Satellite 1800: screen switches black

I have a Toshiba Satellite 1800 which is, like me, getting on a bit! It was bought in 2000 but has not had excessive use.
Recently the monitor has started to play up and will suddenly go completely black. I checked the manual and to get it back I press Fn+F5 and it does come back although sometimes it takes a few pressings.
Does anyone know why it has started to do this and is there a way to fix it. I am dead scared that one day it will simply not come back at all.
I am a total greeny when it comes to technology.

Actually, if you look closely you find that the screen does not go completely black, it just gets very dim. You can still see the shades of what is being displayed on the screen. The problem is with a little board called the FL inverter for the screen.
Please check the following thread:
http://forums.computers.toshiba-europe.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=15513
I have had the same problem for a while now with my satellite 1800. The only solution I have found is to open the LCD and re-seat the connectors on the FL inverter board. It works every time and lasts for a month or more. Keep in mind that I teach using my laptop.
So, it gets carried around quite a bit every day. The recurrence of the problem might be due to the jarring and bumping as I move the laptop from lecture to lecture.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But this is not something that can be cured through software.
Best regards.

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