Laptop screen stays off after resume

[trs2988]

I just got this laptop from my aunt after her business gave her a new one, and I'm having some trouble with it. It's a Dell Inspiron 8000. Most of the time when I close the screen and come back a while later, the laptop screen has shut itself off. That's fine. However, I can't seem to get it to resume. I move the mouse, click the mouse, type, but nothing seems to work. I finally discovered that if I keep opening and closing the laptop eventually the screen will come back to life. Also, sometimes I see when opening the laptop that the screen flashes on - and then flashes right off again.

What is the problem here? Is it some kind of faulty connection, and I just say "oh well" about? Or is it something fixable, like software problems?

Help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[trs2988]

Just made another interesting discovery... I closed it, and then looked at the side. Through the little crack, I could see the laptop screen was still on. So I opened it up, and it flashed off a half second after I opened it. Same deal, couldn't bring it back to life. What's wrong with this?

 

[Mercian]

My friend had a very similiar problem, wound up being a faulty connection that went out within a couple months. Hope your situation isn't similiar =S. Try tweaking the power options to stay on when closed, to test.

 

[trs2988]

Hmmm... I really hope that doesn't happen to me. I checked, and the setting was already on "None" for "When I close the lid on my laptop." Any other suggestions?