I dropped my Toshiba Satellite M30 notebook. Everything works fine except for the LCD screen
I dropped my Toshiba Satellite M30 this morning while it was turned off. The only exterior physical damage I observed was at the right corner of the laptop (where the AC power plug is) which showed strained plastic marks. When I turned on my laptop, everything ran fine EXCEPT for the LCD screen. The colors are all inverted (i.e. the black is white and white is black, etc.). It looks like those negatives on a photo film.
I then proceeded to read some related problems on the internet such as one LCD screen being very white, and some guy suggested resetting the flex cable, but I don’t know how to reset a cable. Another guy suggested that the LCD contacts within the cells may have been dislodged in which case a replacement LCD panel is needed (which sucks). I really hope this problem is repairable without having to buy new expensive parts. I have basic experience with electronics, so a detailed (non-laymen) diagnosis would be preferred. Please advice.
I agree with the guy who recommended reseating the flex cable. That’s the first thing that you should try. Not properly seated video cable can cause all kind of weird problems. The video cable has connectors on both sides. One side is connected to the motherboard, you’ll find this connector under the keyboard. The other side is connected to the back of the LCD screen, it would be necessary to open the laptop display. I would attempt reseating the video cable on the motherboard first, because it’s easier to access.
Here’s a guide I’ve created for taking apart Toshiba Satellite M35 notebook (I guess it’s the same as Satellite M30). Follow steps 8,9,10 and 11 to remove the keyboard. It’s not necessary to disconnect the keyboard from the motherboard, just flip it over and place on the palmrest. You can see the video cable on the step 11; it’s a flat black cable. Make sure it’s plugged all the way down into the connector, reseat it if needed. Test the laptop now. If the problem is fixed, you are done. If not, you’ll have to open up the display assembly and reseat the video cable on the screen.
Here’s a guide for Toshiba Satellite M35X display disassembly, it would be different then Satellite M35 but pretty close. Open it up and reseat the video cable on the back of the screen. Take a look at the step 7, it shows the video cable connector. Test it again.
If you still experience the same video issue, then apparently the screen has been damaged and you’ll have to replace the screen.
October 28th, 2006 at 10:03 pm
Hi there,
First of all, thanks for this website!
I dropped my Dell Inspiron 510m last night, and now it says “no bootable devices” when I turn it on. My husband Rob took out the hard drive and put it in his Dell, and the same thing happened. His is the same model laptop, so I think the problem is with the hard drive, not the machine itself.
What should I do (tried panicking, that hasn’t worked). I am hoping to recover all data stored in the hard drive.
Thanks,
Serena
Australia
October 30th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
Serena,
Listen for the hard drive sounds when you turn on the laptop. Does it start spinning when you power it up? If it doesn’t spin and appears to be “dead”, you probably will have to use a clean room recovery service. It’s very expensive but if the drive is “dead” it’s the only way to recover data from a failed hard drive.
If the hard drive spins, then I would probably try connecting it to a working computer via external USB enclosure. Sometimes it makes a trick and you can access the drive and recover data from it.
November 6th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
Hey, my Toshiba Satellite p105-s6084 slipped from my little shelf which is about 1 foot and a half high, and landed sideways on the carpet, not making much noise at all. The laptop works perfectly fine and had no scratches, except today, I noticed that the CD/DVD drive won’t open, so I tried resetting it and then opening manually since it didn’t do anything, and it opens and looks fine, but it’s as if it’s off, it won’t blink the light and it won’t open or close automatically, or react at all!!! What should I do????
November 6th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
Bryant,
I do not remember Satellite P105 off the top of my head but I’ll try to guess. Remove the DVD drive from the laptop and take a closer look at it. It might have a metal bracket on the back; the screw that secures the drive in the laptop case probably goes through the hole on the bottom of the case into this bracket. So, make sure this bracket is not bent. If it’s bent, straighten it, insert the drive back into the laptop and try again.
When the bracket is bent it might prevent the drive from connecting to the system board. The hole in the bracket will not be aligned with the hole in the laptop base and when you put a screw, the drive slides just a little bit away from the motherboard and the drive looses the connection. That’s my best guess so far.
November 8th, 2006 at 2:22 pm
Hi,
It’s me again, the M30 guy. I checked and reconnected the cables (on both sides), but the problem persists. I ask a repair guy at school, and one possible source of malfunction is the inverter board. I know they are less expensive than a brand new LCD screen. The problem is I am not sure if it is the inverter board that is causing the problem. I do not have a spare one lying around to test, and the guy at school said they’re proprietary to Toshiba for my laptop so they’re not going to hand one out for testing. I do not want to buy one only to find out that it is not the source of the problem. My question would be is there a method to verify that the inverter board is the problem without buying a new inverter board?
Thanks Laptop Repair Man,
Hal
P.S. For future reference to any M30 owners using the M35 screen removal guide, there are 4 more screws on top to remove the display frame, and the screws that hold the LCD panel in place are on the sides beneath rectangular silver stickers as oppose to the two on top inside the frame.
November 8th, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Halley,
I don’t think that the problem is related to the FL inverter board. The main function of the inverter board is to provide high voltage power for the backlight bulb so the bulb lights up when you turn on the laptop. When FL inverter goes bad the backlight will not light up and the screen will be very dark. You still would be able to see an image on the screen but it would be very very dark.
From your description I understand that the screen lights up (so inverter is OK) but all colors are inverted. You reseated the video cable but it didn’t help, so it’s not a loose connection. To me it looks like you have a problem with the screen itself.
Just in case connect an external monitor and test the external video output. It should display normal colors. NOTE: if the external video displays inverted colors too, then that’s a motherboard problem. It’s possible that you damaged a component on the motherboard when you dropped the laptop. I don’t think it’s likely, but it’s possible. As I said before, test the video output on the external screen before you buy any parts.
November 15th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Hi. My husband dropped his Dell Inspiron E1750 (while it was closed) and now the bottom third of the lcd display is grayed/whited out. There are faint colored vertical lines running through the gray/white. The rest of the screen looks and acts perfectly fine.
I took the machine apart and checked all cables, disconnected them and reconnected them and checked over the lcd screen for breaks, etc, but it looks fine. How do I know if the problem is with the inverter or with the screen itself? I am willing to replace the LCD if necessary, but the inverter would defintiely be less expensive.
This is the first time I’ve ever worked with a laptop, so any input or help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you -
November 15th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
I forgot to add that I tested the laptop with an external monitor, and it was perfectly fine.
Thank you -
November 15th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Eileen,
With a bad inverter board the screen wouldn’t light up. Your problem has nothing to do with the inverter board.
If you reseated the video cable on both ends (motherboard and LCD) and it didn’t help, then most likely the screen itself has been damaged.
November 16th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
Hi. Thanks for responding so quickly. That’s what I had figured, and now the challenge is finding a replacement screen. Most of the places I have tried don’t have it in stock.
Thank you for confirming what I was somewhat sure about — I’m learning!
November 25th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
I have a dell 700m and I have a very similar problem to the M30 user, Im not sure why but if I move my LCD certain ways and leave my screen at certain(multiple) angles i can get a clear working LCD screen like it would work normally. But most of the time, moving the screen results in color inversion like the user said..so any tips?
November 26th, 2006 at 12:02 am
i just bought an hp pavilion… i dropped it while it was closed. now, whenever i turn it on- i get nothing but a black screen. there are no scratches or marks anywhere on it and all of the lights come on. i’m not sure if it is booting up or not, it was quiet to begin with. i’m not to computer savvy but i know the basics… any help would be great… thanks…
November 26th, 2006 at 12:31 am
Tim,
I think you might have a loose video cable. I would check if the video cable is seated properly, first on the motherboard and then on the LCD screen.
If reseating the video cable will not make any difference, then probably you have a faulty LCD screen or video cable.
November 26th, 2006 at 12:57 am
Stacey,
First, test the laptop with an external monitor to narrow down the problem.
If the external monitor works fine, then you might have a loose video cable or damaged LCD screen. If the external monitor doesn’t work either then check the memory modules. Reseat them and test the laptop again.
November 28th, 2006 at 7:42 am
I’ve an m30 and the tech service has said that the Mainboard is dead. Is it possible to adapt any other mb to the m30 computer case?.
November 28th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
thanks for the info. I opened up my laptop and LCD, wires were all secure. I also learned that applying pressure to the edges of the LCD will cause color inversion, so Im guessing that the LCD must be broken or something.
November 28th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Adrian,
You cannot adapt any other motherboard. You have to find a motherboard that was designed for M30 laptop.
November 29th, 2006 at 3:21 am
I installed a new screen (complete with inverter) and when I boot up the laptop, the screen stays black. I hooked it up to a monitor and rebooted and got the following (paraphrased) error: “Windows failed to load normally. This may be due to software/hardware changes… The following file may be missing or corrupted: Windows\System32\Config\System”.
These two things would have nothing to do with the other, correct? It seems I would have a bad inverter on the new screen from what I have read, but is there any way for me to test the screen itself? Is it worth it for me to remove the inverter from the old screen (which I know works) and put it on the new, or am I in way over my head? Is there possibly a simpler solution?
I know I have to load the OS disk to repair the corrupted file, but has anyone ever had this happen when swapping a piece of hardware out?
So much for an “easy” repair…
Thanks for any input~
December 5th, 2006 at 9:44 am
Dropped my Toshiba Satellite 335CDS and have some black lines on my lcd screen and would like to reseat the flex cable (video cable?) and can’t tell what it looks like or how it would be labeled???? and don’t have the disassembly for my model. This is such a great little friend, my 335cds, and – well – Help? Talk about lucky! the 3/4inch black lineout is located just above the start button (ya know, start, run, find, etc.) and then there is another little blackout line another 1/4 inch above that. I just slide my explorer window so the bottom of the window is inbetween those two black bars. I also moved my start line to the top of the screen since I could not fully use any of the popup controls when cursoring across since those popups land in the blackout! This site, by the way, is wonderful!
December 11th, 2006 at 8:03 am
Hi all. Please advsie me. I want to buy a new Satellite Pro 100 and from what I can find it seems like the very best of a bunch of laptops. What do you think?
December 21st, 2006 at 12:52 am
Hi. I was installing windows on my HP Pavilion ze5375us when my cat came by and knocked the laptop to the floor. It was only about a 2 foot drop. Anyways, the laptop powers up, the fans run, the lights light up, however the LCD screen stays black. I took it apart and could find nothing visually wrong with anything. I tested the LCD screen on another laptop and it works. I tried hooking it up to an external monitor and got the same results. I hooked it up to the lcd screen, and a few white lines flashed, but nothing else. At the same time, the cd-rom keeps clicking like it wants to open but never does. The only way I can get it to open is through the hole with a paper clip.
A read through some of these post about reconnecting connections. That is the only thing i didn’t do when i took the laptop apart. Do you have any ideas as to what it could be before I start the task of retaking the whole thing apart.
Thanks,
Scott
December 24th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Scott,
What result? The external monitor works or not?
Check if the memory module is seated properly. Check if the video cable is properly connected to the motherboard.
December 26th, 2006 at 2:13 am
I did take it back apart and all of the wires are connected as they should be. Everything that i can tell is as it should be as well. When I hooked it up through the external monitor there was still no output.
December 26th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
Well, I wrote a few weeks ago (NOV) about my p105 Tosshiba Setellite, but I didn’t really get to work on it, but for some reason it now is on but won’t read CD’s.I was talking to a friend and he said not to open it up if it’s under warranty because i might lose the warranty by doing that, I have one question, I bought it at Best Buy, if I take it there, would you think they charge me to fix/replace the cd/dvd drive for it if I have 1 year parts and labor on the warranty? I have no clue on this matter and so I ask what ur opinion is.
December 26th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Bryant,
There shouldn’t be any charge for parts or labor if your purchased the laptop less than 1 year ago. Most laptops are covered by standard Toshiba warranty for 1 year. Actually, it’s not necessary to take it to the Best Buy store, you can send it directly to Toshiba or take it to a local Toshiba authorized service center.
Here one more advice. If you plan on keeping this laptop for a few years I would recommend buying an extended warranty. I believe if the laptop is still covered by standard Toshiba warranty, you can purchase an extended warranty through Toshiba (not sure if it’s too late to buy it through BestBuy). I’m a laptop repair technician but I pay for an extended warranty when I buy a new laptop for myself. Out of warranty repairs are very expensive. You can read about my experience here.
December 26th, 2006 at 11:11 pm
Great! Thank you so much for the information, but i have one last question, would you recommend taking it to a authorized repair person by toshiba or directly to best buy? Would it take longer by best buy or another repairsman? Another thing, if I were to take it somewhere aside from best buy, would I have to prove to them with receipt that I bought it a few months ago, or would they know somehow else?
December 30th, 2006 at 2:01 am
I purchased a toshiba m105 in July from office dumpo (depot)and the date/time time does not work unless the putor is plugged in. The service center says it needs a new motherboard and will be 4-6 weeks is there any way to fix this issue without going this route and if so where can I get the parts?
Thx
January 1st, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Scott Norris,
The laptop is still under warranty, do you really want to pay for a new motherboard yourself? Who said that the motherboard replacement will take 4-6 weeks, the Toshiba repair depot? Maybe you should use a local Toshiba repair center? You can use Toshiba global ASP locator to find a repair center that is close to your location.
January 6th, 2007 at 3:06 am
Hello,
I have Satellite Pro 6100 laptop, and my LCD screen only shows half of the screen, the other half is bunch of colors and you cant see anything. I’m wondering do I need to replace the LCD and are there any directions on how to replace it on satellite pro 6100?
Please help. thx
January 8th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Adis,
Sounds like you might have a bad LCD screen. Does it look like the example 5 in this post? Check out my other site with instructions for taking apart Toshiba laptops. I don’t have a guide for your model, but all laptops are kind of similar. Read through display disassembly instructions for other laptops and you’ll see how to replace the screen.
January 16th, 2007 at 10:13 am
hi…i have a toshiba satellite L25 s1192, and like one month ago everything was deleted on my computer(EVERYTHING) included all my drives, so i had to reinstall windowsXP and all of toshibas drives but all the colors are inverted like when you play with windows magnifer…i feel like crying cause i can’t get it two look normal, have graphics adapter and all pleaze can someone help me
January 16th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Robert Rodgers,
The colors are inverter right from the laptop startup, even the Toshiba logo is not displayed properly or it happens only in Windows? What if you boot the laptop in safe mode, the colors are still inverted? Connect an external monitor and start the laptop? Colors on the external monitor are inverted too?
January 21st, 2007 at 9:57 am
Hi, I dropped my poorly padded backpack and broke off one corner (and cracked another corner) of my laptop case.
Could you please tell me where / how to order a replacement casing part? Thanks! Rob
January 22nd, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Rob Hill,
It’s Toshiba Satellite R10 or R15, isn’t it? You’ll have to replace the entire top cover assembly (includes base cover, LCD cover, video harness). You can find it by the following part numbers: P000423410 and P000458640. That’s a lot of work man.
February 5th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
laptop freak, the colors are inverted as soon as you turn on the laptop
February 7th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Robert Rodgers,
I would assume it’s a bad screen and you’ll have to replace it.
February 11th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Hi, I have just had my motherboard fail on my M30. Probably not economical to repair. If you want to buy it for parts email me at sjk@xtra.co.nz.
Steve.
February 11th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
i recently dropped my compaq presario while it was still open and everything works fine except my screen. it looks as if there are internal cracks (faint lines) on the screen but its only when i turn it on. there’s also black marks on the bottom of my screen that have recently gotten worst and now it looks like ink is coming out of it but it only shows when my computer is on. is there any way i can fix it and do you have an estimate of how much it would cost? if my computer is still under warrently would i be able to return it without a receipt?
February 11th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
i also forgot to ask if you think that my monitor will get worst or turn black if the problem doesn’t get fixed. thanks for helping : )
February 12th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Kat,
Looks like you’ve cracked the LCD screen and it has to be replaced. The LCD screen is one of the most expensive parts in any laptop and in some cases it’s cheaper to buy a new laptop than replace the screen. If you have a regular warranty this problem will not be covered. You have to have a special warranty witch covers an accidental damage in order to replace a cracked screen.
If the problem doesn’t get fixed, probably the screen will not get worst but the problem will not go away either.
February 27th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
to all of you who have an inverted screen on your laptop.
i dont know if the same case is for you, however my screen has been inverted on my dell c640. when i bend the screen a bit the colors come back to life.. once in a while it happenes again, and i jiggle it till i get it back in place.. Dont buy a new lcd untill u test your screen
i took off the panel on the lappy and it says dont touch the white tape on the back… i have to touch it though when i bend the monitor to get the colors back.. am i playing with fire here?
February 28th, 2007 at 6:04 am
i dropped my laptop in from about 1 and half height bed and the floor which the laptop landed is concrete..nothing seems to be a problem except after it fell it hanged even the function keys dont work. i removed the batt and turned it on so far no problems yet. is there any way i could check if there are problems in the hardwares inside? my laptop is hp pavilion zt3000 thank you so much
February 28th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
abby dariel santos,
Most likely you have a loose connection somewhere inside the laptop. In cases like this I usually take the laptop apart piece by piece and check/reseat all cable and devices. There is no simple solution for this problem. Do not forget about the CPU, make sure it’s seated properly in the socket and it’s locked. Find and download maintenance and service guide for your notebook, it has step by step disassembly instructions in the removal and replacement procedures chapter.
June 14th, 2007 at 7:12 am
I dropped a friends laptop (still in a case) it fell out of the back of her smaller size suv (about 2 feet). It now won’t boot up. It makes a clicking noise when you try. Is there anything I can do to (simply) to fix the problem. She has a hp pavilion ze5200
July 19th, 2007 at 5:10 am
I dropped a box on my toshiba satellite pro L10 i have shattered the screen so i know it needs replacing or need to buy a new laptop but until then im using an external monitor but it will only start in safe mode how do i get the monitor working as normal.
July 25th, 2007 at 6:50 am
Laptop Freak,
Recently while driving, i made a stupid mistake, and left my laptop in the passenger seat, and while braking the laptop fell to the floor, causing the hard-drive to pop out.
WHen i boot up my laptop, i get this grayish straight line going all the way across my screen this line does not move no matter what i do eg) i scroll the screen down, and the line stays where it is.
I was wondering if you could advise me what to do to correct this problem, and hopefully i don’t have to get a new screen.
Thanks in advance
Jon
July 25th, 2007 at 6:51 am
I’m sorry, i forgot to add that my laptop is a Dell Inspiron 6400. Thanks.
October 25th, 2007 at 8:48 am
I stepped on my toshiba satellite L45 by accident, and now there’s a really big crack with some liquid coming out of the LCD,from the the screen is ok, but when i touch the screen i can feel bumps where the cracks are located at
they said that i problably have to buy a new lap top, but i dont want to because my auncle had just bought it for me a month ago and i feel really bad for what i’ve done, is there any way possible to fix it without having to buy a new LCD (it would really suck if i have to buy a new one!)
October 25th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Karen,
Sorry for bad news, but you’ll have to replace the screen. You cannot fix the screen.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
I also recently stepped on my Toshiba Satellite laptop but I didn’t crack the screen or anything just the right side of the screen is this lovely black stripe with a few mixed in random colors and I can’t seem to get it to go away. Any ideas? I sure hope I don’t have to replace it… seeing as how I’m just a poor college student.
November 11th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
I was wondering if anyone on here fixes laptops. I have 2 laptops that need new screens…LOL i know i am rough but i have alot of info on both that I would like to keep i was just wondering if anyone on here does it for a living? LEt me know my email is mariahluvme@yahoo.com
Destiny
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:34 am
Dear All,
I am using a Toshiba satellite M40 and for some reason, my display has become very blur. I cannot see the display at all and i am not sure what is wrong. It began on Sunday and when i got to the office on Wednesday and connected my laptop to an external monitor, it worked fine. I then tried using the F5 function key to swith to my laptop display and surprisingly, that worked fine…..when i left for launch and came back, i met my screen had gone blurred again…..but connecting it to the external display still worked fine…switching back this time didn’t solve the problem. Any suggestions as to what might be wrong and how it can be fixed? I didn’t drop the laptop or do anything otherwise to it.
Counting on your assistance.
sincerely,
James
January 30th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
hi there bought my daughter second hand ibm t30 laptop,she dropped it now there is no picture just black screen,plugged in external monitor and laptop works no problem,had the screen out and everything looks ok there is no cracks or damage to the screen so what do you recommend i do next?
p.s when i start laptop you get a mixture of colour on screen for about 1 second then black screen
thanks.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Laptop Freak,
I dropped my laptop from a tv tray (About 2ft) onto a hardwood floor and now it won’t reboot. It just turns on then the screen says “PXE-E61: Media Test Failure Check Cable.” It’s still under accident protection at best buy and they said it was either the motherboard or hdd that was shot and that there doesn’t seem to be a way to recover my files. They said they could send it to their data recovery center but they want $500-$1k to recover the files since they said it would be difficult to recover the files. Could the mother board or hdd really be shot or could just be the connections need to be reseated? If it is the hdd or motherboard is paying $500-$1k my only option of recovering my files?
February 6th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
gordon,
I think you should if the video cable is properly connected to the motherboard and to the LCD screen. It’s possible that one of the ends got unplugged and the LCD screen is not getting signal from the motherboard.
February 6th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Juan,
I published my suggestions in this post:
My laptop was dropped and now I cannot access the hard drive
March 13th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Hi,
my toshiba M200’s screen has suddenly inverted its colors, i dont think i dropped it or anything like that,i only got it last october, please help!!!
i can still see on it, the colors are just inverted, i tried it on an external moniter and it worked fine, no probs.
Please help someone!!
Shaun
March 15th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Dear Laptop Freak,
I have a big problem here on the Toshiba M30. My monitor cannot display anything but I know my CPU is still doing good as I can hear the Window booting and I can close the Window XP too.
I have tried the reseat the Video Cable mentioned above but it does not work.
But the interesting thing is that my Toshiba M30 has a speical function that I can run my VCD/DVD movie without switching on the Window XP. My Monitor shows a bright and clear display, but could not play the VCD/DVD movie. Therefore my monitor is in a good condition.
I suspect that my Nvidia Graphics Card might be the cause.
The problem had started 6 months ago, my screen will flick and flick after 2 or 3 hours. Then the screen will black out, but after giving it a day’s rest, it can be power on. There was once when I could not get the screen back after 3 days of trying, then I leave it aside for 1 month or so, and it worked until now.
If you can, please advise me what is going on with my laptop. It is driving me nuts….
August 5th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Laptop Freak Help me please!! What did I do and How do I fix it!!??
My Toshiba A200 laptop screen and mouse have inverted/flipped. The sceern is upside down and the mouse runs backwards. I walked with it open in my hands and have obviously pressed keys to make it do this. It’s driving me crazy and alittle bit dizzy.
I have Vista installed which makes a difference i think to the fix method.
I’ve tried the right ckick on screen to access the properties, settings ect but all i get when i select properties is: Element properties; Text Language- English.
Save me from this madness!
Cheers,
Nique
August 6th, 2008 at 12:02 am
fro my preivious inquiry re; unside down screen and reversed mouse.
I have been made awear of the solution which for future refence is simply CTRL ALT UP
thankyou for making a site like this happen for the technologically inept of the world like me.
Now i know it exsists you’ll prob hear from me again from time to time.
Cheers,
Nique
August 19th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Hi,
I dropped my tablet (Toshiba Satellite R10) and when I first attempted to boot it, it would go to windows, but was really slow and could not load even paint. Now when I attempt to boot, it goes to the main Toshiba boot up screen and then to a black screen with a blinking cursor in the upper left corner. I’ve tried to boot from both the recovery disk and an old windows 2000 disk but neither will boot.
Thanks,
Ryan
August 21st, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I have a Toshiba L45 that was dropped and the LCD screen is shattered. i would like to replace it. Do you have instructions to replace my model and would replacing it hurt my hard drive?
Thanks.
September 15th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Hey Ryan – I have the same tablet, and I didn’t drop it, but it’s doing the same thing! I can’t figure out how to fix it. I gets to the boot screen, where I can select hard drive, or DVD (represented by icons, right?) and then once I try to boot anything, I just get the black screen with the flashing cursor. I tried to hook up an external monitor, and all it gets is a flashing cursor and black screen as well.
Found a solution, or can anyone else help?
October 16th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Hi, so I have an HP Pavilion dv2000. When I turn it on the screen is black and after about 20 seconds it makes one short loud beep. The keyboard lights work fine but the screen stays black… what can I do to fix this. Just yesterday it was booting up to the HP screen then the Windows XP screen and then going black… my father looked into it and it said Root system.32.hal.dll file is missing or corrupted…. How can I fix this?
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
The strap of my computer bag snapped off at the seams, and my computer fell pretty hard on it’s corner, cracking off a bit of the casing. I have a few pictures I can upload of the damage, but I do not know how to do it as a comment. The computer functions, but case won’t close without snapping off. So while I can do work… I cannot fold my laptop for portable use.
It costs $947.00 to repair if I send it in. And it turns out “Hassle Free Repair” does not cover accidental damage. What’s more is that if I do send it in for any damage that is indeed covered (replacing a bad hard drive or battery), they will not touch the computer for fear of liability issues. I was advised to cancel the warranty altogether since they would perform no further repairs while it is in this condition.
I am a student and money is very tight right now. This repair is too expensive to send in ( even though another place will do it for around $600.00), and too expensive replace especially if the computer still “works.”
If I can somehow safely seal up the crack and hole so the laptop would close, I’d be alright.
Ideas on how to fix this?
I have an HP Pavilion Entertainment PC.
December 31st, 2008 at 5:32 am
Hello,
1st. of all let me thank you for this wonderful website!
I have a Toshiba laptop (P105-S6084) and I have a problem in the LCD.
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 inveretr, or is this the LCD dying on me…?
Thanks a lot,
Oren
January 1st, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Oren,
I think your problem is related to the LCD screen, it’s dying.
I posted some suggestions in in this post: A vertical row of pixels appeared on the LCD screen.
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Hi there,
I have a Toshiba Satellite A205-S4607 laptop. Just an hour ago my little brother was carrying it up our wood floor stairs and dropped it. The computer was turned on as he had been playing a game on it and was transferring it to the upper level of our house. I was not there to see from how high it was dropped. He showed me how high he dropped it (he motioned about a foot from the ground, but knowing my brother I think it was at least 2 feet). The computer turns on fine. My mother reported that it made a loud buzzing noise when she started it up. She removed the battery and put it back in. That didn’t work. It has not made a buzzing noise beyond the first initial start up. There is a bit of a quiet “struggle” where the hard drive is. After discharging electricity from my hands,unplugged the computer, and removed the battery, I carefully took the hard drive out, checked to see if there were any visible problems(it looked just fine) and put it back in. Nothing looks bent, cracked, or broken other than the the hook things that secure the laptop shut when it is closed. I figure something else that I am not able to see /don’t know how to access got jostled or broken. The computer says that it cannot find an operating system. I do believe I have my windows vista cd in the box it came in, but I want to find out as much as I can before trying to put the vista back or possibly ruining the hard drive by doing the former. The files on the hard drive are very important to me. Does it sound like I can fix this problem myself or do I need to go to see my nearest firedog location( which I sadly do not have the money to do)? I thank in advance for your advise and I thank you for your time!
Blessings,
Chelsie
January 13th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Hi maybe someone can help me, i think my brother hit my laptop toshiba satellite m30x, and every thing works fine but, on the lcd, appeared a line about 1 pixel width. it looks like ants walking all over that vertical line, and the lcd panel is very lose, i think maybe replacing the flex will solve the problem but a guy told me that it might be a burned dot on the lcd.
thanks (in advance)
Luis Davila
February 11th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I have a toshiba satellite computer. It is 2 years and 3 months old. the warrenty was expired after 2 years. I dropped it the other day and it still works. But it takes about 15-20 minutes to turn on, there is a clicking sound for about 10 seconds every 5 minutes. It freezes for a few seconds and i noticed that its really slow when i go to click on new windows. Anyone know how serious this is? I dont really want to take it to get it fixed because then i would have to tell my mom and she would get very angry that i dropped it if she found out.
Any advice??
February 11th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
oh and if it helps, my laptop is a toshiba satellite P100.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Hi Shan,
The clicking sounds you describe are from the HD.
If you dropped the computer while it was on, it is very likely to happen. This is also probably the reason for the slow boot.
Unfortunately, the only thing you can do is to replace the HD with a new one. In any case, I would recommend first thing (right now) to backup all the important docs you have on the computer, in case the HD will not turn on…
April 4th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
I have a Toshiba Satellite M30, acquired today when someone was going to toss it.
The first problem is with the video. When the machine boots, the Toshiba splash screen sits there (waiting to find a bootable drive which it can’t cause there isn’t one) and eventually gives a message about resetting or booting. That part is understandable and if I press Reset, I get taken to a screen (blue) where I can reset the time. but ….eventually, usually within 30 seconds, the screen displays black vertical stripes, all evenly spaced and about 1/8th inch wide and about 3/4″ apart. The stripes will flash and change colors. Then, the stripes become about 1/4″ wide and each one is multicolored, like vertical rainbows almost, except there is no blending of color, just sections about 1″ long from top to bottom. Then, in the stripey area, you can see what appears to be various characters flashing.
The symptoms are the same on an external monitor. And, each time the machine is rebooted, the screen starts clear as is there is no problem but eventually, whether or not I go to the Reset screen, the stripes appear. Weird. You would think that if the problem was video card related, the stripes would always be there, not just after 30 seconds. I am a software, not hardware person, but this intrigues me.
I took the machine apart, following irisvista’s instructions for an M35 and made sure to reseat both cables, the one from the vga port and the one that goes to the laptop screen. Even though my fingers were crossed the whole time, there was no difference – both screens were still stripey after a while.
There is a very small dent on the front corner, I mean not even 1/4″ wide but a dent is a dent so perhaps there is a fall in this laptop’s history. don’t know.
Anyways, I am wondering if the symptoms I have described sound familiar. Is there something else I can check, like, would a loose solder joint(?) somewhere cause this to happen or is it more complex and requires a MB replacement?
Don’t know if this is relevant, but the fan doesn’t start up right away when the machine is turned on but does come on eventually. Like I said, I am hardware illiterate.
If nothing else, I got 2 512 sticks of RAM, and adapter and wireless card, and DVD player and ….can’t complain. Good for parts if nothing else.
Thanks for any suggestions.
June 6th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Dropped my Toshiba onto wooden floor and everything seems fine.At the end of the day its all down to luck every drop is different you may get no damage or lots of damage
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:39 am
hey was wondering f anyone could help me … i was rushing downstairs this morning and dropped my laptop… the laptop was on at the time and when i went to check it. it has switched off… the laptop its self seems to be working fine … although the thing that you cds/dvds in has come apart from the laptop… what can i do ? would it cost a lot to fix and would i lose my documents if i sent it away to be fixed?
please help
thanks