Laptop Display Dims With Wall Adapter

  • Thread starter Thread starter Grinder
  • Start date Start date
G

Grinder

Here's a weird one: My uncle reports that when he plugs has laptop into
AC using his wall adapter, the LCD screen noticeably dims. Any ideas
what might be causing that?
 
Grinder said:
Here's a weird one: My uncle reports that when he plugs has laptop into AC
using his wall adapter, the LCD screen noticeably dims. Any ideas what
might be causing that?
Click to expand...

He has changed the screen brightness!

My Dell does the same thing, but the other way round - dimmer when on
batteries, full brightness on AC power. This preserves battery life as the
screen light draws lots of power.

Simply find the key combination that dims the screen and turn it up to the
desired setting - the laptop will remember the setting for AC and battery
separately. There will be some kind of Function key which needs to be held
down while pressing the brighter/darker keys.

My function key (Dell 6400) is at the bottom left of the keyboard and says
Fn in blue. My brighter and dimmer functions are on the up and down arrows -
symbol (again in blue) is a cog with up and down arrows.
 
Here's a weird one: My uncle reports that when he plugs has laptop into
AC using his wall adapter, the LCD screen noticeably dims. Any ideas
what might be causing that?
Click to expand...


Typically there is a utility software included (installed
on) the laptop by the OEM that allows the user to change the
power profiles - which various power savings options are
enabled in certain power states like battery vs ac or sleep
mode. You should find the required adjustment there.
 
GT said:
He has changed the screen brightness!

My Dell does the same thing, but the other way round - dimmer when on
batteries, full brightness on AC power. This preserves battery life as the
screen light draws lots of power.

Simply find the key combination that dims the screen and turn it up to the
desired setting - the laptop will remember the setting for AC and battery
separately. There will be some kind of Function key which needs to be held
down while pressing the brighter/darker keys.

My function key (Dell 6400) is at the bottom left of the keyboard and says
Fn in blue. My brighter and dimmer functions are on the up and down
arrows - symbol (again in blue) is a cog with up and down arrows.
Click to expand...

Or more simply - boot into the bios and set the AC and battery brightness in
there.
 
GT said:
Or more simply - boot into the bios and set the AC and battery brightness in
there.
Click to expand...

Thanks make sense -- I didn't think about there being a BIOS setting.
(We couldn't find any application or control panel setting.)
 
Thanks make sense -- I didn't think about there being a BIOS setting.
(We couldn't find any application or control panel setting.)
Click to expand...


Check on the discs that came with the system or on
manufacturer's website, that application is useful to
have/set-up for power savings.
 
Here's a weird one: My uncle reports that when he plugs has laptop into
AC using his wall adapter, the LCD screen noticeably dims. Any ideas
what might be causing that?
Click to expand...

Check the bios settings. Some laptops, dell in particular allow one to
change the default screen brightness differently for power on and
battery use only.
 
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