Screen flickering issues

I've got a seven-year-old laptop, a Siemens, and lately the screen has started flickering with these weird lines... does anyone know why this happens?

Does this also happen when you hook up an external monitor?

Joshua Garcia3 said:Does this also happen when you hook up an external monitor?

I haven't tried that yet. It isn't happening right now, but it pops up every once in a while.

Maybe try cleaning out the dust and lint from your laptop using a vacuum through the side vents, or if you're feeling adventurous, just pop the case open and clean it manually. It’s possible the GPU is running a little hot, which might be why the display is acting up.

There isn't really anything left to clean, except maybe a bit of dust if you're feeling ambitious... honestly, you've gone and fried the screen's ribbon cable, so you might as well just write that thing off and pick up a new laptop, especially since yours is already ancient and painfully slow anyway.

Joshua Garcia3 said:Maybe try cleaning out the dust and lint from your laptop using a vacuum through the side vents, or if you're feeling adventurous, just pop the case open and clean it manually. It’s possible the GPU is running a little hot, which might be why the display is acting up.

I doubt that's it. The fan was cleaned recently and it's spotless. Plus, this happens the second I power it on.

Grace Fowler37 said:There isn't really anything left to clean, except maybe a bit of dust if you're feeling ambitious... honestly, you've gone and fried the screen's ribbon cable, so you might as well just write that thing off and pick up a new laptop, especially since yours is already ancient and painfully slow anyway.

I was thinking the exact same thing. I'm still on the fence, though. If a replacement cable isn't too pricey, I might just buy that instead.

Amy Fox97 said:I doubt that's it. The fan was cleaned recently and it's spotless. Plus, this happens the second I power it on.

Loose cable or maybe the GPU/monitor is starting to die...

William Richardson12 said:Loose cable or maybe the GPU/monitor is starting to die...

It was flickering like crazy last night, but it's totally fine now. I'm still going to pick up a new cable just in case.

I just got off the phone with a technician. He’s convinced the power supply isn't the culprit—it’s likely the graphics card instead.

Amy Fox97 said:I've got a seven-year-old laptop, a Siemens, and lately the screen has started flickering with these weird lines... does anyone know why this happens?

You aren't alone there, though I’m dealing with the exact same thing on my machine. Have you tried messing with the hinge a bit—you know, opening and closing it to see if the flicker changes? I realize that’s not exactly a permanent fix, but... maybe try plugging in an external monitor that you know works perfectly. If the external screen looks fine, then your laptop display is probably okay and you're likely looking at a dying GPU or some loose connection. Or maybe it's the other way around... I might be wrong, but hopefully that helps a little. Someone else suggested cleaning out the dust, haha—don't even bother with that. It isn't the dust, I promise. I cleaned mine out myself and it didn't change a thing; I just ended up buying a new computer anyway, so no problems now...