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.
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 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 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.
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
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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!
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~
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 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 7:42 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 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 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 12:02 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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????
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.
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