I have a bizarre computer problem that I would like to fix.  It
concerns my Dell Inspiron 4000 Laptop, which was purchased in January
2001.  About a month ago - inexplicably - my computer's screen turned
light blue.  I did nothing to the settings, and when I attempted to
change the color back to normal by selecting that as my screen color,
it didn't work.  Every once in a while the computer screen will revert
to normal on its own - without my doing anything - but this is rare. 
I use my computer mostly for word processing, and it is more difficult
to see the screen when it is this color.  Further, I am worried that
this color change might be related to some larger problem that could
disable my hard drive altogether.

Can someone help me out?

Good Day portobello-ga,

It sounds like hardware failure to me. If the coloring comes and goes
without any changes, my guess would be wiring. The same thing happens
to desktop computers when one of the wires inside the video cable
comes loose, or a pin bends at the video plug.

I would not worry about your HD. The display is not linked to it in
any way that could cause the HD to cease operating when the video is
not intact.

My guess would be taking it in to where you bought it. Hopefully, if I
am right on the identification of the problem, either you have some
warranty left, or it is a common problem and the manufacturer will fix
it at no charge...

Regards,
slawek-ga

This is likely a wiring problem between the video chip inside your
laptop and your screen. Only the manufacturer can help you. I hope you
bought a warranty, the repairs might cost you a lot if the screen is
to be changed (but if it's just a loose cable, it could be a
reasonable price).

It is unlikely this problem would also disable your hard drive.
However, never bring a laptop (or any computer) for repairs without
doing a full copy of the contents of your hard drive. At least all
your documents, all the things you downloaded, all your settings
(bookmarks, etc.) must be saved before you bring it for repairs.

It is not impossible (it happened to people I know) that the
manufacturer will change some of the parts and give you back a
different computer, or a computer with a different hard drive! In your
case, this is unlikely, but this is what happened to a friend!

So, be safe, save everything, and then have it repaired.

you need new screen. your monitor is malfunctioning. if you want to
repair yourself then check your wiring. otherwise your only recourse
is to replace lcd.

There are a number of possible causes.
First, please boot from a floppy disk and see if the problem occurs in
dos when booted from the disk. If it does, then 100% you have a
hardware problem.

Software issues:
could be
1)corrupted display adapter driver or display driver. reinstall one,
reboot, and then reinstall the other, if not fixed.
2)virus. scan with latest Norton antivirus, preferably from dos mode
with an up-to-date CD. (has to be a custom burned updated CD.) If that
isn't available then use free online scans from Norton of Mcafee.
3)other misc software problem. Backup all important data and perform
full system recovery. NOTE: anything on the hard drive will be wiped
out, so don't forget to backup.

hardware problems
if still occuring after above steps, could be:
1) loose connection. next time it happens, try moving the screen, and
squeezing all around the screen, see if pressure in any specific spot
makes a difference. that might give us an indicator.
2) bad inverter. most notebooks have an inverter of some sort that is
a kind of go-between for the mainboard to the screen. I don't repair
notebooks, so I can't say for sure.
3) faulty display itself. You could be looking at upwards of $1000 to
repair.
4) problem with video adapter on mainboard. Another costly repair. See
if dislay on VGA out to regular monitor works. If so, more likely not
the mainboard, but not impossible.

Good luck. And don't take the notebook apart if you're not 100%
comfortable.

Well there you go. I most certainly agree with all the comments of the
other guys here, especially with the opinion of our good guy
sparky4ca-ga. I'm a long time computer technician here in my area and
i've encountered almost every computer problem you can think of.

To solve your problem you will need to identify it first. I personally
don't think that driver or software problem is the issue there because
you said it just suddenly went light blue. I imagine that this occured
when you opened up your computer's screen. You can follow
sparky4ca-ga's advice #4, "See if dislay on VGA out to regular monitor
works." If it does then the "go-between", usually a ribbon cable, is
broken and needs to be replaced by a competent technician. If it
doesn't, then the problem is going to be costly since it's most
certainly a problem with the motherboard. If so, you may have
accidentally dropped your computer or placed your laptop near a source
that may have caused static electricity.

I hope the comments help and always remember, before you bring your
laptop to the service center, ALWAYS backup all your files.

listen to slawek-ga, he's right on target.

I would say that the cable going from your LCD to your M/B is cracked
or going out therefore creating your Video problem. I Have had a
Laptop that lost total video if it was opened beyond a certain point
due to a cracked cable. This Can be a problem with laptops since the
cable is stressed due to opening and closing of the LCD.