LCD Screen Issues

Question

So my old laptop died last year after four years of faithful service, in spite of being treated as no laptop should. Since I'd had it for so long, my family got me a (pre-used) new one. Since my old one had been treated like crap, I was determined to treat this new one as if it were my own child. As soon as I saw it, I was madly in love. It was an x100e laptop, compact, powerful, and with bristling new Windows 7 and--at least I think--Intel technology. Since I got a Portal sticker a week later, I decided to call her Gladus (being both an ardent fanboy and a very paranoid man). She had only one problem. Overheating. Usually it wasn't an issue, she'd turn off every few weeks after a long paper or running off to deal with college life, but overall it was fine. One time however after it cooled off I tried restarting it. Halfway through writing a post for help on the school computer, I tried restarting it, and it worked just fine. It did it again a couple months laterwhen I accidently left it on while playing a game I bought of Steam, but again once it had cooled off the screen resumed working. If it were really hot, I'd turn it off, flip it upside down, and turn on a fan to blow the air out the window just in case. I'm not really technologically brilliant, but I made due with logic.
Last night I was up late, deleting game and file opening programs I no longer used (none were Windows or Lenovo programs) and writing. After a few hours I turned it off, though I think I closed the lid so the thing was still on, and chugging away. When I came back, the screen wouldn't work, so I forced a restart, during which time I was assailed by a Window's update that froze at 33%. Again, I had to force a restart. This time I was met by that familiar black screen. I tried airing it, and even cleaning it with what tools I had. Still nothing hours later.
The screen does not start. At all, even though the light turns on, showing the laptop should be working. I remembered during previous incidents hearing an odd sound so I put my ear to just below the keyboard on the left side. The sound resembled a kind of buzz, starting and going off at 2/3rd second intervals. The sound's pauses and pained resumptions--though not the sound itself--put me in mind of a car trying to start. I assume its the fans. Another thing I noticed was when its plugged in, the battery light flashes about once every five seconds. I'm not sure if the device is under warranty (though I'm pretty sure its not), and--like I said--I run off caring for my electronics off logic rather than any in-depth understanding of the device. Fortunately I can job hunt and access Steam from my brother's computer but that laptop had some important files and writing on it I still need to hold onto. I've checked some online sources on similar problems, but no two cases seem identical. Is this something I can fix on my own, or do I need to send my laptop off for repairs? If not, what can I do to fix it? I'm in the middle of job-hunting, so its loss is crippling my online searches and a bit of a hassle.
Thanks.

Answer 1

Thanks for the recommendation. My family's been advising me to send it back to get it checked. I thought I'd post one other observation that slipped my mind: turns out the sound is (almost positively) the fans, which are senting out short, sharp but weak puffs of air. Not sure if that helps at all, but all the same.