Can backlight/inverter cause random freeze/restart?

check all the lastest driver..

This is not a Windows driver issue, as Windows has not even started
It is a hardware issue

Backlight issue

From his last description, I'd bet a donut to a dollar that it is his inverter.

Cannot generate enough current to ignite the tube, similar to flickering Flourescent lamps at the 24 hour laundamat. (But those are called starters)

My fish tank fluro started flickering yesterday, so I bought a starter (tried two), and it's still flickring !! I'll buy a tube now I suppose.

Just wrote that because of the keywords starter and fluro (Totally unrelated lol)

Edit:

Tube fixed it

Hey, I don't diagnose fish tank lamps!!! BTW- in your case I wouldn't have guessed the starter. Why? primarily because it stays on all the time. ON/OFF daily on a flourescent lamp can kill a starter.

But the biggest and heavest piece on those grocery store lights- "the ballast" type transformer would be equiv. to the small transformers on the OP inverter.

Since the Chinese have Babelized the electronics industry, its next to impossible to find another, except in same model. Even then it may be different.

backlight problems can be:
1. the lamp failure, becouse of long terms of using.
2. the transformer failure(low quality, or(!) dead or old lamp(the initial current is very high and the transformer is burned))
3. PWM controller failure(VERY rarely)
4. lack of backlite_ena signal, or 5v voltage for PWM working or lack of ACBAT_SYS voltage(battery voltage or AC adaptor voltage)

Right on point lamo:

I have a Gateway with the same problem.

another suggestion.. Push the lid switch too, test it - some times those buggers stick off, and will drive you crazy looking in the LCD area, when the problem is on the clamshell/lid.

kegtapper, agree with you about lid switch, i forgot this issue. in some laptops there's "gercon" switch, which may be fault too.