When I'm using Windows 7, the screen will periodically/intermittently flash. It goes from bright to dim back to bright very quickly... like a flash. What would cause this and is there a fix to this problem?

Did the computer come with windows7 ? If not you may need to download the correct driver for your system.

Yes, it came with windows 7.

Barring any bad cables make sure you have the proper drivers for your video as well as your monitor. Don't use the generic MS ones. If it still occurs you might have a problem with the monitor.

The cables don't appear to be bad. My laptop is only a little over a year old, but of course the warranty has expired. Can a monitor go out that quickly and if so,is there a possibility that I could loose information if it goes out?

If it's a laptop you might want to check up on it. Some laptops with Nvidia cards had a recall on them for that same problem. If you were to lose a screen that doesn't affect the information on it. Then problem is it might not turn off correctly so anything that you are working with might not get saved.

Is the laptop new to you or new in general? The NVidia issue is for laptops much older than yours if it is only a year old.

Is the flash similar to when you unplug the power and the backlight dims down? If so, you might have a loose connection to your power cord.

Here is a cnet report on it from Sept 2008.

Summarizing the Nvidia problems with laptop chips overheating | Defensive Computing - CNET News (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13554_3-10020782-33.html)

The NVidia Settlement is over anyway. You had to be apart of it before November 2010 ( I beileve )

CLICK HERE to go to the site (nvidiasettlement.com)