Dim screen problem after full reset

Hi,

I have a Samsung NP370R5E operating Windows 8.

I was recently hit by the windows update issue on 11th August and ended up having to do a full reset to factory settings. See: Windows 10: Microsoft update breaks computers and forces them to keep rebooting - News - Gadgets and Tech - The Independent

Since the reset I have had a permanently dim screen. I am unable to adjust the brightness via the keyboard, the side-bar tool or the power plan settings. That is, all are set to 100% brightness but the screen is too dim, and lowering any below 100% does not lower the screen brightness any further.

Because of the reset, my computer is awaiting many many 'important' windows updates. I intend to install most of these, but, because I am wary of another problem, I am installing them slowly with frequent system back-ups.

It's possible the solution to my problem is one of these updates, but I am unable to tell them apart. The vast majority are labelled either 'security update' or just 'update for windows 8' and offer no more information on what they're for.

I found another thread about a dim screen problem here: http://www.eightforums.com/drivers-hardware/33280-laptop-screen-brightness-wont-adjust.html

Because this person's issue was caused by a driver update issue, I decided to install the latest Intel HD Graphics Driver for Windows 8 (15.33.36.64.4226), but this didn't help.

I also thought to try older versions of the graphics driver, but these are not available from Intel. They do seem to be available from Samsung, but on the support page for my model the VGA downloads are all for Windows 7, even though mine is Windows 8.

Could it be a general windows update that is required rather than a driver?

Any advice would be appreciated.