Comments on: I’ve replaced the broken laptop screen. When I start the laptop the screen flashes and then it goes dark.

By: janet

janet — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:00:56 +0000

My Vaio is set up to never go to standby when plugged in, but the screen turns off after 10 minutes. The problem is sometimes the screen won’t come back on. I have to hold the on/off button down for 5 seconds so it turns completely off, then turn it back on.
Also, when unplugged it is set to go on standby after a few minutes and sometimes it won’t go into standby like it’s supposed to.

By: Dano

Dano — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:34:37 +0000

I have a pavillion dv4000 that was dropped and the screen cracked but the backlight still worked, the screen was replaced but now no backlight, and an external monitor will ONLY work if the lcd cable is disconneted from the motherboard, the lcd cable and inverter were not replaced, connected test light to inverter and that didn’t worked, any suggestions appreciated to what next to test.

By: Laptop Freak

Laptop Freak — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:42 +0000

Mark,

the laptop will work just fine with an auxillary screen attatched . during boot up after installation of the new inverter , it looked as though the screen was gonna be fine , the graphicks came right up and all was normal . then , the corner started getting black again ,and then lines started comming across the screen , then blank , again . you can see the graphicks if ya look at the screen from a shadowed angle . but no lighted graphics .

This sounds like a problem with the screen. If the external monitor works just fine and this problem appears only on the internal screen, apparently you have a faulty LCD screen and it has to be replaced.

By: mark

mark — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:22:59 +0000

i have a toshiba satalite with a screen issue . at first the screen was comming on , but down in the right hand bottom corner it was turning black , getting progressively larger by the moment . the corner got very hot also. after checking your website ,it seemed as though the inverter was the problem. so , we ordered an inverter and in a few days it came , we put it in .note , .. the laptop will work just fine with an auxillary screen attatched . during boot up after installation of the new inverter , it looked as though the screen was gonna be fine , the graphicks came right up and all was normal . then , the corner started getting black again ,and then lines started comming across the screen , then blank , again . you can see the graphicks if ya look at the screen from a shadowed angle . but no lighted graphics .

By: Ruth

Ruth — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:14:27 +0000

Thank you so much. I was able to open the bezel and replace the inverter without doing any damage to the screen. I’ve saved your tutorial. Anyone reading this thread should know that the backlight inverter on a Compaq e700 is located at the lower right hand side of the display panel, above the hinges. You don’t need to remove the entire bezel to get to it. The seal around the screen edge comes up reluctantly, but you can pull it off. The screws in the bottom corners are the only ones you need to remove. There is a screw in the inverter, on the right hand side. I hope this helps someone else. Once more a big “thank you” to Laptop Freak. It’s great to have a resource like this available.

By: Laptop Freak

Laptop Freak — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:51:15 +0000

Ruth, Here are some tips for taking apart display panel on a Compaq laptop.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:08:02 +0000

Hi,

I have an old Compaq e700 that I am fixing up to give to a friend. The backlight inverter has gone up. The screen goes dark but the writing is still faintly visible. If you tap the close-lid button several times the screen lights back up. From what I’ve read most Compaqs have the inverter in the display. I’ve downloaded the service manual for the e700 and it explains everything EXCEPT how to open the screen bezel. There are two screws in the front at the lower right and left corners. Are those the only ones? I’ve searched for screws hidden by tape but don’t see any signs. If anyone has any advice, I would be very grateful.

Thanks,

Ruth

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:31:06 +0000

I have the same symptom with my Compaq V2000 laptop. The LCD lights up on startup for a few seconds, then goes very dim.

I just discovered that if I go into F8 startup options, then it does not go blank. More significantly, probably, I found that if I set my LCD at its dimmest level, then when I restart, it does not go blank – until I dial up the brightness.

I’m guessing now that this means that it is more likely the bulb/screen than the inverter.

But if anyone has experience with this or a good theory, I’d love to hear it before I dish out for a new screen.

Thanks

By: Shorin

Shorin — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 03:29:06 +0000

Hi… I dunno if this thread is still live, but here goes:

Got an Insignia 32″ LCD TV repair job. Narrowed it down to the inverter being naughty. The screen flashes briefly when you turn it on. My flashlight is out of batteries so I dunno if there’s something on the screen. I also plugged in an audio source and still nothing. I unplugged everything but the board with the CPU chip on it and also I left the control ribbons and power for the FL inverter. The FL inverter hums on, makes the light come on briefly, and then I hear a click from something on the board (I think it’s all the inverter boxes making that noise simultaneously), and the thing shuts off.
I think its dead. Occaisonally it did come on and work perfectly but I haven’t seen that happen for a while now.
A new inverter cannot be bought without the screen too…. so its like $3K to replace.

I want to replace the backlight with something more economical, like LEDs.

The real point of my work right now is to see if I can get stuff on the screen without the backlight.

Any ideas?

The FL board is split in two, with two wide ribbons leading from the power board going to each half (these are carrying 12VDC power). There is a 4-wire control ribbon coming from the CPU/main board. I think that does things like send the on/off signal or something.

I want to “trick” it into thinking the backlight is on. How might I do this? I dont think it works when I unplug the control ribbon for the backlight.

Getting a flashlight to test the screen may be a wise idea at this point…

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:48:48 +0000

Hi
I was recently given a 3 year old Acer laptop by a friend. The screen was sat on so I have to try and fix it. I can’t find the exact same model of screen. Is it possible to just use any screen as long as it has the right dimensions? Or do I need to get a specific match? Thanks