I have Toshiba satellite A15-S129. I replaced the notebook screen I could only get WHITE BACKLIGHT no image at all.
I have Toshiba satellite A15-S129 notebook. I have cracked the screen but could still see around and under cracks. I take the screen out by using your Toshiba Satellite 2435 instruction (thanks for the help it was easy), when I reinstalled the screen I could only get WHITE BACKLIGHT no image at all. I hooked up the external monitor and got an image but goes back to laptop and just white light. I remember when I first dissembled the notebook display assembly and reinstalled the old cracked screen that it look to me like the data connector cable (male) on the back of the display laid on top of the LCD connector(female) and I taped it down. Later when I looked again at the connector I realized it plugged in and not laying on top. I also notice the data cable has open pins on it which I made contact with the metal surface of the LCD connector. Did I short something? The External monitor does display starting Windows XP.
From my experience, very often you get a white screen when the video cable is not properly seated on the back of the LCD screen. I assume that the video cable is good itself, because you were able to see some image on the old cracked screen.
Disconnect the video cable from the connector on the LCD screen and check the connector with a magnifying glass. If you see any bent pins, very carefully straighten them with a small flathead screwdriver. I hope that you didn’t break any pins.
I’m not sure if you can short a circuit, but I’m pretty sure that you can damage pins if you plug the video cable incorrectly. I’ve done it myself before and I was able to make it work after I straightened bent pins on the LCD connector.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:21 am
Compaq V2000 on the blink. One day turned it on – nothing but faint image. External ok. Lid close switch brings up the full brightness momentarily. Is it a) backlight b) inverter c) somthing else?
I have two of these. Is it worth swapping panels and checking?
June 7th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
My girlfriend recently got a new laptop and gave me her old one that someone happend to step on the laptop and there for the screen was cracked. So i decided to replace the screen and have a perfectly good working laptop. So i purchased a screen that said it was guaranteed to work off ebay and i hooked it up and i don’t get any picture when i turn on the laptop. The screen lights up a little but there is no picture at all. I was wondering if maybe i had a bad lcd cable or what the problem could possibly be.
April 3rd, 2007 at 6:26 pm
I have a Toshiba A75 S211. I have been having the overheating problem for a while. I’ve been planning on doing a complete cleaning soon, until then I’ve been using canned air to blow out the heatsink. Now for my problem. My screen turns completely white. I’m using an external monitor, everything still functions, I’m even using it to send this. When I start the computer the screen works. I can use it until the whiteout occurs. Some times it does it on start up, sometimes it takes 20-30 minutes to happen. It starts as a horizontal line in the center, then it only takes 1-3 seconds for the whole screen to become white. I need help to figure out the cause so I can fix it when I take the computer apart for the cleaning. Thak you for your tiime and help!
March 11th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Tom,
If the screen randomly goes black and new inverter board doesn’t fix the problem then it’s possible you have a faulty backlight lamp (CCFL tube) inside the screen.
March 6th, 2007 at 11:14 am
The video cable was definetly unplugged because the screen was completly detached from the keyboard. He was also working on reconnectin the indicator lights on the from edge of the laptop.(long story)
Based on my original symptoms, could it have been a bad LCD sreen the whole time. Can you have a bad LCD screen that will randomly go black with a faint image in the background?( march 3) post.
Thanks again
Tom
March 5th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Tom,
It’s possible the video cable is making a bad connection with the LCD screen, maybe the person who replaced the inverter accidentally pulled the video cable. In order to check this connection it’s necessary to open up the laptop display panel. The video cable connector is shown on the fifth picture.
March 3rd, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I had what I thought was a bad inverter. My compaq Presario 2100 laptop would not always boot up or would occaaisonally go black if bumped or for no reason at all. I could always see a faint image in the background so I was convinced it was the FL inverter. I had someone replace the inverter and now I have plenty of white backlight but no image. The person who witched out the inverter is now saying the problem was a bad LCD screen the whole time but it is a cheaper attempt to try to change out the inverter first. Can a bad LCD screen still give a faint image in the background. I read some things about maybe poorly seated or bad video cable. How do I check this? Thanks for any help. on the external moniter everything works fine
February 22nd, 2007 at 7:34 pm
Issha Marie,
I think your data is still on the hard drive but I cannot guess what is wrong with the laptop itself until you test it with an external monitor. I’ve published your question alone with some troubleshooting and data recovery tips here.
February 21st, 2007 at 8:20 pm
I need help. This is the first time that something like this has ever happened to me. I own a Toshiba Satellite M30-UU9 and I have had this laptop for almost four years. I left my laptop off for the past few days and it was only recently that I got to leaving it on for a whole day or two… I was in the midst of downloading something from the net so I decided to leave my laptop running while I went off to work. Some hours later (ten hours or so), I came to check up on my laptop to see if any of them has finished downloading and all I was left with was a white screen. The screen has lines of colour running through it – thin ones, subtle and not too prominent. I panicked, and I shut it off, hoping that when it restarts, the windows screen would appear again. It wasn’t succesful, needless to say, and I tried turning it on and off a couple more times before I finally freaked out. What I am now wondering is whether or not my hard drive fried and took away all my files, or whether or not this is just a mere screen problem. I have been reading about external monitors while browsing this segment, but I have no knowledge of such. Bottomline is, I want to be able to know whether or not my files are still recoverable… and can my screen problem be fixed?
A speedy response, or any response at all will be greatly appreciated. Help, please! All my art projects are in there and I need my laptop to work…
February 21st, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Kristian,
Can you test the laptop with an external screen? The external video is fine?
From my experience, the screen might go completely white if there is a loose connection between the video cable and the motherboard. In this case reconnecting the video cable on the back of the LCD screen (step 5) might help.
February 21st, 2007 at 12:42 am
Hi,
i have a toshiba tecra a3 laptop. My brother was using it and then said it froze and 5 seconds later the screen when all white. I rebooted the laptop and everytime you turn it on it comes up white. the whole machine freezes. help need asap
February 20th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
mel,
The wireless antennas have small connectors on the end and if these connectors touching the motherboard they can create a short. I usually isolate these connectors just as a precaution when wires are not attached to the wireless card.
February 17th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
I’ve moved the switch back and forth while the laptop is on, and it didn’t change anything. what happens if the wires are touching the motherboard? I guess I’ll have to let a repair place perform a diagnosis. I have a feeling it’s something simple that I’m failing to realize..
February 17th, 2007 at 11:00 am
mel,
Check the lid close switch, a small button located above the keyboard close to the screen. This button cuts off power from the inverter board when you close the display. Make sure the button moves freely and is not stuck inside. Try tapping on the lid close switch when the laptop is turned on, does it make any difference?
By the way, the old cracked LCD still lights up?
Black and white thin cables attached to the LCD are wireless card antennas and they connect to the wireless card. If there is no wi-fi card installed, tape both cables to the motherboard in the wi-fi card bay. Make sure connectors not touching the motherboard.
February 15th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Hi, i have a toshiba 2435, 2 years ago i left it in a hot closet upon which the screen cracked but worked, with my bad luck i was carrying the laptop and happened to drop it which made the already cracked screen even worse, still worked, except it was pretty much white. Now i have purchased 2 used screens, and 3 inverters and 2 video cables, but the screen is always dim no matter what. I’ve disconnected, reconnected, but every time it is dim. If it’s not the screens, or inverters or video cable, what could it be? I opened the back of the laptop up, there is a black and white thin cable that’s attached to the back of the LCD casing that runs underneath of the keyboard are those wires suppose to attached or saultered to anything near the motherboard?
February 6th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Travis,
Steps for removing the LCD screen from a Toshiba Satellite L25 notebook will not be much different then for other Toshiba models. Read through a few guides here and you’ll get an idea. Here’s another example for removing notebook LCD.
February 5th, 2007 at 2:45 am
I have a Toshiba L25-S1192 and all I need are the disassembly instructions. The main thing I need to replace is the LCD screen due to dropping it and it cracking. There might be additional damage due to my co-worker dumping 2-3 gallons of diesel fuel on top of my bag and it soaking into the screen cracks. The unit works fine with an external monitor and has been for the last 3 months. I just got my hands on another screen so it’s time to replace it. The more thorough the instructions the better.
January 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Vlada,
Yep, sounds like a bad LCD screen. I don’t know what else could be wrong.
The backlight lights up and you can control it, so there is nothing wrong with the backlight bulb or FL inverter board.
The laptop works fine with an external monitor, so there is nothing wrong with the motherboard or video card.
The video cable doesn’t fail like that. It either works or not.
So, the only part left – the LCD screen. I think that’s your problem and you’ll have to replace the screen.
January 21st, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Hi,
I have the following problem with my Compaq Presario 722US notebook: upon cold start I get only black image which gradually becomes pure white, then after 10 or so minutes there are a lot of flickering white horizontal lines all over the screen, and it slowly clears out (display becomes OK). Windows loads at the boot time as it should.
It is clearing out this way: first the upper third gets flickering lines and starts to clear, then middle one, and then the bottom one. If I shut down and power up the laptop at that point, the picture is OK. Only after it has been powered off for some time the problem reemerges. Please see the picture of the problem:
http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/4548/picture0118bc.jpg
The backlight is ok, changing brightness works fine.
There are no artifacts on the external monitor, it works perfectly.
I have disassembled the whole notebook, checked every connection but still the same.
Also, tapping or squeezing the screen or the video cable does not have any influence on the problem.
I have even tried to heat parts of the notebook with the hairdryer to check if the problem is related to the heat, but still no change.
So, everything points at the screen, right? Before I start do disassemble it, is there anything else that I can do (besides waiting for 15 minutes every morning for the picture to clear up)?
Thanks
January 16th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Anthony Ulrich,
The external monitor works fine, so I can assume there is nothing wrong with the motherboard. You reseated the video cable on both ends and it didn’t help, so it’s not a loose connection problem.
You cannot see any faint image on the screen and have no backlight, even a quick flash on start up, right? So, there is no data coming to the LCD screen (would see a faint image) and no power coming to the inverter board (backlight would turn on). May be you have a bad video cable? I would replace it next. There is no guaranty it will help but you have a chance.
By the way, connect everything back together and turn on the laptop. Check if a slight tapping on the video connector located on the motherboard will bring the image and backlight back to life, may be you have a bad connector on the motherboard?
January 16th, 2007 at 1:23 am
Well i rebooted the machine and its broken again. after reseating the video cable (both ends) and reseating the connections on the FL inverter nothing seems to work. i can use an external monitor but the LCD wont light up not even the backlight. Any ideas why this might happen? I also know its not the switch to turn off the LCD when you close the lid.
January 15th, 2007 at 1:02 am
Hey there. I also had the no picture but backlight was functioning problem. Thanks to your advice i fixed my monitor and saved $913. I almost bought a new replacement LCD for my HP pavillion zd7000. I had to send it in due to a broken power jack. They replaced the system board and returned my computer. Apon booting the computer, everything seemed fine untill after about 30 mins the picture looked as if it was melting down the screen into blackness. Now it has been about 7 months and thanks to your website I found an answer. Thanks for your advice and saving a struggling college student money.
-Anthony
December 5th, 2006 at 6:26 am
The laptop is a Toshiba Satellite M35-S359, I have found a LCD screen on Ebay for $189. Thanks for help on the video cable.
Monty
December 4th, 2006 at 12:55 am
Monty Winters,
The external video works fine, so most likely it’s not a problem with the video card. The backlight bulb lights up, so there is nothing wrong with the inverter and backlight.
So it could be either a faulty video cable or bad LCD screen. I cannot tell you witch one is bad without testing the laptop with a test LCD screen, you’ll have to guess. If you give me the laptop model number, something like PCM30U-0QQ01V located on the bottom, I can help you to find a part number for the video cable.
December 3rd, 2006 at 9:41 am
The LCD screen on my Toshiba Satellite M35-S359 has gone to white except for faint thin colored verticla lines. External CRT works fine, I have dismantled the display, checked inverter and backlight, obviously OK. I disconnected the video cable and checked the pins. I did not check the connection to the motherboard. I am assuming it is a bad LCD screen. Can I get input to confirm this before I order a new screen? I love my notebook, I found a screen for around $200. Thanks,
Monty
December 1st, 2006 at 9:16 am
Hi,
I’ve got a similar problem… Since I always use an external lcd it hasnt bothered me but now I want to pass the laptop on but keep the external screen it’s time to fix it…
When you start the compaq presario 722 it’s fine. After 10 minutes it’ll flash a white screen but then display normal. Within a minute it does it again. The white screens appear in ever-decreasing intervals until about another 10 minutes it’s solid white. If left on it goes grey with vertical lines and then gradually fades to black (even though the backlight is still on and the external lcd shows it’s not deliberately showing a black screen).
I’ve reseated the video cable on the motherboard and generally twiddled the cables to see if anything was loose. I’m sure I read somewhere that this is likely to be heat related rather than a loose cable, but short of blowing on the heatsink I don’t know a way of taking this any further…
Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.
October 26th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
ScubaDoo,
It’s possible that the video cable got loose again. Did you notice if the guy who repaired your laptop put some sticky tape over the video cable connector after he reseated it? I usually secure the connector with sticky tape. I would reseat and secure the video cable again and if it doesn’t help I would probably replace the video cable.
It’s hard to say which part is causing the problem, it could be the motherboard, the screen itself or the video cable. The problem is intermittent and all three above mentioned parts can cause the same failure.
October 26th, 2006 at 6:25 pm
I was interested to read about someone with the same issue as me, at last! I have an A75-S231, which I bought as a Factory Refurbished laptop from eBay. It worked for the initial 30 days of course, after which the warranty was up! My screen goes completely white from time to time while I am using it. I was lucky enough to come accross a Dell laptop engineer at work who asked me if the picture came back if I tapped or gently twisted the back of the LCD casing. It did!! He said the cause was most likely to be the ribbon cable at the back coming unseated. I watched him take the cover off the front of the LCD Screen (after removing some screws) and then removing some more screws to give access to the ribbon cable at the rear of the LCD screen. After he reseated it, it worked perfectly for a while, but still has the problem occasionally, so I am looking out for a replacement cable, to hopefully fix it permanently. If anyone has other ideas what the problem could be I’d be grateful though…
September 9th, 2006 at 9:09 am
Hisham Seif-Eldin,
It sounds to me like a system board problem. The screen has been replaced twice, so it’s not the screen. During the screen replacement, the video cable has been reseated, so it’s not a loose connection. Only 2 parts, that can affect the backlight, left – the system board and the video cable. You mentioned that the service center replaced the LCD connector, but I think that they replaced the video cable. So, most likely that’s a faulty system board OR you have a bad luck with new LCD screens.
If I would be you, I would definitely call to Toshiba and explain the situation. Look, you have a relatively new model, the laptop has been in repair for 3 times and the same problem still exists! Yes, I understand that the laptop is out of warranty but it still have the SAME PROBLEM as during warranty and Toshiba failed to fix it 3 times. I think that if you fight for your rights you can get a warranty extension to fix this particular backlight problem. Good luck! Please let us know how it goes.
September 9th, 2006 at 8:29 am
I have the same problem too with my toshiba satellite m55-s335. Everytime i turn on the laptop (usually the first time in the day), i only get the back light- white screen- with no image. I sent the laptop to the authroized service center twice, the first time he replaced the LCD connector, the second time he replaced the entire screen. I wasnt happy with teh quality of the screen so i sent the laptop to the toshiba depot, they changed the screen back to a true bright screen, but guess what? i still have the backlight problem !!!! and now my warranty is over.
To solve this issue and get the computer to work properly, i have to disconnect the battery and the mains and press the on/off switch for a few seconds then turn the laptop again? is there any solution to this problem????