I have been having ongoing issues with my Toshiba Satellite 1805 S274 Laptop (bought October 2001). The image often does not show on the screen or is so faint that you can barely make out the mouse. In the past, I could restart my PC or try the funtion that would allow the image to be pushed to an outside source (if connected). However, none of that is working now. I have noticed that if I unplug the charger, the screen works again on battery power only. However, my battery life is about 30seconds now. Would buying a new battery that holds a charge solve my screen problem? I really don't have the $$ to waste on a battery if there is no hope for the screen. I plan to buy a lap top next year. Any suggestions on how I can get by for another year? I tried using an outside monitor, but it was too old and the technology did not jive.

Thanks!
Colleen

Purchasing a new battery might help, It can't hurt. It could also be your power supply sending too much charge. Usually the dim screens are caused by a FL inverter is going bad. That series has a known issue that the FL inverters going bad on them. Toshiba settled a law suit regarding that issue. http://www.lieffcabraser.com/notebook-flicker.htm