One of the most common hardware problems that people who own a laptop experience is a broken or malfunctioning laptop screen. Laptop screens are essential to laptop use. Laptop screens can be incredibly delicate. However, they are surprisingly very easy to fix even if the fixer is not a technical person.
Troubleshoot the Laptop Screen Problem
Before replacing a laptop screen, it is wise to troubleshoot the problem. While obvious damage to a screen usually requires full replacement, other types of damage that are visible on the laptop screen may not be due to the screen itself.
Pixel Problems
Pixels often get damaged, making the laptop screen very difficult to read and use. Laptops use LCD (liquid crystal display) to show images, which are made from thousands of pixels (little dots). If a few pixels in one area are damaged, this can ruin the entire computing experience. In most cases, it is best to remove the entire laptop screen and replace it with a new one.
Laptop Screens with Faint Images
Laptop screens are back lit to improve screen visibility. However, sometimes the back light does not work, making the screen extremely difficult to read. The problem might be as simple as one of the latches being stuck in the closed position. For instance, if the laptop is opened and the switch is stuck in the closed position, the computer is usually on, but the back light remains off. First, find the back light switch. These switches are usually very tiny and located near the laptop hinges. Try to open and close the laptop a few times, if this does not work, a gentle tap or using a small pin to try to gently un-stick the latch usually does the trick.
The Laptop Screen Flickers or is a Solid White Color
If the laptop screen flickers on and off, the cause is probably an inverter problem. The inverter supplies power to the screen’s back light. Inverters are easy to replace and usually cost about $100. If the laptop screen is a solid white color, then the problem is possibly a bad cable connection between the monitor and the system board. Open up the laptop and make sure that the cables and connections are set correctly and undamaged.
Jumbled Screen Images
Laptop users often see jumbled images on their screen. In most cases, this is not due to the screen itself, but possibly the video card. One quick way to determine what is causing the screen to be jumbled is to connect a monitor to the laptop with a VGA port. If the other monitor shows jumbled images, then the problem is probably the laptop’s video card.
Replacing a Laptop Screen
If the image problem is due to a broken or malfunctioning laptop screen, replacing it is fairly easy. It should be noted that laptop screens are extremely expensive and can sometimes cost 50% or more of the total price of the computer, for instance more than $500 for a $1,000 computer. While a new screen can be purchased from the manufacturer, most people either decide to purchase a used laptop screen or buy a new laptop. Those who decide to replace their computer screen only need a screwdriver. Here are some easy steps to follow:
- Step 1. Note the laptop screen type and purchase one that is guaranteed to fit. While some laptop models from the same manufacture may fit, ensure that it does before purchasing it. When ready to replace the screen, shut down the laptop, remove the battery, and unplug the laptop.
- Step 2. Locate the screw covers on the plastic frame (usually rubber or plastic) to gain access to the screws that hold the screen to the bezel in place. In most cases, the screen has from 4 to 6 total screw covers. The user will probably need a small flat head or Phillips screw driver. However, some laptops might have their own screw heads that require special screw drivers or Allen wrenches to remove the screws. Screw covers are usually located at the bottom of the plastic frame. However, every computer model is different, so search for the screw covers to gain access to the screen.
- Step 3. Once the screw covers are removed, remove all the screws while holding the screen in place. Once all the screws are removed, gently pull away the screen from the plastic bezel. The best way to accomplish this is to use one’s fingers to gently roll around the entire bezel, thereby loosening the screen. Once the screen is slightly separated, pull it away from the bezel with a light to moderate amount of force. If the screen does not budge, check whether any screws are still attached.
- Step 4. When the bezel has been removed, the screen with a metal frame surrounding it will be visible. Tilt the screen forward, exposing the LCD frame’s metal back. The screen should gently pop out of its back shell. The wires running from the screen to the laptop will be visible. There should be two main wires. The first is a ribbon, which is the video cable. The video cable is usually taped in place. Remove the tape and gently disconnect the ribbon from the LCD screen. The other wire is the inverter’s power cable. In order to only replace the LCD screen, continue to use the inverter, leaving it as is. However, in order to replace the inverter as well, disconnect the power cable and unscrew the inverter from its mount.
- Step 5. Once the old screen is removed, plug in the new screen and set it in the shell. However, before screwing in the bezels, test the screen to make sure it is working properly. In order to test the screen, power up the laptop. If the screen is working properly when powered up, shut down the computer and continue to screw the screen to the bezel and cover the screws with the plastic or rubber caps.
Screen replacement is complete. The computer should work like new. Replacing the laptop screen without a technician is a great way to save money, not only on the cost of the laptop screen, but the cost of labor as well.
Mamo Siyoum
My laptop computer screen has totally damaged ; its mark and model was HP and N3050 processer. I want to replace it with the new(original) one. so is the spare parts are available in all over areas ? thank you.
Phyllis Williams
I have an HP dv7-3065dx Entertainment Notebook. The other day I was searching for a new bathtub and suddenly something changed. The screen on my laptop seemed to bled red with black lines whenever anyone in a photo wore black. I closed out Windows and then when I opened it the entire screen was this strange color red with black snow, which is the only way I know how to describe what I saw. I restored my computer to an earlier date but nothing changed. Please help me.
ITservice
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Barb
PLEASE HELP!!! I am replacing the plastic keyboard frame only on my Compaq Presario CQ50-215NR computer. It is the plastic frame that covers the power and WIFI buttons and surrounds the keyboard. I have the replacement part but need instructions. I am not doing anything else except replacing this part. Can anyone provide me with instructions? MANY! MANY! THANKS!!!
clark
could some help me.plss. my laptop screen display has a problem. Recently i have a full display display in the screen i can see whole thing in my desktop. But now, when i open my laptop again from the boot logo until i logged in to windows i cant see the bottom of the screen. I wonder what happened. My laptop is windows 8 and all drivers are updated specially the graphics. I tried lower resolution but unluckily problem still occurs. I cant see the down part of the screen. Please help me. My laptop is KATA.
clark
please reply
Vesuvius Jovanovic
Hello,i have a problem with my laptop,my laptop was working all right an suddenly….When i turned it on next day i saw vertical lines running across the screen…A guy told me that the problem is a video card!!! I don’t know what happened but looks like bottom of my laptop is half opened,perhaps it crashed a way too hard.Also when i touch the part of the screen where those lines are they change their color,please give me a fast responce
HarleeQuin78
Hi! I am recently having a problem with my HP Pavilion dv6. Last night I was playing Dota 2. The system became unresponsive (meaning, the animations were displaying correctly but no input from mouse or keyboard had an effect), so I tried pushing Escape (nothing happened) and F3 (nothing happened), then just tried pushing any buttons to see if there was a result (no change).
Suddenly the screen started flickering (by flickering, I mean as if the screen would disconnect and reconnect quickly and repeatedly) and then the whole system turned off (not went through the shut down process, but just instantly powered off). I tried to reboot the system; you could hear it power on and stay on, see the LED indicators that showed it had power and was running, but the screen remained black (solid black, like when the laptop is turned off). I tried restarting it several times last night and got the same result. I have had problems with the CPU overheating due to poor product design in the past, so I figured yep, it ate another hard drive. (I have had to replace the hard drive once already in the 3 years I have owned this laptop. Since then, I always use a cooling pad underneath, and although I use it in my lap and not on a flat surface, I have it propped between my stomach and leg, so the bottom of the laptop and cooling pad have nothing between them and airflow. Also, sometimes it overheats anyway, in which case I will set it on top of a large standalone room fan til the surface cools off significantly.)
I tried it again today and the computer started right up as if nothing ever happened with the exception of the “Windows did not shut down properly” screen. I ran a system check and disk check, both came back fine. I tried running League of Legends, and can log in and start a game, but as soon as I start moving, the screen flickers for about 2 seconds then the system powers off again. It does this every time I try to play. So, I tried it in Safe Mode with Networking, same problem. Tried running Hitman Pro both in regular mode and Safe Mode (without networking), same problem. The laptop is plugged in and charged at 100%. The battery will not hold a charge longer than about 15 minutes these days, so I have to keep it plugged in all the time. I have played League of Legends for about a month with no problems. I used to play Dota 2 frequently with no problems, but had recently reinstalled it to try playing again. I have also recently installed the latest java version for 64-bit Windows 7 and I run Waterfox (64-bit version of Firefox). Any ideas or suggestions? Also let me know if you need any particular information I have not given.
PS: I have had the laptop running for about 3 hours now, without trying to run League of Legends, Dota 2, Hitman Pro, or any other programs other than Waterfox with zero problems.
Product name: HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook PC
Product number: WQ680UA#ABA
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Service Pack 1
AMD Phenom II N620 Dual-core processor 2.8 GHz
ATI MObility Radeon HD 4200 Series
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
Default power saving options
Installed: AVG Free
Advanced System Care 7
Java 7 update 67 for 64 bit
Waterfox 64 bit
Tiffany
But .y laptop. Don’t coming grey screen and I don’t what to do
Then press f8
judahccv
I had one tech guy say this would work, and another said it wouldn’t. My Sony Vaio Laptop’s screen broke during a car ride and I was trying to find a replacement. The old one was 15.6″ and 1366×768. Can I attach a 15.6″ full-hd screen on here and have it still work? If I could, fabulous because I would have a resolution upgrade for editing videos, but otherwise I would like to know soon.
Nana
Hi!. My pc is an Acer emachines442 and for a while now the screen is goten dim in the left side, slowly it became all black,and then after a while the backlight it’s gone. I went to a pc service and they’ve said that they didn’t found anything and that it’s normal again. The problem is that the backligh it’s off again but when I pressure on the keyboard it’s becoming all white as new. I took off the keyboard and pressed in the middle and if I keep my finger pressured enough it stays with light. Heelp 🙁 !
Eve
I droppped my laptop and the screen is broke.. nothing but wired colors. Does that mean my software..my contacts and photos are lost.? Please give me some advise. thank you.. Evon
kayla
I HAVE A LAPTOP and since we got it made a nosie thing were it would sound like it was breaking and it was!! the screen is coming apart in half there is a crack how would i fix it if i cant how much would it cost to get it fixed
maxfires
replace the screen…. on line guides available to do it yourself or a tec shop.the screen is the expensive part.while you are repairing the laptop clean out the fan and heat sinks.the noise sounds like the fan.
Jane
I accidentally pushed too hard on my sister’s laptop and now the screen’s images are jumbled. Is there anyway I can fix it without her noticing?
isinneedofhelp
Someone stepped on my computer and now the screen has white lines on it but it’s not cracked. Is there anyway to fix this?
sheryl
i have the same problem on mine 🙁
mightydaxx
Good Day! my laptop monitor split into 3… how do i fix it…
Vijay
I own a compaq hq presario CQ50 (107 AU) AMD athlon 64bit with nvidia graphics.It was working fine till the day when I have opened it to clean the heat sink.Unfortunately,the power cable coming from LCD to motherboard was torn off and accidently without properly checking(+ve or -ve sign) I have plug the power cable coming from LCD to motherboard.After that I am getting blank screen and if I open & close the lid a solid white color is coming.Its working perfectly on eternal screen and booting up,powering on,listening to songs etc….except LCD display.Please help me in getting LCD repaired myself if possible.What could be the damage parts in this scenario:Inverter,Graphics card,LCD,Cable connection etc??
I will be very thankful for your kind suggestion and valuable advises.
Alex Ward
i own a compaq laptop and it was all working fine the other day i turned it on to download some things and everything is in a photo negative colour even videos
Rocangelo
Check to see if it got an virus
Paul
Greetings. I own a Acer aspire s3 Ultra-book (Model MS2346) which in the past 2 years has been working perfectly. Anyway, yesterday I tried to power on my laptop and suddenly instead of the boot screen it only showed a trembling image of the screen along with a lot of reappearing lines and eventually it showed a white screen after I pressed the enter button.
I connected it to an external monitor and it works as it always did: perfect. But here is my dilemma… Could the above be a software problem? If I format my hard drive, could the display be fixed or I should order a new one? Could the above also be, because of a broken LCD cable?
Thank you for your time. I really appreciate your help.
Paul