Laptop Display Problem

[BobH]

The laptop is an HP530 about 5 years old running WinXP-SP3 (because I didn't like the Vista that came on it). Of late, when trying to restart active use after hibernation, the display goes black (unlit) after a brief flash of display lasting only a part of a second; and nothing I do with keyboard or mouse will bring it back. So far, a hard power-off and power restart have returned the unit to proper functioning.

Is this a symptom of an imminent device failure or could it be software related? I can't think of anything that I've installed or any changes to settings that I've made that would affect the way the monitor works or how hibernation is restarted.

TIA

[StuartR]

It would probably be a good idea to make sure you have the latest BIOS and graphics driver for the laptop, problems with the display when resuming from hibernation are often related to software and firmware bugs.

[BobH]

Thanks, Stuart.

Drivers and BIOS are current if the information on the HP site is accurate.

[tedshemyers]

I would ensure you have a good image of your HD in case of a hardware failure. This could be some kind of hardware problem. Laptops tend to run hoter than desktops due to limited cooling capabilities so I would not be surprised it's a harware failure. You might try to clean all the cooling vents in case heat is building up from clogged vents.