much thanks.
after contacting the manufacturer ( what a novel idea! ),
they said its most likely the same thing.
i'm still curious as to how to tell which one went bad ( the bulb or the inverter ), besides just trying known-goods.
oh well.
i ordered the inverter, so once it gets here...
the screen on my laptop died yesterday.:(
when it first started happening, the screen wouldn't light up if it was opened more than 90 deg.
then, in a feat of brilliance, i opened the screen up as far as it would go ( without resistance ). After that, it would only light up if it was opened...