NormCameron
Vista Guru
This tale of woe sounds a cautionary note for the more fastideous amongst us
A couple weeks ago I received a Dell Inspiron 6400 from a friend of mine. I was told that he used Windex directly on the screen, which dripped into the bottom of the LCD (between the screen and the housing). It now has a small, permanent “white fire” pattern on the bottom-center of the LCD screen. It appears not to be a physical effect, as I cannot see it when the laptop is off, but I can see it even when the backlight is turned off.
What should I do to fix my display?
Ultimately, your screen will fare far better if you spritz a microfiber cloth with an alcohol-based LCD cleaner and give your screen a rub. You can make your own using a 50-50 mix of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and distilled water. Or, if you’re feeling lazy, you can pick up a premixed screen cleaner from your computer store
Ask the Doctor: Windex Worries | Maximum PC

A couple weeks ago I received a Dell Inspiron 6400 from a friend of mine. I was told that he used Windex directly on the screen, which dripped into the bottom of the LCD (between the screen and the housing). It now has a small, permanent “white fire” pattern on the bottom-center of the LCD screen. It appears not to be a physical effect, as I cannot see it when the laptop is off, but I can see it even when the backlight is turned off.
What should I do to fix my display?
—Jason Wesley
The Doctor has some bad news for you: Your situation is terminal. In this case, your laptop will require a screen transplant, as the Windex has irreversibly damaged the underlying layer of your panel. Even if you use Windex to clean a laptop’s screen—and the Doctor doesn’t recommend you do this—you need to resist the urge to spray it willy-nilly over the entire surface. Instead, spray a little bit on a cloth and use that to buff out your screen’s blemishes.Ultimately, your screen will fare far better if you spritz a microfiber cloth with an alcohol-based LCD cleaner and give your screen a rub. You can make your own using a 50-50 mix of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and distilled water. Or, if you’re feeling lazy, you can pick up a premixed screen cleaner from your computer store
Ask the Doctor: Windex Worries | Maximum PC
My Computer
System One
-
- Manufacturer/Model
- Scratch Built
- CPU
- Intel Quad Core 6600
- Motherboard
- Asus P5B
- Memory
- 4096 MB Xtreme-Dark 800mhz
- Graphics card(s)
- Zotac Amp Edition 8800GT - 512MB DDR3, O/C 700mhz
- Monitor(s) Displays
- Samsung 206BW
- Screen Resolution
- 1680 X 1024
- Hard Drives
- 4 X Samsung 500GB 7200rpm Serial ATA-II HDD w. 16MB Cache .
- PSU
- 550 w
- Case
- Thermaltake
- Cooling
- 3 x octua NF-S12-1200 - 120mm 1200RPM Sound Optimised Fans
- Mouse
- Targus
- Keyboard
- Microsoft
- Internet Speed
- 1500kbs
- Other Info
- Self built.