Cheap Laptops and faulty pixels
There are three major types of faulty pixels: hot pixels (always on, white), dead pixels (always off, black), and stuck or partially responsive pixels (one or more sub-pixels, i.e., red, blue, or green are always on or off) – for example, green and blue work, but red is stuck either on or off, therefore, the pixel displays an incorrect color. In a dead pixel, all three sub-pixels are permanently off, producing a permanently black pixel.
How faulty pixels appear? Firstly, even a new Cheap laptop with a new LCD screen can be sold with faulty pixels (manufacturing defect). Of course, it is not fair to sell a product that most people would not accept if they knew it had these defects. But such dishonest things still happen. Secondly, they can occur later because of a poor technology, for example, TFT (Thin Film Transistor that is linked to pixel) may degrade and eventually become blown. Thirdly, LCD screens are more fragile than old CRTs and faulty pixels can be easily contributed by computer users by putting a pressure upon screen.
Many computer users falsely assume that even one dead pixel is enough to ask for a replacement. But very often, under most manufacturers warranty the screens with dead pixels are not replaceable. Some notebook manufacturers may have own policy on how many dead pixels are enough to ask for replacement. For example, Dell considers that LCD screen is defective only if it has more than five dead pixels. Anyway, if notebook manufacturer’s return policy does not allow replacing LCD screen with faulty pixels, you may consider other alternatives to fix it yourself.
As it was mentioned above, faulty pixels are different by nature and, consequently, require different fixing approaches. Stuck and hot pixels sometimes start working again with time. Another good news is that sometimes faulty pixels can be re-energized by turning them on and off fast. For this purpose, you can try to run some pixel fixing software tools.
You may find many different advices on the Internet. Some of them are not good (for example, using an excessive heat to fix faulty pixels), others are worth to try. Anyway, it is better to try different approaches to fix faulty pixels, at least, to make sure that the only one option is left – to replace existing LCD screen. Unfortunately, if you have a dead or a partially dead pixel(s), in most cases there is nothing that you can do about it other than buying a new LCD screen.
If your screen with faulty pixels is not repairable, a good cost-effective solution could be to replace the screen yourself. It can be an easy task for you even if you are not a technical person (use some on-line guide). When you expose the screen, look for a label on the back showing the manufacturer’s part number. This typically consists of one or more letters, followed by a series of numbers. To determine which screen models is compatible with your laptop or if you have difficulty determining model number of your old screen, you may use some on-line illustrated guide.
Since most laptop manufacturers charge too much, you may try to find third-party companies on the market that are selling laptop screens. Some places carry a big inventory of brand new LCD panels to replace any notebook screen. If you are unable to find a particular model listed on their website then you can call or email to ask if they can help you find a screen replacement for a particular laptop.Cheap