A small problem with a laptop

[Hyena]

My laptop's screen now spontangeously gets blur and small red (sometimes blue) spots all over it. The first time reboot fixed it, then it was brought to normal by a light strike on the keyboard.
Is it a sign of future problems and how screwed am I?

[ShadowFireLance]

Blue spots? Okay, You'll be fine, its ju...
Red spots, Oh, great, red spots.

Alright, You only have about two more days until it fully matures, so heed my advice carefully, otherwise your laptop will become a conduit to the Daemonic realms.

Take one ounce of holy water, and carefully sprinkle it all over the keyboard, then the screen. Make sure it is in that direct order.
Now, Take the cleansed laptop, and bind it in Chain, which must be iron.
Then, Buy a coffin, and use two ounces of holy water to purify it. Place the laptop in a garbage bag, and then cover it in duct tape. Place it in the coffin, and shut the lid.
Duct tape the coffin, and throw it in the nearest river, thank you for averting the crisis.

[Hyena]

But I'm just a poor student, I can't afford a coffin.

[ShadowFireLance]

But I'm just a poor student, I can't afford a coffin.
I honestly have no clue what's wrong.
Then you've doomed us all.

[Hyena]

Seriously, though. Is it a problem with a graphic card?

[Erloas]

How old is the laptop?

If you can connect it to an external monitor that will at least give you some ideas. Not a whole lot to go on at this point. The display seems more likely then the video card though.

[factotum]

I dunno-the fact a "strike to the keyboard" fixed it suggests to me it might be the cable connecting the laptop's motherboard to the screen that's going wrong, but how you'd fix such a thing is not something I have any experience with.

[Erloas]

I dunno-the fact a "strike to the keyboard" fixed it suggests to me it might be the cable connecting the laptop's motherboard to the screen that's going wrong, but how you'd fix such a thing is not something I have any experience with.

I thought about that too, but having messed with a number of display cables over the years I've never seen a problem that will lead to spots. Usually if the color is off or it goes on and off completely that could be the cable.

Laptop displays are generally connected using a flat ribbon cable running along one of the hinges and I have repaired some of those before, but it unusually takes a lot of opening and shutting the case before that might be a problem which is why I was wondering how old it was.

The spots make me believe it is most likely something to do with the display itself, but some basic troubleshooting is needed to try to say anything more with any confidence.