Help! Problem with laptop screen.

Jovan_2

Working fine this morning, switched off , switched back on around an hour later to find there is a translucent grey panel down the centre of my screen. Any ideas of what is causing it and if it can be fixed?

p.s.I've switched it off and on again, done a restore, checked monitor settings, used spyware catcher and anti-virus ... total loss at what else to do.

azzaelectro

Hello,

Could you go into more detail about the "translucent grey panel"? Is it being displayed by the actual monitor/screen or does it only display once windows is booted up?

Is it a laptop or a desktop? If a desktop is it possiable to use the computer on another screen to see if it is still coming up?

Another than that, just pray your still in the warranty period!

AzzA

Jovan_2

The actual monitor screen and it is a laptop.

I've had the machine for around 4 years and that's way past the warranty period I'm afraid.

CLLC

Ouch , well you could always take out cheap cover with the 'TECH GUYS' at Pc world and they can fix it for you

I think the cover is about £10 or something?

Hope this helps

azzaelectro

Oh yeah sorry it said at the top that it's a laptop.

The Tech Guys at PC World in my eyes are a joke....my friend went to upgrade his laptop, they said that he should upgrade memory to 4GB on a 32 bit version of Vista...when the max Vista 32bit can support is 3GB!

I would price up a replacement screen first thou on eBay, just to make sure there not over charging for it if they can fix it...it might be even worth while just to get a new laptop.

Remember laptops have a VGA output on the back or side, so you could buy a cheap monitor and plug that into your laptop.

Just out of intrest what make was the laptop?

AzzA

Jovan_2

Thanks for the help guys.

AzzA, I was thinking that I might need to get a new laptop, but hoping not. Mostly because to get one right now it would be on pay monthly and going that route I would only be able to get one with Vista, which I really don't want.

I didn't know about the monitor port, thank you, perhaps I will go with that, if I can find one cheap enough.

The make of the laptop? It's an Acer.

exup

it sounds like the top of the screen may have developed a fault. whether it has been knocked or simply failed.
You may be able to get a replacement screen - its not that hard a job to take the durround apart and fit a new one - but you need to be careful with the LCD backlight inverter - which needs to be carefullly unplugged its side nearest the monitor - as they can be quite fragile and fail if handled too roughly. (the invertor is a long thing circuit board - usually sitting directly under the monitor screen above the hinge).

http://www.pchub.com/uph/ - can try here to get a price on a replacement screen. I got one for a toshiba satellite for about £70. including postage - was here in 2 days.

Also you may find someone selling a stripped down laptop the same model as your on ebay. usually all they have left is the casing, keyboard and monitor / inverter. Again with a Tosh Satellie - I picked one up for around £30 and scavanged the screen out of it.

Jovan_2

Thanks very much, exup. I may follow your advice sometime in the future but as my son came up trumps with a spare monitor I'll make do with that for now.

azzaelectro

Glad to hear your all sorted now!

Jovan_2

Only because you mentioned the vga and a monitor plug-in, thank you! :beer: Oh, musn't forget to give credit to my son too for providing the monitor.