In general, there's three types of hardware failures with notebook displays:
1) Failure of the LCD screen itself--VERY rare besides damage to the actual notebook
2) The (thin) cable that connects the display to the monitor-- wear and tear causes this, generally fails after a few years
3) Mainboard display adapter failure--more common than the LCD failing (buy a new notebook if its out of warranty)
The quickest method to rule out #3 is to connect an external display (another monitor, or a tv) to the notebook and see if that works. If it does, then the display adapter is okay. That being said, the flickering makes me suspect the cable in your case.
1) Failure of the LCD screen itself--VERY rare besides damage to the actual notebook
2) The (thin) cable that connects the display to the monitor-- wear and tear causes this, generally fails after a few years
3) Mainboard display adapter failure--more common than the LCD failing (buy a new notebook if its out of warranty)
The quickest method to rule out #3 is to connect an external display (another monitor, or a tv) to the notebook and see if that works. If it does, then the display adapter is okay. That being said, the flickering makes me suspect the cable in your case.