[dougal]

Various points.

1/ The fact that you can discern that things are on the screen indicates that the screen itself isn't completely dead - and importantly, neither is the computer dead!

2/ From the description given, the most likely explanation is that the screen backlight has failed. Computer LCDs are useless with only front lighting.
---Possible causes include:
- a failure on the small circuit board that generates the high voltage the light needs, the 'inverter' board. (It shouldn't be an expensive part and may be easily replaceable.)
- damage to the cable that goes through the hinge. Some of Apple's white iBooks are susceptible to this - the screen may light up *only* at some angles of opening - a clear indicator of this problem. But its a fairly major strip-down to fix it.
- failure of the the backlight fluorescent tube itself. This is a cheap part (£10?) but a real bugger to replace - most folk will say it can't be done. I haven't seen a computer LCD which was designed with any thought of replacing the tube. The conventional solution is to replace the screen, at a cost equivalent to the price of the entire machine when new.

3/ Since you have info being sent to the screen (Windows boot logo), the computer chips are probably just fine.
Which means that connecting an external display should result in a computer that works, and access to all the data thereon.
Mac laptop users have another option - Firewire target disk mode. Hold down the 'T' key when starting up, and the laptop can then be used as a Firewire (IEEE 1394) external hard disk for another computer.


DON'T PANIC !!!