- This topic has 17 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 2 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I have an N150 Plus which I bought at the beginning of January. I was recently trying to connect to the internet using a dongle, but as the signal was very weak, I took the netbook out into the garden. As I moved around trying to get a better signal, sunshine fell on the screen. As soon as it did, the right half of the screen went black. I returned inside and rebooted the netbook and the screen returned to normal. Went outside again and the whole screen went black as soon as the sun hit the screen. Did this again about 4 times to make sure it wasn’t a faulty connection. I ‘phoned Samsung Support who said they had never heard this before and would ring me back. I then searched on this forum and found that a member from Spain had experienced a black screen. It was suggested that she reinstall the OS as the video driver may have been corrupted. Last evening I reinstalled Windows 7 Starter and as I was impatient to see whether this had corrected the problem, I thought I would use the flashgun in my SLR camera to simulate sunshine. Holding the camera about 4 inches from the screen I pressed the shutter, the flash fired and the screen went black! I rebooted and then covered up half the screen and fired the flashgun again. The covered half of the screen remains OK, but the half exposed to the flash goes black! I tried this several times on both halves of the screen. As it had been 8 days since I first informed Samsung of the problem and having heard nothing from them, I phoned them again today and recounted my experiment. This time my details were taken and I was given a reference number. After a short while they ‘phoned back to say they have never heard of this problem and that my N150 Plus would be collected for repair.
It would be interesting to hear if any other Samsung netbook owners get the same results when exposing their screens to either sunshine or a camera flashgun? Sorry for the long post but if this is not a one off problem, it will become more common as we approach summer, if we get any sunshine this year!hi this is my first post as im new here but i think the N150 netbook has some sort of ambient light sensor that works through the webcam so you could try covering the webcam with black tape and redo you experiment to see if it makes a difference. worth a try for nothing i think…
Thank you PiN96v1 for your suggestion. Unfortunately I did try covering up the camera but it had no effect. From the lack of other replies it would appear that the fault on my machine was unique. It is back with Samsung at the moment for repair. I will post the results of their investigation assuming they tell me what was causing it. Does anybody with a knowledge of LCD screens know what would make a screen sensitive to bright light?
I have just received my N150 plus back from Digicare who have repaired it on behalf of Samsung. They have replaced the LCD screen, LCD cable and the motherboard. They have also updated the BIOS to the latest version. A quick check with the flashgun on my camera shows that the fault has been repaired. Exactly 7 day turnround door to door, a very good service. I still don’t know what made the screen sensitive to bright light?
Hey, the problem you had earlier with “sunshine blackouts” on you N150 may not be such a unique case after all. I recently got the same model and today with the right half of the screen going black as soon as it was exposed to direct sunlight. It just happened twice. Both times I have rebooted and the problem fixes itself. Its exactly as you said.
Purchased an N150 Plus from EBuyer last month for use abroad. Great unit but exactly the same problem as described here. Took it outside during a Skype call in the Florida sun and lost the right half of the screen. After rebooting tried again and full screen went black as soon as it got a sniff of sunshine – only a forced reboot restored. contacted eBuyer and they are uplifting this week. I think this may be a generic problem with this model – only picked up by the few who use outdoors in the sun or under bright lighting. I have established problem is not related to webcam (blanked off to test) and while I initialy thought needed full reboot have found a hibernate cycle will restore screen. I can also replicate indoors with a bright torch every time – may stick a vid on YouTube to demonstrate. Would like a working replacement but I don’t think that will resolve problem.
That’s very interesting, it looks like a common fault on a batch of N150 Plus machines. The repair carried out by Digicare on behalf of Samsung UK has cured the problem on my machine. I have tested it with the flashgun on my SLR camera and it is no longer sensitive to bright light. If you get your computer replaced the replacement may be from the same faulty batch, whereas a repair will replace the faulty parts. The service I received was first class. The courier packed the computer in a padded box and it was returned within 7 days as promised by Samsung Support.
I’ve just discovered this thread having experienced this problem for several days.
Here is the gist of the problem (copied & pasted from my emails to amazon.co.uk):Hello,
I am experiencing a problem with my newly purchased Samsung NF210. The right hand side of the Samsung’s screen turns black when direct sunlight shines onto the screen. There is no way of making the right hand side of the screen visible again unless I restart the Netbook. This problem occurs every time I bring the laptop out into sunlight. The fact that this particular Netbook’s matt screen is designed to be used in such conditions was the main reason I bought this Netbook.
In an attempt to resolve this problem, I have tried turning the screen’s brightness from high to low and from low to high. I have switched the screen off and on again. I have re-installed the Windows 7 Start Up operating system. I have followed the recommended Samsung website’s Troubleshooting advice for this type on problem. And after carrying out all of these, the problem still persists.
I have been logging the times and dates of each occurrence as well as taking pictures, videos and screen dumps of the problem. So if you require further visual details, I can send them to you.
I am in the process of contacting Samsung support to see whether they are aware of this problem and whether they have a ‘fix’ for it. Needless to say that I am not satisfied with this product as it is not fit for purpose, so I am sure you will understand that I will want a replacement if Samsung are unable to resolve this problem quickly.
Yours Sincerely
Mr ***** ******I spoke to several Samsung Technical Support CSRs and each told me there was nothing that could be done other than endure it or return it to the place of purchase.
Hello,
I have contacted Samsung. They advised me to reset the BIOS and perform a basic restore. There has been no improvement. They believe the problem is not a software issue but rather a hardware problem. They could not provide any more advice, so I wish to return the Netbook and would ideally like to exchange it for an identical model with the hope that the next one does not have the same issues.
I have searched the internet can not find any other problems relating to the one I am experiencing. This leads me to believe that it is a ‘one off’ problem with this individual Netbook.
Is it possible for me to receive a replacement? If so, which is the best way to obtaining one?
Yours Sincerely
Mr ***** ******Hello,
I have received my replacement Samsung NF210 but unfortunately this Netbook suffers from the same problem as the earlier Netbook: when the Netbook is used outside in daylight, the right hand side of the screen turns black when sunlight shines on its screen. This defeats the Netbook’s purpose of having a ‘matt’ screen: so the Netbook can be used outside or on the move – whether in daylight or not.
I am not satisfied with this product and wish to return the item and receive a refund.
Perhaps you could look further into this problem yourselves, as it would appear that this particular model has a major problem with being used outside on sunny days.
Kind regards
Mr ***** ******
My replacement arrived yesterday and I walked out in to my garden carrying my Netbook in my arms, I turned 360 degrees and by the time I had stopped turning, half the screen had turned blank.
I’ve tried covering up the Webcam, as suggested on this thread, but the problem still persists. I’m fed up and I’m going to return this model and opt for a different manufacturer.
[FONT="]Good luck.[/FONT]
I’ve just discovered this thread having experienced this problem for several days.Here is the gist of the problem (copied & pasted from my emails to amazon.co.uk):
Hello,
I am experiencing a problem with my newly purchased Samsung NF210. The right hand side of the Samsung’s screen turns black when direct sunlight shines onto the screen. There is no way of making the right hand side of the screen visible again unless I restart the Netbook. This problem occurs every time I bring the laptop out into sunlight. The fact that this particular Netbook’s matt screen is designed to be used in such conditions was the main reason I bought this Netbook.
In an attempt to resolve this problem, I have tried turning the screen’s brightness from high to low and from low to high. I have switched the screen off and on again. I have re-installed the Windows 7 Start Up operating system. I have followed the recommended Samsung website’s Troubleshooting advice for this type on problem. And after carrying out all of these, the problem still persists.
I have been logging the times and dates of each occurrence as well as taking pictures, videos and screen dumps of the problem. So if you require further visual details, I can send them to you.
I am in the process of contacting Samsung support to see whether they are aware of this problem and whether they have a ‘fix’ for it. Needless to say that I am not satisfied with this product as it is not fit for purpose, so I am sure you will understand that I will want a replacement if Samsung are unable to resolve this problem quickly.Yours Sincerely
Mr ***** ******
I spoke to several Samsung Technical Support CSRs and each told me there was nothing that could be done other than endure it or return it to the place of purchase.
Hello,
I have contacted Samsung. They advised me to reset the BIOS and perform a basic restore. There has been no improvement. They believe the problem is not a software issue but rather a hardware problem. They could not provide any more advice, so I wish to return the Netbook and would ideally like to exchange it for an identical model with the hope that the next one does not have the same issues.
I have searched the internet can not find any other problems relating to the one I am experiencing. This leads me to believe that it is a ‘one off’ problem with this individual Netbook.
Is it possible for me to receive a replacement? If so, which is the best way to obtaining one?
Yours Sincerely
Mr ***** ******
Hello,
I have received my replacement Samsung NF210 but unfortunately this Netbook suffers from the same problem as the earlier Netbook: when the Netbook is used outside in daylight, the right hand side of the screen turns black when sunlight shines on its screen. This defeats the Netbook’s purpose of having a ‘matt’ screen: so the Netbook can be used outside or on the move – whether in daylight or not.
I am not satisfied with this product and wish to return the item and receive a refund.
Perhaps you could look further into this problem yourselves, as it would appear that this particular model has a major problem with being used outside on sunny days.
Kind regards
Mr ***** ******
My replacement arrived yesterday and I walked out in to my garden carrying my Netbook in my arms, I turned 360 degrees and by the time I had stopped turning, half the screen had turned blank.
I’ve tried covering up the Webcam, as suggested on this thread, but the problem still persists. I’m fed up and I’m going to return this model and opt for a different manufacturer.
Good luck.I see from Basten’s post the problem is not specific to the N150 Plus – My N150 is due uplift tomorrow. Glad I declined a direct replacement from ebuyer as it appears the problem is widespread. Shame as it is a great netbook let down by this flaw. I have posted a video of the effect on YouTube which will show up if you Google “n150 plus screen problem” – Or search under PMRSolutions.
same problem with the N145 plus. must be the LCD they use. I’ll call Samsung support tom and see what they say.
update:
called Samsung Support about the issue and even mentioning this thread and the youtube link from our fellow member here and he arrrange for a courier to pick the machine and be checked. i’ll update afterwardsupdate: 14/04/2011
my netbook came back from samsung service centre (digicare) all fixed – a 4 day turn around.
It’s not only Samsung problem. I have exactly the same on brand new Toshiba NB520. OK, not exactly. The left side gets blank first not the right 🙂 Can it be the same LCD screens manufacture for Samsung and Toshiba?
Re Screen going black in the sun. Yes, my NF 210 does this too. A major fault which I have warned my colleagues (at a major broadcasting organisation) about. Otherwise, with extra memory, it’s great.
Only just noticed this thread, wow! What a bizarre problem.
I guess returning to Samsung seems the best option, although it looks like one person was told that it’s a “feature“. Seems like a kinda serious problem to me, although to be honest I never found my NC10 all that readable in direct sunlight anyway.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.