laptop screen flickers(hp dv 6846tx or dv6000)

[doomgiver]

hi guys.
i have this strange problem.
my laptop's screen flickers in brightness in a random manner. i've had this problem for a long time.
the screen will become darker, then brighter, very quickly. normally, the brightness is changed gradually by the brightness buttons, but here, it flickers very fast, and goes dead. i can see the image on the screen, but its very dim.
the problem is solved by closing and opening the laptop lid, or keeping it permanently on ac power (did i mention that as soon as it goes on battery, the screen shuts down instantly?).

it got so bad, that i couldnt even see what was on the screen without it shutting down.

finally, in jan, i decided, enough was enough, and i hulked open(alright, i carefully dissected) my laptop's innards.

i saw that the screen power cord(which is connected to the mobo on the left side of the body) was lying DIRECTLY on top of the cpu heatsink.

way to go, hp. screw your customers.

check out step 12. look how close the cord is to the heatsink. and hp laptops get hot really fast.

so, i put some paper+electrical insulation tape on the wire and put everything back together as it was(minus small screen magnet, lost the damn thing, i thought it was just a piece of trash metal).

it was working perfectly fine until today, when the flickering started again. as the magnet is lost, i cannot just open and close the lid, and im in no mood to open the laptop again.

can someone please help me out?

[desiibond]

did you try battery power manager set to 'maximum performance' and see if that keeps the display at unifrom brightness. also check if the current power settings changes the display brightness to bare minimum when the laptop is on battery.

[doomgiver]

yes, the problem is of hardware. i tried it on linux too.
right now, its not so bad, only flickers a bit, but i'd hate to see it return to its original state. once, i even banged on the lid in anger. 55k down the drain. never gonna buy a laptop again without researching first.

max performance is a bit better than power saver, but it heats up faster.

i may have to replace the insulating tape from the cable.

[desiibond]

few things.

1. get a laptop cooler. helps a lot. cheapo ones are available for some 500 bucks
2. if the laptop is under warranty, take it for service. if not, buy warranty extension pack. you will need this. get the display and heat issues fixed.
3. next time you look for a new laptop, don't bother looking for a HP laptop.

[doomgiver]

Originally Posted by desiibond

few things.

1. get a laptop cooler. helps a lot. cheapo ones are available for some 500 bucks
2. if the laptop is under warranty, take it for service. if not, buy warranty extension pack. you will need this. get the display and heat issues fixed.
3. next time you look for a new laptop, don't bother looking for a HP laptop.

1. using a home-made one. a flat book/wood board + cpu fan. keeps it at a tolerable temp. and i always put a book under the lappy so that the exhaust and intake are clear
2. warranty over 1 yr ago. heat issue is due to bad design(meant for cooler climate, sold in india) i'll see if i can get a warranty pack, but they'll know i've tinkered with the lappy
3. im not gonna buy laptops. they suck. im more of a desktop guy. took me the hard way to figure out. i'll prolly keep a netbook for portablity

thanks desiibond, ur my hero!