A while back my laptop screen flickered, became very pixelated and faded to a solid bright white. The only way to get a response from the computer was to press and hold the power button. After turning it back on the bios splash page (logo, version, etc.) was also pixelated in random colors. The computer would go through post with no issues and proceed to the windows loading screen and the screen would again fade to solid white. I would press and hold the power button to turn off and turn it back on. Again bios start page is pixelated. This time it says windows was not shut down properly and I choose to boot into safe mode with networking. The computer boots with no issues – no graphical distortion at all. I run the resolution at 1920 x 1200 and in safe mode this resolution was still used, however any loading of graphics was very slow (e.g. Scrolling through content in IE 7).
I don’t think that your problem is related to the LCD screen because the laptop has good video in safe mode. With a bad LCD screen it would fail in safe mode too.
Your description sounds like a problem with the video card. You can test your laptop with an external monitor. If you see distortion on the external monitor (or external video not working at all), it’s definitely a problem with the video card.
In most laptops the video card is integrated into the motherboard and cannot be removed and replaced separately. If that’s the case, you’ll have to replace the whole motherboard.
Posted in LCD Displays Lines, LCD Screen Issues, Video Problems
I replaced the laptop screen today and I have no picture at all. I can see the backlight come on and an external monitor works fine… a friend said maybe a driver but I am lost at this point.. this computer has been hooked to an external monitor for about 3 years if that matters at all.
I have a Dell Inspiron 6000.
It’s not a driver related issue. If you can see video on the external monitor, most likely the driver works properly.
Have you tried reconnecting the video cable to the motherboard?
It’s possible the cable is not making good connection with the motherboard or the cable is bad and has to be replaced. Also, there could be a problem with the motherboard but I would try replacing the video cable first.
By the way, I assume that you purchased the LCD screen from a reliable source and it’s good.
Posted in LCD Screen Issues, Video Problems
I have a Tosiba Satellite P100 17 inch laptop. It has Nvidia Geforce 7600 Go Video card. The LCD screen went black few days ago, but the laptop is in working condition, LED lights are working. Was able to connect to external monitor via VGA port, got the picture, but it’s somewhat corrupted, picture has a lot of pixelation. This is also repeated with another external LCD. I disassembled it to check connections, the video cable connection seems to be tight… What seems to be the problem? If this is screen , why I have pixelation on external monitor? Is it a video card? Is it a motherboard?
That description sounds like a problem with the video card and I’ve seen this happening with Satellite P100 laptops before. Most likely you will be able to fix the laptop if you replace the video card, which is located underneath the motherboard. You can follow this disassembly instructions for a Satellite P105, which is a similar laptop except it has a video card integrated into the motherboard. In your laptop the video card should be a discrete module which you can separate from the motherboard.
If you can give me the laptop model number from the sticker on the bottom, I can look up the video card part number for you so you can google it and find a replacement.
Posted in LCD Screen Issues, Toshiba Laptop Parts, Video Problems
When I touch the lid or move the laptop a certain way, the screen goes black or the contrast is really dim. The buttons on the laptop are still lit but everything else seems shut off.. but not really. I try everything I can to turn it on but it wont turn on. So I have to force it to shut down. I don’t know why it would do that.
I think there could be a problem with the screen cable. This cable connects the laptop LCD screen to the motherboard and apparently the cable is bad and has to be replaced. That would be my guess.
Here’s what you can do in order to narrow down the problem. Test your laptop with an external monitor attached to the VGA port. Set your laptop to output video to both, the internal screen and external monitor. Now touch the lid or move the laptop. If the laptop screen goes black or dim, but you still can use the laptop with the external monitor, most likely it’s related to the screen cable. Apparently it has damaged wires inside the harness and there is a short inside the harness when you move the lid. If that’s the case, the screen cable has to be replaced.
Posted in Backlight Failure, LCD Screen Issues, Video Problems
Couple of months ago, a vertical row of pixels was shown in yellow, and 2 weeks ago, a 4cm row of pixels on the right side of the LCD was blurred and after couple of days, it went completely white. Same this is now happening in the left side, and i’m afraid it will shortly turn into white as well.
Can this be caused by the graphic cable or by the inverter, or is this the LCD dying on me…?
By the way, it’s a Toshiba Satellite P105-S6084.
This problem is not caused by the inverter board because you still can see the image on the screen. The backlight still works, so it’s not the inverter.
Also, it’s not related to the LCD cable. A bad faulty LCD cable affects image on the whole LCD screen, not just on a part of the LCD. I don’t think that your problem is related to the cable.
Apparently your LCD screen is dying and you’ll have to replace it soon.
Just in case, test the laptop with an external monitor attached to the VGA port on the side of the laptop. Most likely the external video will be fine. Let me know if the external video output also has vertical rows of pixels. Because if it does (I really doubt it), there could be a problem with the video card.
Posted in LCD Displays Lines, LCD Screen Issues, Video Problems