Laptop screen- HUGE contrast issues between top and bottom

[Gargos15]

I have a Dell Inspiron 8100 with a 15" SXGA screen and a 32MB GeForce2 Go. My problem is that there's a huge difference in brightness between the bottom of the screen and the top. The bottom is always brighter than the top. In 3D games like Quake 3 and Hitman, it's almost impossible to see what's at the top of the screen.

It's this way while just using windows on the desktop too, but for some reason it's way more pronounced in 3D games.

Is there a fix for this or is it just an inevitible feature of laptop screens?

 

[jschuk]

Most newer LCDs have a flourescent bulb (FL tube) laying horizontally along the bottom of the LCD. The bulb shines up through a sheet of plastic that carries the light to the top of the LCD. Most likely, the FL tube is out of position and therefore the light is only fully illuminating the lower portion of the plastic. Less likely, the FL tube is going bad and the brightness is decreasing. The lighting should be fairly uniform across the LCD. It is common to have bright spots near the bottom (or wherever the FL tube is laying) about the height of the taskbar.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Gargos15, I'd call Dell and complain about the video issue. I have a Dell lappy and have fairly uniformed brightness from the top to the bottom of my screen. Hey, Dell tech support is a toll-free number, what do you have to lose, besides some time on hold?