Lines, shadows, or white spots on a laptop or monitor screen: how to fix

[iamjordan]

There's a black line running down my laptop screen out of nowhere - sometimes it flickers, sometimes it sits there solid. Before I panic and assume the whole screen's dead, is there anything I can try at home to rule out a software or cable issue? It's a Dell if that makes a difference.

 

[Stacy]

Unfortunately physical marks like that usually mean the LCD panel itself is damaged or under pressure. You might be able to gently massage a stuck pixel away but serious lines usually mean you need a totally new screen