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.
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
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
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?
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.
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 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 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!
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.
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 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!