Laptop Screen Problems

srich

Hi All

Can anyone give me any advice. I have a Compaq laptop (HP). The screen has broke on it. When I turn the laptop on two thirds of the screen is white with colours down it, red, blue yellow. The other third of the screen is fine. When you play about with the screen and tap it, it does eventally come on but this can take about 20 minutes. Can anyone advise what the problem is and how much a shop would charge me to have it repaired, just spent money on it getting a new hard drive dont really want to spend much more, the laptop is 2 years old.

Many Thanks

scheming_gypsy

could be a loose connection or a dry joint (possibly). A shop won't be able to 'fix' it, they'll just replace the screen which you can do yourself.
The cost depends how much it costs for a replacement screen off eBay and about 15 minutes of being careful when you replace it...

Although, if you've already decided by this point that you can't replace the screen without even looking what you have to do... then add about £50 to the cost of the screen, and take it to a shop to be replaced.

Hammyman

Depending on the model of the Compaq, it might be quite an expensive strip down to change the screen. Typically the CQ60, CQ61 and all of those with the hinges low down at the back need virtually the full laptop stripping so you can get to the screws at the bottom of the bezel.

Mista_C

Sounds like the ribbon cable or invertor connection has worked loose. Unscrew the front bezel off the screen and use a credit card to pry the bezel away from the lid. Separate the screen itself from the lid, sometime this is screws, sometimes it just moves away on the hinges.

Check the back of the screen and you'll see a ribbon cable going up into a connector. Make sure the cable is snug in the connector and there's a piece of plastic tape holding it in place securely.

Look near the bottom of the screen for a small circuit board with wires connected each end. This is the inverter, make sure the connectors are in nice and tight.

Put the screen back together and try it. If you're still experiencing the problem there's one other thing to try. On the actual laptop itself, above the keyboard there may be a small thin panel (often where the power button lives). See if there is a small slot to pry it off, if not try gently pushing it to the sides or gently ease up the hinge covers (this varies on laptops in case you hadn't guessed by now).

Follow the thicker cable from the screen down towards the base/motherboard and look for a long thin connector, make sure this connector is also tight. Pop the panel cover back on and try it again.