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Okay, a little background, I am poor and I am using the same laptop for last 10 years using Windows XP for all my life however, I recently upgraded to Windows 7 when my lappy stopped working(2 weeks ago I guess)(Blue screen error, some file was missing, tried replacing it through DOS, didn't work)

So, there is one problem I am facing for like an year, my screen starts to flicker and everytime I fix it by getting the screen replaced, it always starts with green flickering throughout the screen nd I temporary fix it by using my hand and pressing hard on the back of the screen of the laptop from left-bottom side.

I am really sick of it, I don't know how it arises and you might be thinking its hardware problem and screen is faulty but now I don't believe that anymore, I have replaced it like 5-6 times now every 3-4 months.

This time the flickering is black and the problem is that its weird this time, I upgraded to Win 7 because, win xp got corrupted(never happens with me, no virus , I promise, I haven't got a virus for like in 5 years) basically my hard disk is corrupt and failing, everytime windows starts it used to do that disk checkup thing and fix files, so i am sure my hard disk is faulty and that is why it got corrupted, I have been getting that disk check since like an year and never fixes even if I format the whole computer.

Now, the problem is screen flickering is black and it always starts when I watch a video or play a game, meaning only when I need the video card or graphics are used, so that way it seems a video card problem but then it fixes if I press the screen and sometimes it turns to total White, its like an explosion starts from middle of the screen nd covers whole screen white, I fix that too by using Sleep shortcut from keyboard and then I hit my laptop trying to hit my harddisk running, and then turn the lapy on and it fixes.

So, at this moment, I have literally no idea if its the hard disk or screen or RAM or graphic card.

I just want to know the cause so that I could fix it.

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    Please do not use profanity in your question or comments; it adds nothing to the description of the problem, may be found offensive, and may cause your question to be closed and deleted. The profanity has been edited out.
    – Jeff Zeitlin
    Jan 11, 2018 at 14:25
  • As regards the screen flicker, I would really suspect the connector between the system/graphics board and the monitor; replacing the display that many times and the temporary alleviation you've described is strongly suggestive. That doesn't rule out other problems, however, and you're probably well-advised to save your pennies and replace the laptop.
    – Jeff Zeitlin
    Jan 11, 2018 at 14:29
  • @JeffZeitlin, I replace the screen at around 2k bucks and new laptop would cost around 35k(average quality) and I have also changed the cable that connects the laptop and display that too cost 1.5k bucks and the thing is I think that maybe VRAM is not enough (128MB) and because of that when I watch a video, it crosses the limit and causes flickering
    – KillerHawx
    Jan 11, 2018 at 14:48
  • You're clearly not in the USA; your prices are way out of line for North America at all. Nevertheless, the fact that physical pressure seems to alleviate the problem some of the time really suggests a hardware issue, not an inadequacy of resources. Note that inadequacy of resources, a failing disk, and other issues may also be present; it's likely not going to be cost-effective to keep shotgunning repair attempts - hence my recommendation to save up and replace.
    – Jeff Zeitlin
    Jan 11, 2018 at 14:57
  • Did I mention that white screen sometimes also happen at startup(when u don't need graphics, meaning the hard disk could be at play, windows is not even loaded or sometimes happen at the window loading screen nd sometimes before bios, I do the same hard turn off and beat up the laptop and it works in 2-3 tries but never works if I just turn it off and on)
    – KillerHawx
    Jan 11, 2018 at 15:04

3 Answers 3

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Get a Linux system to try that out. Honestly, if your laptop is 10 years old, I would even recommend running Linux on it as a main operating system, since it is much faster, especially on older devices. But at least for testing purposes, you should try out using a live Linux USB stick (or DVD / CD). That way you can diagnose if it's really a hardware issue, or something weird with Windows / Drivers / etc.

Ubuntu live system setup

If you don't know how to create and boot a live Linux USB Stick for tryout: Use https://unetbootin.github.io/. Download the application to your Windows system and run it. Find an USB stick with at least 4GB, and be sure to empty it before proceeding, since it will be completely overwritten. Select your Stick in Unetbootin and a distribution, like Ubuntu. Then wait for the download and copy to the stick to finish, and restart your computer. You need to select the stick as a boot medium, so hit keys like F11, F12, F1, backspace, esc or similiar immediately after turning on your computer. Refer to your computers' manual, or to one of the many tutorials available online, if you're stuck. This official tutorial explains it as well: Try Ubuntu tutorial

If you don't have an USB stick at hand, or if your laptop is too old to support booting from an USB drive, you can of course use a DVD or even a CD to try out the Linux. Get the ISO image file from the Ubuntu Desktop Download page, and burn it to a DVD using a normal DVD writing application on your windows system. This will get you the 64bit installation file, which is 1.5GB in size, and therefore needs to be burned on a DVD.

If that doesn't work, your laptop proably doesn't support 64bit. Then you'll need to get the 32bit image by selecting your nearest mirror at the mirror selection page, click the http link on the information page of that mirror, and get the file ubuntu-16.04.3-desktop-i386.iso from the directory 16.04.03.

If you need the installer to fit on a CD, you can use the Ubuntu netinstaller, which will download all the files at runtime. Get the amd64-file for 64bit or the i386-file for 32bit from the netboot installer page or the wiki article.

That way, you'll be able to diagnose, if it's really a hardware issue, or just a windows issue.

Lubuntu instead of Ubuntu

Edit: Since your laptop is really low-end (forgot about that obvious thing) I'd better recommend using Lubuntu instead of plain Ubuntu. It is even easier to download the ISO images of Lubuntu than the Ubuntu ones: Just hit the Lubuntu download page, and you're presented with download buttons for 64bit and 32bit right away. The alternate versions of the ISO are even small enough to fit a CD, so no net installer needed. And for Unetbootin, the procedure stays the same, just select Lubuntu instead of Ubuntu as the distribution.

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  • thank you for the reply, I am using a x86 system, last I checked ubuntu had high requirements, my pc specs are 2.0GHZ Celeron Processor, 2GB ram, 128MB Graphics. and the thing is I think that maybe VRAM(graphic i mean) is not enough (128MB) and because of that when I watch a video, it crosses the limit and causes flickering, let me know what u think
    – KillerHawx
    Jan 11, 2018 at 14:50
  • It doesn't hurt to try, just to make sure. But if you feel the OS may be too much, you can also try OpenSuse. Its less heavy on the resources.
    – LPChip
    Jan 11, 2018 at 15:22
  • Linux will be faster than Windows in almost every case. But yeah, you're right, I forgot about the low specifications of your laptop. You'd better use lubuntu instead of plain ubuntu, since your specifications are low-end. This will make your pc run again :)
    – LukeLR
    Jan 11, 2018 at 15:32
  • I've updated my post to include instructions for Lubuntu instead.
    – LukeLR
    Jan 11, 2018 at 15:37
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The green flicker sounds to me like a problem with the graphic card overheating or having degraded components. I have seen that on two previous graphic cards, and on some occasions it helped clean up dust inside (they were not laptops). The cards eventually had to be replaced. In the second case I ended up buying a new computer, because it was getting too old to be worth upgrading partially.

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I can't help but suspect physical damage and general mis-treatment... Computers are suprisingly fragile.

I temporary fix it by using my hand and pressing hard on the back of the screen of the laptop

everytime windows starts it used to do that disk checkup thing

if I press the screen and sometimes it turns to total White

... and then I hit my laptop trying to hit my harddisk running

Make sure you shut it down properly when you're finished (do not just press and hold the power button), don't throw it around or drop it, etc...

This said, the symptoms that you describe indicate that the display connection is faulty. In my experience, this can happen when the cable going through the hinge gets tired - though typically after many years of use.

sometimes it turns to total White, its like an explosion starts from middle of the screen nd covers whole screen white

This is what happens when LCDs stop receiving the correct signals... the crystals return to idle, and it can look quite scary if you're looking at an expensive bit of equipment.

This video shows the effect you may see, though it can occur much more quickly than this: VIZIO screen goes white

Colorful flickers can often play into the "faulty cable" diagnosis as well - especially in laptops that use an analog or digital parallel display interface.

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