise physically mishandled?

If not, then the first thing I'd do would be an SMC reset: Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

If that doesn't do it, a PRAM reset might be in order: About NVRAM and PRAM

Can you be more specific about the machine type? Approximate age and specs would be helpful.

oh it's 10.5.? brought in 2009 - i've been told it's a rare one at 13.3 screen but that's all i know
it's not been mishandled but kept freezing and going very slow before the screen played up
i've also been told that it's the screen and it needs replacing but it doesn't look that way to me as the screen looks perfect for the very brief time that it's on

So, were you able to try either of the two methods I've mentioned above?

Is it made out of plastic or aluminum?

it's made of plastic - but i dont have it with me - i've left it for a quote but the screen replacement doesn't sound right to me
i went to bed thinking i'd switched it off, got up in the morning and it was still on but ***gered

dawnh said:

it's made of plastic - but i dont have it with me - i've left it for a quote but the screen replacement doesn't sound right to me
i went to bed thinking i'd switched it off, got up in the morning and it was still on but ***gered

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If the screen powers up briefly, it could be the display inverter, which is a module that supplies power to the back light. Typically with a faulty back light, you can still see an image on the screen if you squint and have it in the right light.

Regardless, if you dropped it off at a shop, it should be very easy for them to diagnose a screen problem. All they'll need to do is hook it up to an external display. If they get video on the external display, then it's isolated to the screen. It's rare for an LCD panel to fail outright, so it might just be the inverter, which is a roughly $70 part. I would personally charge about $100 in labor, which is assuming about 2 hours worth of work.

ah ok thank you
he's told me it would cost £100 for a new screen which is about the same as $170
as you can probably tell hardware isn't my thing
i just wanted to check i'm not getting ripped off!

dawnh said:

ah ok thank you
he's told me it would cost £100 for a new screen which is about the same as $170
as you can probably tell hardware isn't my thing
i just wanted to check i'm not getting ripped off!

Click to expand...

It doesn't sound like you're getting ripped off, though I am curious about what is being replaced exactly - is it the entire lid assembly, or just the LCD panel? Is the service provider an AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider)?

The quality of LCD panels can also vary significantly. So, if they're replacing the LCD for just £100 (including labor), I'd want to know if the part is of equivalent quality. £100 seems a little low for a full screen replacement, including labor.

just the lcd panel i think - when i went in there were some about the place - he said he could have done it for half the price if it had been a standard size screen...
i'm kinda frightened because i cant afford to replace the whole thing