LCD screen
A laptop screen also known as LCD screen displays an image generated by the laptop video card. The LCD screen receives data signal from the video card through the LCD cable.
Laptop screens come in many different sizes and resolutions. In order to find the LCD screen size (in inches), you’ll have to measure the screen between the two diagonal corners.
Older laptops had mostly full screen LCD displays. Newer laptops have mostly widescreen LCD displays.
A backlight lamp (also known as CCFL bulb) is the main source of light in any LCD screen. The backlight lamp powers up by the inverter board.
The LCD screen mounts inside the laptop display panel between the screen bezel and display cover. The LCD screen is attached to the screen brackets (display brackets) which are permanently attached to the display hinges.
TYPICAL LCD SCREEN RELATED FAILURES
On the following images you’ll see some typical LCD screen related failures.
1. You can see image only on a part of the LCD screen. For example, only the top side of the screen works properly.
2. There is one or more thin multi color lines running down the screen.
3. There is a wide band running down the LCD screen. The
BUYING A NEW REPLACEMENT SCREEN
The LCD screen is one of the most expensive parts in a laptop computer. If your screen is damaged and you decide to replace it yourself, you’ll have to make sure to purchase a new screen compatible with your laptop. Hear are a few things to consider before buying a new screen:
1. Screen size.
2. Some laptops come with full size LCDs. Some laptops come with widescreen LCDs.
3. LCD screen could be matte or glossy.
4. Same size LCD screens may have different resolutions.
The best way to find a new replacement screen would be using the manufacturer’s part number or LCD screen model. Both could be found on the back side of the screen.
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Maybe you can help me to find the problem?
My screen works fine, it’s bright and there are no lines as you showed in you pictures whatsoever.
But after about 15-30 minutes it becomes very dark. The laptop still works but the image is so dark that I can barely see it. After reastart it happens agian. Works fine for some time and after that goes dark.
Can you tell if I have to buy a new screen? Can I try something else withour spending so much money?
I found a new screen but it’s almost $200.
Thanks.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Robert,
Most likely you have a problem with the inverter board – a power supply for the LCD backlight lamp. I would definitely try replacing the inverter first. If it doesn’t help, apparently there is a problem with the backlight lamp which is located inside the LCD screen.
It’s very hard to replace the backlight lamp, so you’ll have to replace the whole LCD screen.
January 31st, 2009 at 10:22 am
[...] LCD screen mounts to the the screen mounting brackets which are permanently attached to the display hinges. [...]
January 31st, 2009 at 11:47 pm
[...] board, processor (CPU) and LCD screen are the most expensive parts in any laptop. In some cases, when one of these three parts fails, [...]
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:51 pm
We had a very thin line on LCD. My husband found instructions and replaced the LCD himself. Now the line is gone. It looked like one line on the fifth picture.
Lesley
March 4th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Can you tell me what causes screens to fail in the way depicted in example 3?
March 4th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Steve Thomson,
Here’s my guess. Every screen has a controller board connected to the LCD via many very thin traces. Apparently when one of the traces not making good connection with the LCD, the problem occurs.
March 17th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Hey all
These are really helpful money/time saving articles.Thanks
My question is this do you sell these listed parts,i dont see any price lists.
March 17th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
DVD Mike,
I don’t sell any parts. I’m just trying to provide some information about laptop parts and maybe troubleshoot some laptop problems.
March 31st, 2009 at 7:54 pm
My laptop has a heap of short horizontal lines running down the screen. they look like shorter, horizontal versions of the ones in the pic of the verticle lines but they are horizontal.
March 31st, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Chris,
First of all, you’ll have to test the laptop with an external monitor.
Turn off the laptop, connect an external monitor and turn on the laptop. If the external monitor is not detected automatically, try switching video from the internal mode to external using the keyboard shortcut. The Fn key and another F_key.
I don’t know your laptop model and cannot tell witch shortcut to use but I hope you get the idea.
Now, find out if the external video is working fine or not. If you get the same problem on the external monitor and it’s not displaying the image properly, most likely you have a faulty video card.
If the external monitor works fine and the image is bad only on the laptop LCD, most likely your problem is related to the LCD screen or video cable.
Can you get any image on the external monitor or not?
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
[...] Most newer laptops come with a build-in web camera also known as web cam. The web camera is located on the top of the display panel. Some people think the web camera is a part of the LCD screen but it’s not. The web camera is a separate module which is mounted inside the display panel above the LCD screen. [...]
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:52 pm
I can get a picture on the monitor, but it gets the lines too. The lines on both the laptop and the monitor are not always there, either. they come and go without warning or reason.
April 4th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Chris,
That means the problem is not related to the LCD screen. It’s either a software related problem or there is something wrong with the video card.
Try reinstalling the video driver. I doubt that it will help but you can try.
It’s very likely that the video card is integrated into the motherboard. When it fails, the whole motherboard has to be replaced.
April 8th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
I just tore apart my hp laptop as the motherboard went up in it and it was cheaper just to buy a new laptop, anyways i was wondering if theres anything special that i can do with the screen or is it pritty much useless???
April 12th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Josh,
You can sell the screen and other parts from your laptop.
Other than that, it’s pretty much useless.
April 20th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Hi Repair Man …sure could use your help!
I have a Toshiba Satellite A105-S2712. My laptop was “blue screening” after 30-45 minutes. It was diagnosed as a defective screen insofar as I was told it did not happen when hooked up to an external monitor.
After carefully replacing “old screen” with a brand new one, it no longer blue screens but now I am getting white horizontal lines flickering through the new screen. Again, this happens after 30 minutes and doesn’t go away.
I thought it might be the inverter, so I replaced it with a new inverter, taking care not to contaminate it, however the results are the same…continuous white flickering horizontal lines.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
April 20th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
hello and thanks for reading, i do some work on occasion to laptops and i could use a second opinion. have a averatec 4100 laptop that i just replaced the old lcd with a ‘working version i bought from ebay’ when i boot it up to the bios i can barely see the lettering in the bios. i have hooked it up to a deskptop monitor and it works fine. any ideas? thanks!
April 21st, 2009 at 10:14 am
John,
When the screen starts flickering the background turns gray color and there is no image at all? Can you get normal image on the external monitor even though the internal screen flickers?
Try updating the BIOS. I think Toshiba fixed this issue with the BIOS update.
Check out this article: Toshiba Satellite A105 screen turns black with gray horizontal lines
If you can see the screen and it’s bright (even though the image is garbled), the inverter and backlight work properly.
April 21st, 2009 at 10:19 am
alan,
I assume you installed a compatible LCD screen.
It’s either bad inverter board or your new LCD screen has a bad backlight lamp inside.
Why did you replace the old screen? Did it work at all? Did the old screen light up when you turn on the laptop?
Let’s say your old screen was broken but it was lighting up when you turn on the laptop. If you installed a new scree and it doesn’t light up, most likely you didn’t plug it properly (check all connections again) or it’s defective.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
hello again, thanks for the response. i got this lcd in from my company who buys these by the truckload from the geek boys when they dont want to fix them. the original lcd did the same thing as the replacement i got from ebay. its an exact fit and cabling exact match. this model only has 2 plug-ins and they are both shaped differently so that isnt in the equation.i have one more coming in and i will test the replacement against the known working one. i just wasnt sure whether there was anything bad in the planar board connection wise that would make that not function.
i was guessing it might be either of those items you mentioned. just wasnt sure if there was anything else. thanks for the reply!
April 24th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Could you tell me what cause condition number 2? I have this problem and when I googled it seems to be a common problem with HP screens
April 24th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Liam,
Do you mean thin vertical lines on the screen? Yes, it’s a common LCD failure but not only with HP laptops. It happens with Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, IBM and other laptops. I don’t know what’s causing it, probably a bad connection somewhere on the LCD controller board. Unfortunately, you cannot fix it. You’ll have to replace the screen or use it as is.
May 8th, 2009 at 8:44 am
I bought my HP Pavilion dv6000 about 1.5 years ago so it’s not under warranty. First, i got one thin verticla line on the left side of the sreen, that was ok. About one week later I got 2 more lines. Now I have more than 10 lines.
I guess it’s time to replace the screen. That sucks!
May 8th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Sean,
Sounds like a problem with the LCD screen to me. I’ve seen that failure many times before. You’ll have to get a new screen.
May 13th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Hello I am trying to repair my nootebook and I need the inverter screen is black allready did my homework is there a diference beetwen the 15 inch or 17 inch lcd or do they use the same inverter
and about the single or dual inverter how can I tell its my first time doing this and I would apreciate any help !
May 13th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Jane,
In some laptops you can use the same inverter but it depends. There is no simple answer. Just buy a compatible inverter. Search for a new inverter using the part number from the old inverter.
Dual inverters are used for LCD screens with two backlgith lamps, it’s not a common screen. I don’t know if your laptop use one of those screens. You’ll have to open up the display panel and take a closer look at the inverter board.
June 19th, 2009 at 8:56 am
i’ve got a presario c700, when the screen is opened past about 45 degress the screen starts to scramble. it started to happen around 90 degrees and has been moving in slowly. any ideas?
June 19th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
greg,
Could be bad connection between the video cable and LCD screen/motherboard. The first thing to try would be reconnecting the cable. If it doesn’t help, try replacing the video cable, it might be defective.
Here’s an example of taking apart the LCD screen from a Compaq Presario F700. Could be similar to your laptop.
How to remove LCD screen, inverter and hinges from Compaq Presario F700 laptop
July 8th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Hello, I have an HP Pavilion dv9000 and when I open the lid to start my computer, if I open the lid any further than 90 degrees then the picture looks grainy and distorted. Almost like there is to much blue in the picture. But when I move it back, it goes away.
July 8th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Hello, it’s good to see people posting information instead of keeping it to themselves. I’m currently in the process of fixing my hp dv6000 I’ve had for quite some time. It’s been sent in once for a defective mother board and even after that, the screen went blank. I found this site and found out it’s either the inverter or the screen, which is in perfect condition but its dark as listed in the inverter guide section. I bought an inverter and it hasn’t helped so I’m going to order a brand new screen. My question is, if the new screen doesn’t brighten up even after the inverter I bought and the new screen put in, what else might I need to consider?
July 10th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Kelz,
Is your screen blank or very dark?
If the screen is blank and there is no image at all, it’s not related to the inverter. When you have a problem with the inverter board or LCD screen, you still should be able to use the laptop with an external monitor attached. The external video should work normal. Can you get video on the external monitor?
Did you know that HP extended warranty for some dv6000 laptops? Check out this article. Maybe your laptop qualifies for that repair?
July 12th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
It’s very dark with an image, I’ve had it hooked up to a plasma screen for a couple of months.I got the screen in yesterday and plan on installing it tomorrow, hopefully this will help it.Is there anything else I might look into if the new screen doesn’t work? (I bought a new inverter and will have a new screen tomorrow)
July 16th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Kelz,
Most likely it’s either bad inverter or backligth lamp.
With a new screen and inverter you have very good chance to fix the problem.
There is a slight chance of bad video cable or motherboard problem, but it’s not very common.
Good luck!
July 21st, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Hi long story but here goes, brothers laptop HP DV9500 series is 20 months old (£1,000), at 13 months a new motherboard fitted as PC wrold claimed GPU failure. (£230) 5 months later screen gone again. He’s now bought a new laptop. However I am trying to sort, with HP tech help I established the external monitor works, however now I cannot establish if the LCD or Inverter is the problem. The screen is so dark, you have lines darting across, on loading you can see the windows loading bar (but very poor quality image) other images flicker all over the screen but unable to make out what images they are, almost seem out of place. Any ideas? Thanks
July 21st, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Simon,
I just want to confirm one thing. You said the laptop was tested with an external monitor and it works properly. The image on the external screen is absolutely fine and will not flicker at all, right?
That description doesn’t sound like a problem with the inverter board. When inverter fails, the backlight goes off but you there will be no flickering images all over the screen.
Could be bad video cable or LCD screen.
Here’s what you can try in order to narrow down the problem. Take apart the display panel so you can access the video cable but do not unplug it from the LCD screen. Turn on the laptop and find out if moving the cable (without touching the LCD) affects image on the screen. If it does, probably you have a faulty video cable.
July 21st, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Hi there, I have a Toshiba satellite laptop that’s about 7yrs old. The screen is completely white with a very small dark band running vertical on the screen. I was able to hook it up to an external monitor but lately now that doesn’t even work. I assume it isn’t the inverter since there is a white background. Could it be that it needs a new screen? And why do you think I can no longer hook it up to an external monitor?
Thank you for your help,
Tim
July 21st, 2009 at 5:49 pm
tim,
It’s possible you have two different problems in the same laptop. At the beginning it was just a bad LCD screen but now you got another one.
Do you have two memory modules installed? Try removing them one by one and test the laptop with each memory module separately. Maybe one of them bad and the laptop will start when you have only a good one installed. Can you get video on the external monitor with only one memory module installed?
July 21st, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Thanks for the reply and suggestion. I had the laptop apart last night and so will do again and move the cable to see if it affect the screen. The picture on the external monitor is absolutely perfect.
I’ll report back either later today or tomorrow. Many thanks.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:22 am
Hi have moved the cable but with slightly a different rapid line patterns across he whole screen it is still very bad. what next? simon
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:39 am
Hi me again, the weirdest thing just occurred, when going to switch off the laptop I pressed a part of the laptop missing the button, and the screen partially returned, pressing around this area causes the picture to change dramatically. Any new ideas? Thanks
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:51 am
Simon,
Are you applying pressure in the area where the video cable is connected to the motherboard? It’s possible that the video cable is not making good connecting with the motherboard.
Try reconnecting the cable.
Be careful, do not bent pins inside the connector when you are reseating the cable.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:08 am
I can only assume the cable will be located under the area of the button, but am going to have to try to find some instructions on taking the laptop base apart to get in. The laptop is a HP Dv9576, so will probably do it tomorrow night. Very excited now…hehe Thanks for your hep yet again. Si
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:32 am
Simon,
You can get disassembly instructions in the official service guide or take a look at this guide for a Pavilion dv9000 notebook.
The guide explains how to remove the keyboard cover. The video cable connector is located right under the cover on the left side. Read the keyboard removal instructions.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Hi Just an update for all, I now have a fully functioning laptop which has cost nothing to repair, contrary to the alledged experts advice to spend another £230, and now very happy. Thank you for all the advice and support. Regards Simon
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Simon,
So, what was the problem? Loose connection between the video cable and motherboard?
July 24th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Hi Yes the cable connection to the motherboard had worked loose, maybe through heat from that area or poor design, but considering the experts advise to replace the motherboard for a second time it just shows the logical approach can bear fruit. Thanks again. Simon
August 13th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Screen goes black, nothing displayed, when I start up my Presario CQ50-215NR. Power light works normally. Drive light blinks normally. I don’t think its the battery because the same thing (a black blank screen) happens when I take out the battery and just use the AC adapter. I hear the fan and that’s about it. I tried using two external monitors (thinking it was a problem with the laptop’s lcd screen) but it was just futile because the same thing would just happen.
It was working normally in the morning, however, after I shut it down and came back an hour later to turn it back on, the screen would just be blank and black. Would be appreciated if you could provide some helpful insight.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Sam,
The first thing to try would be reconnecting the memory module. Maybe it’s not making good contact the the slot.
Do you have two memory modules installed? Test the laptop with each module separately, it’s possible that one of the modules failed.
Try moving memory from one slot to another and test the laptop.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:34 am
I tried alternating the modules. No luck.
I tried each individual module separately and came to the conclusion that one of the module slots is unable to read either memory modules because the top slot reads both and the laptop works fine.
Is it possible to replace one of the slots because I think its connected to the motherboard? Is it possible to just use one of the memory modules, if so, what are the ramifications of using just one?
August 19th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Sam,
Sounds like you have a faulty memory slot. Unfortunately you cannot fix this problem at home unless you know how to reflow the memory slot connections on the motherboard.
There are two options:
1. Replace the motherboard.
2. Use the laptop with only one working slot.
Also, you can try this technique to “fix” the faulty memory slot.
September 4th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Hi Repair Man i have a problem for you, my laptop screen goes blank no backlight and nothing on screen at all, however it works fine on an external screen. If i toggle the crt/lcd button i briefly get the internal screen back then it goes blank again could this be the internal cable. Any help would be appreciated.
September 6th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Hi, could you tell me what causes the failure of screen 1? Yesterday, touching the screen on the lower left corner brought back the T42’s screen, but not today. When it’s not as shown, the lower third of the screen is just frozen with the most recent image. Could it be the video cable? Thanks, Dave.
September 8th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Dave Schooling,
I’m not sure what causes the failure like that. Probably a problem with the LCD controller board, maybe bad solder joint somewhere on the board. Not sure.
Anyways, if you have a failure like that the entire LCD has to be replaced.
I doubt it. A faulty video cable would affect image on the entire screen.
You can try reconnecting the video cable connector on the motherboard, but I don’t think it will help. All connections in ThinkPad laptops are pretty secure.
September 8th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
warren,
Are you sure that there is no image on the screen at all when the backlight goes off? Look very closely. Most likely the image is still there, but it’s so dark that you cannot see anything.
Your description sounds like a problem with the inverter board or backligth lamp. I would try replacing the inverter board first. You have a good chance to fix the problem by replacing the inverter.
September 19th, 2009 at 5:43 am
Hello!
My LCD screen of my laptop (HP dv6680ev) was smashed and I will replace it on my own. The original LCD was glossy, which I never really liked – with daylight you could clearly see yourself like mirror.
The problem is that one the HP website no matte LCD is available for my model. However I am pretty sure I can use a LCD from another model. What should I take care of in order to be compatible with my laptop? Any 15.4” 1280×800 WXGA will do??
Thanks in advance for your help!
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:36 am
Stathis,
I think it might work if you install a matte screen for Pavilion dv6000 series. Something like that. This is just a guess so proceed on your own risk.
Some screens might have two backlight lamps inside, so it has to be repalce with another dual lamp screen.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Hi, thanks for the interesting website. I have a Dell Inspiron 9300 laptop (no warranty). I had the LCD replaced 7 months ago. The original LCD had the infamous “Dell vertical lines” problem. After about 10 minutes the display starts flickering (30 seconds) and then turns all white with a slight bluish tint. Using an external monitor still works. Any idea what the problem is?
November 16th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Joe,
It’s hard to tell what is wrong without testing the laptop with another known good LCD screen. I think it could be one of the following:
1. Poor connection between the video cable and motherboard or LCD screen. Reconnecting the cable might help to fix the problem.
2. Bad LCD screen.
3. Faulty motherboard.
November 18th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I have a Compaq V2000 that the backlight will only come on for a second when i mes with the lid switch. i have changed the inverter and the ccfl to no avail. Any ideas on what to try next.
Thanks
Ed
November 19th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Ed,
Did you buy spare parts from a reputable seller? There is a chance that your spare parts are not good. I’ve seen it happening before.
The lid close switch itself could be bad I guess.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I believe that the dealer was reputable. With the screen coming on for a second when the lid swith is tapped it seems that the problem is in the switch. Any way to disable the lid switch? It is soldered to the mother board.
Thanks
Ed
November 26th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Ed,
I doubt that your problem is related to the lid close switch. The LCD coming on for a second when the lid switch is tapped, it means the switch works.
Sounds like a problem with the inverter or backlight lamp.
If the lid close switch is soldered to the motherboard, you cannot disable it.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
My problem is a little different. After turning on the unit and heating up for 10 minutes, I get a small semi-circular black spot that appears in the lower right hand corner of the screen. It appears as about the size of a thumb print. It will remain and after the unit runs for additional 10 minutes or so, the screen will start to “flicker” and become distorted. I have not just left it on to see if it will go totally black. After shutting off and cooling then restarting, the screen is clear until it warms up again. Would this be the inverter or a screen problem?
December 14th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
How do you locate the lid closed switch on a sony vaio vgn sz390p. My lcd went dark on me two weeks ago. i replaced the entire lcd for over $500 and its really dim but if i shine a light on it I can see the screen. I can hook up an external monitor and its perfect. I think my lid closed switch is stuck. Where can i find this?
December 28th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I replaced the LCD screen on my HP DV6000. Seemed to go smoothly and I’m getting a clear picture, but the picture is all wrong. It’s moved positions to the left and I’m getting four images on one screen (similar to how the desktop background is “tiled”). Any ideas?
December 28th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Missy,
What was wrong with the old screen?
Here are a few things you can try:
1. Enter the BIOS setup menu and load default settings. Safe them and restart the laptop.
2. Try reflashing/updating the BIOS.
If nothing helps, I think your new LCD screen either bad or not compatible with the laptop.
February 15th, 2010 at 10:03 am
I have two older identical HP Pavilion laptops model N5310. One has a non functioning display,using an external monitor, it runs pretty well with Windows XP Professional and has decent amount of RAM (512 meg). The other one has a working display, runs Windows XP Home edition, but it has less RAM (256 Meg) so it runs slower than the non functioning display one. Which would be the better,and/or easier course of action?:
1) swap the entire LCD display portion from the good slower model to the faster dead display model? (how would I do this?)
2) swap the hard drive and RAM from the dead display model to the functioning display model?
I know these are old and not worth spending money on, but I still hope to get at least one of them in full operating condition if possible.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
February 20th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Margie,
If these two laptops are absolutely identical, I would try moving the hard drive and memory first. It’s easier than replacing the display panel.
April 23rd, 2010 at 2:53 pm
I have an Asus N50Vn laptop. The screen has one (so far) thin line running vertically on the left side of the screen. It appeared after I attached an external HDD to the back of the laptop with some heavy-duty velcro (I attached it because it’s the HDD that contains all of my music, videos, e-books, and other important files that I use on a regular basis). I can press on the bezel or on the screen case in certain spots and it will go away, but the problem is only getting worse. I’m planning on replacing the screen but have some questions before doing so.
1. Your website lists several screens that are compatible with my laptop model. My particular laptop (the N50Vn model has several “sub-models”) has 15.4″ screen with a max res of 1280×800. Why does your site say that it is important to ensure that the original screen has the same resolution? If my video card can support higher resolutions and if the screen size is the same, will it matter if I buy a screen with better resolution? Shouldn’t the only thing I be concerned with is whether or not it will fit in the frame?
2. Can I replace my current screen with an LED-lit screen (the only one available is in the same size and resolution)?
3. Up until I attached the external HDD to the screen case, the screen was working fine. I’m going to assume, at the obvious risk of making an ass out of myself, that it was electromagnetic interference from the HDD that caused the problem. Should I avoid attaching the HDD to my laptop when it is turned on when I install the new screen or was this just a fluke (or due to pulling the HDD off of the case)?
4. Is replacing a screen difficult? I’ve worked on laptops before but have never replaced a screen. Is there any soldering involved? Are there any online sources for help with replacing screens?
Thanks for any help that you can provide. I look forward to hearing from you.
Justin
April 23rd, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Justin Bowen,
Sounds like the LCD screen failure. Most likely replacing the LCD screen will fix the problem.
I don’t sell any LCD screens. Apparently you visited one of the sites through the advertising links.
Because there is a chance that your laptop will not work properly with a different screen. A screen with higher resolution might require a different LCD cable.
I cannot tell if a new screen with higher resolution will work fine. You’ll have to contact the seller and ask them this question.
If you have a regular (backlioght lit screen) you cannot replace it with an LED screen.
I don’t think that connecting an external HDD would cause this problem. Could be just a coincidence.
I do it all the time.
In most cases it’s not difficult. Check out http://www.InsideMyLaptop.com where I publish guide for different laptops and read though a few LCD screen replacement guides for different laptops. You’ll get the idea.
April 23rd, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Wow, that was quick.
You pretty much answered almost all of my questions. I say almost because I need some clarification on one of your answers.
When I asked if I should avoid attaching the HDD to my laptop when it is turned on, I was asking about whether I should attach it to the back of my screen with the velcro or not, not whether I should avoid attaching it to the PC with a USB cable. Are you saying that you do the former all the time or the latter?
April 23rd, 2010 at 5:24 pm
Justin Bowen,
I misunderstood your question.
I had to google “velcro” to find out what it is. I guess it’s some kind of duct tape.
I don’t know if attaching the hard drive to the display cover can damage the LCD screen.
April 25th, 2010 at 8:12 am
Hi Repair Man,
First of all – thank you! I spent a total of $29 to fix a “operating sytem not found” on attempted reboot and no drivers ound for the hard drive in my laptop. HP wanted to charge me $99 just to speak with me on the phone, and they likely would have suggested I send it in for service. Your guide to laptops helped me diagnose and fix the problem (bad hard drive – installed new OS on the replaced drive).
Now – my LCD related question…
My HP Pavillion dv9700 laptop’s screen shows a neon green rather than black for all pixels. If I start to close the screen, when it gets maybe three incles from being all the way shut, I can see the black go back to black, but when I reopen the screen the problem reemerges. I did open up the LCD area and attempted to wiggle/squeeze various wires but not seemed to do anything. Further, the brightness on the LCD is dimmer than I would expect (but still easily seen)and the function keys for brightness do nothing to alter the brightness of the screen.
From some various forums, I think it may have something to do with a slightly loose connection to the motherboard, but that’s a guess.
Can you help? Will you?
April 26th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Bill,
How about video on the external monitor? Did you have a chance to check out external video output?
April 26th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Not sure what I’d need to hook up to check the video on an external monitor. Does that require special cables?
April 27th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Bill,
The external monitor has a cable with D-shaped connector (15 pins inside).
You plug this cable into the VGA port on the side (or back) of your laptop and turn the laptop on.
On some models the external monitor is detected and activated automatically, on other models you have to change the laptop display settings to output to the external monitor.
If the external monitor will not work right away, try using the keyboard shortcut (I believe it’s Fn+F4 combination) or go to the display settings and set the external monitor.
April 27th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Okay, I hooked it up to my desktop monitor and the picture looks perfect.
April 28th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Bill,
It means the video card works properly.
Most likely you have a problem with the video cable or LCD screen and here’s what you can try:
1. Try reconnecting the video cable on both ends, make sure the video cable makes good contact with the LCD screen and motherboard.
2. Try replacing the video cable.
3. Try replacing the LCD screen.
April 30th, 2010 at 2:41 am
Hi
My laptop screen is appearing whitish with a black smokey look as though graphite dust was sprinkled in it.
When i turn the lap top on i hear it starting up ok, just have the dead whitish/smokey looking screen. has anyone else had a problem like this or recognize the symptoms.
Thanks
May 1st, 2010 at 11:07 am
Maryann,
Does the problem appear as soon as the laptop is turned on, even before Windows starts loading?
If yes, test the laptop with an external monitor. If video on the external monitor works fine, most likely you have a problem with the laptop screen.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Thanks for very handy instruction.
I love this site for clear structure & clean explanation.
Btw, I’d like to expose my laptop monitor problem :
1. Cause :
I spilt few drops of tea (no sugar) on laptop keyboard & mouse pad.
2. Result :
For few days, my laptop worked well.
Then, hdd dead. LCD is ok.
3. My stupid efforts :
I opened laptop case & saw its inside.
No trace of tea on any parts.
Perfectly clean (My tea was wholy deep brown color).
But while I repacked the laptop case, a metal screw had been lost & found in speaker hole. So I’d been shaking my laptop to get it out.
4. result :
Not only hdd is gone, but LCD too.
LCD appears now dead end.
5. My reasonable efforts :
Replaced dead hdd for new one & laptop Connected to another LCD Monitor for pc.
6. Result :
My laptop works perfect with new hdd via another LCD monitor !!
7. My question :
What’s the problem & solution of my laptop LCD has no sign of life ?
Thanks for reply in advance.
July 8th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Lara,
First of all, try switching video from external to internal mode. Usually you can do it using the Fn key and one of the F* key. For example, on my Toshiba laptop I can hold down the Fn key and at the same time press on the F5 to switch video between internal and external monitors.
It’s possible the LCD cable got disconnected from the motherboard or LCD screen. You can try reconnecting the video cable on the motherboard and LCD.
It’s hard to troubleshoot this kind of problems without looking at the laptop.
July 12th, 2010 at 3:00 am
Hi,
You can never ever imagine how much my joy goes here.
LCD cable was disconnected just as you suggested.
You saved my mostly new laptop.
Thank you so much !!!
Before coming to this site, I’d red hundred of pages about LCD issue. You just earn my time & money.
You’re awsome.
(Maybe, in some days or from time to time, I’d like to ask another LCD monitor problem. It gives similar image like your above pictures. I’m not sure if you can accept my questions, since it’s not related to laptop, but only LCD monitor.)
July 12th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Lara,
I’m glad to help.
I can with laptops but not desktop LCD screens.
If the LCD monitors shows garbled image, it’s either bad cable or the monitor is bad and has to be replaced.
July 13th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Hi, I have two Uniwill/Tiny 755SI4 laptops, which I will call A & B.
The A machine screen will not power up the screen although you can see the image faintly in the background. The A laptop provides a perfect picture through a remote monitor.
If I exchange the screen on laptop A, and connect it to laptop B, the screen works perfectly. However, the screen originally working on laptop B also only shows a faint image when connected to laptop A. This suggests that both screens are OK and the problem is possibly with the motherboard.
The screens both have a separate lead for video and inverter. The inverter has 6 wires connecting to the motherboard’s 12 pin connector. Pins 1 to 5 and pin 12 as ground. Voltages for laptop A with the inverter connected are as follows :
pin 1 – 2.8v, pin 2 – 2.8v, pin 3 – 1.8v, pin 4 – 2.71v pin 5 – 0.0v, but the screen is not showing a proper image. If I disconnect the inverter cable (leaving the video cable connected) the voltages are : pin 1 – 18.78v, pin 2 – 18.78v, pin 3 – 1.87v, pin 4 – 3.24v, pin 5 – 0.0v. On the fully functional laptop B the voltages are : pin 1 = 19.48v, pin 2 – 19.48v, pin 3 – 0.51v, pin 4 – 2.30v pin 5 – 0.0v.
As I have proved that both screens are fully working on laptop B, and the voltages from laptop A motherboard without the inverter connected are similar to the those of the fully functional laptop B, I am confused. I have noticed that the FN + F5 key will not close down the external monitor connected to laptop A.
Any suggestions to resolve this problem are welcome. Many thanks.
Dennis
July 17th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Hi there,
I have a problem with my HP DV9700t Laptop.
My new laptop display won’t work. Original problem occured with intermittent flickering when lid was moved. This I put down to bad display cable and ignored (bad idea in hindsight). Display finally flickered , had a white cloud and then black. Laptop boots up fine and backlight turns on when it’s supposed to but screen remains blank. Works perfectly through external monitor. I then replaced the display cable with no change. Replaced display with brand new identical and no change. I tried hooking it up with an old 14″ display (mine is 17″) and sure enough i could make out my background on display (image was dark but no backlight on as cables were different).
I’m stumped now to what my problem could be and if anyone has an idea I greatly appreciate it.
Regards,
Brian.
July 21st, 2010 at 7:46 am
Hi my new laptop had accidentaly fell down and now the screen is displayed in two different resolutions. Left side shows the actual resolution and the right side shows a slightly dull resolution. Is there any way to rectify the issue? Will this cover under warranty? I heard the lcd monitor is one of the costly part in the laptop. Kindly revert. Thanks in advance
July 22nd, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Dennis,
You are correct. Most likely this is not screen related problem.
I’m not familiar with this model but I think you should take a closer look at the lid close switch on the laptop A. Is is a physical button?
Maybe the lid close switch is dirty and got stuck inside the case? Try tapping on the lid close switch while the laptop A is turned on.
I had a very similar problem just recently and it was an Acer laptop.
1. I tried a good working screen on the laptop and the backlight didn’t work (even though I had a very faint image).
2. I purchase a new inverter and it didn’t help either.
Only after I pressed on the lid close switch many times with a small screwdriver, the backlight turned on and started working properly. It was a tiny switch close to the right hinge.
July 22nd, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Brian,
Sounds like the video cable problem to me.
Did you buy the replacement video cable from a reliable source? Maybe the new cable is bad?
Make sure the cable is plugged correctly into the motherboard. Double check the connection.
July 22nd, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Rajesh,
Most likely the LCD screen was damaged.
Depends on the type of warranty you have.
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:27 am
Hi Repair Man,
Thanks for your suggestion under post 89. The lid close button appears to be working OK. Also the Fn + F5 function is now closing/opening the external monitor, but nothing appears on the laptop screen other than a very faint image.
The low voltages through the inverter connection looks to be the problem, which I believe indicates that the motherboard is the cause. I do not think it is worth repairing, unless you have any further ideas. Appreciate your help.
Dennis
July 29th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Dennis,
I think you are correct. Sounds like a problem with the motherboard. Probably not worth repair.