Backlight Going Off, Need Suggestions

Here's the story:
I have a early 2009 Macbook (actually it's my wife's). Suddenly the screen backlight has started turning off. If I reset the SMC I can usually get the backlight to come back on for a short time, but it is not permanent. I took it in to the genius bar (where they told me about the SMC reset procedure), but they couldn't tell me what was wrong. They suggested some possibilities such as Inverter, inverter cable or screen and wanted ~ $300 to fix. I hate to send it in and pay a fortune for a repair when it may only be just the cable or inverter. I'm also concerned that if none of those things fix it that I wasted $300. I am tech savvy and am a PC guy (sorry Apple), and can do a repair myself if needed. If it doesn't pay to try and fix, I'll buy my wife a macbook pro and try to sell the macbook for parts (or use it connected to an external monitor). If anyone has any suggestions/recommendations about what I should do I would be very appreciative.

Sorry to hear about your logic board. This Macbook also has a problem with the logic board (no audio unless using headphones) that I am not going to fix. I like a challenge, so I ordered a new LCD. If that doesn't fix the problem then I'll either use it attached to a TV as an HTPC or I'll sell it for parts. I thought Macs were supposed to be reliable. This one has caused me nothing but problems since a year after we bought it. It's an early 2009 Core 2 Duo, so it's not that old. I have $300 Win PC laptops that are less of a problem. Oh well, the wife gets what she wants . Good luck with your laptop.

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Thanks

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Louie -
I have the mid 2009 MBP - is there a magnet inside the unibody aluminum housing? The lid latch below the track pad is smooth and seems to have some magnetic attraction to the lid itself.
S.U. -
My problem is that the screen does not go off when the lid is closed. The problems described with the SMC reset involve the screen backlight not turning on. It also says to not reset the SMC unnecessarily. WIll that reset affect anything else?
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Message was edited by: Thomas Seery

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HI @peterjammo
Thank you for your inquiry.
I understand that that your display went very dim almost completely black but could be read faintly.
You have tried installing a different display, rolling back the bios and changing the power setting but there was no change.
Here is a link to Troubleshooting a dim display (Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista) that may help.
Here are two more that may also help to determine the issue.
Testing for Hardware Failures (Windows 7, Vista)
Resolving Video and Graphics Issues
Good Luck !
Sparkles1
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

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Message was edited by: marcellus7

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To get rid of "pop-up ads and other crap on my computer when I am on the internet", click on Safari in the Menu bar, and select Preferences. Next select Extensions. Delete all of them. Restart Safari.
The first step in addressing the black screen is an SMC reset.
Shut down the computer.
Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
Press the power button to turn on the computer.
Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.
Excerpt from
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht39

Backlight Going Off, Need Suggestions

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