I've got a Sony VAIO laptop. The screen looks ok and normal at the VAIO splash screen and BIOS menu, but goes dim when windows XP loads. Ok with external monitor.

Unfortunately, it's now 2 months out of warrenty!

I was suspecting the backlight or the Inverter or even a loose cable connection, but can it be any of these if the screen looks ok before WinXP loads? Could it be a 'loading' effect on the backlight or Inverter when WinXP starts to load?

I've tried the power option settings and even turned power management off. Even done a system restore back to original purchase date...same!

Thanks for any help.