Here are some tips and tricks for troubleshooting and fixing laptop video problems. Video issues are very common within portable computers and with the following tips you should be able to detect and eliminate basic laptop video problems.
Laptop LCD screen has a faint image.
Look at the LCD screen very closely and check if you can see a faint image on the screen. It’s possible that the LCD lid close switch stuck in the “closed” position and the backlight stays off even when you open the LCD screen or turn on the laptop. The switch turns off the backlight when you close the LCD display to save the laptop battery power. Check the LCD lid close switch. Usually it is a small plastic pin located close to the LCD hinges. Try to tap on the switch a few times to turn on the backlight. If after tapping on the LCD lid close switch the backlight stays on, you fixed the problem.
It is also possible that after tapping on the LCD lid close switch the backlight works fine, you see a normal video on the screen for some time and then the backlight turns itself off again. In this case I would blame the FL inverter board. Try to reseat cables on both end of the FL inverter to make a better contact between the cables and the FL inverter board. If it doesn’t help I would try to replace the FL inverter board.
Laptop LCD screen is solid white color.
Most likely it is just a bad connection between the LCD display and the system board. I would try reseating the video cable connector on the back of the LCD screen first and check if it fixes the problem. After that I would try reseating the video cable connector on the system board. I would also try reseating cables if there is no video on the LCD screen at all.
The video on the LCD screen is garbled.
Try to connect the LCD screen to an external monitor. If the external video is fine, you have a problem with the LCD screen or the LCD video cable. You can try to fix the problem by reseating the video cable on the back of the LCD and on the system board.
If you see the same garbled video output on the external monitor most likely it is not the LCD screen problem. In this case the system board (with onboard video) is bad or the video card is bad.
I understand that these tips will not cover all video problems with portable computers. If you have a different problem, you are welcome to leave a comment and I will try to help you if I can. 
Are you looking for a new LCD screen for you laptop? Try searching here.
Here’s a notebook display assembly diagram and tips for finding spare notebook parts.
Related articles:
Fixing notebook LCD screen with water damage.
Screen inverter replacement. Fixing laptop backlight problem
Laptop has bad video on the LCD screen. What is wrong?
Laptop screen shows strange colors. What could be wrong?
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July 3rd, 2007 at 11:36 pm
YP,
Does this line appear on the screen even before Windows starts loading or you can see it only in Windows?
July 3rd, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I have a Toshiba 2535cds and the screen is almost pure white (bright light). I can view the screen at the extream bent back position, but the whiteness is still there, just more viewable. The output to an external monitor works great with no signs of a video issue. I crank down the contrast and that helps a bit but it is still more or less useless. I have checked my cables and they are all seated.
Could it be a bad inverter board?
What else could it be?
Thank you,
Dalobo
Dalobo
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:19 pm
After connecting my laptop to a projector screen in class, a green thin vertical line appeared on my laptop screen and doesn’t go away with turning on and off the machine. Is there anything I can do to remove the line and to recuperate the normal screen?
Thanks.
YP
July 1st, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Janos Bartok,
Looks like a bad LCD screen to me. I doubt that a faulty video cable can cause this problem.
June 30th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Shavonne,
Have you completely ruled out a software problem?
Things I would try (if you haven’t already)
1. Check and make sure that the fan is working – restarting is sometimes known as a sympton of overheating. It’s outputting hot air, correct?
2. Reinstall video card drivers (they usually come with the laptop)
3. Use Windows Repair utility if that’s your OS
4. Use a temperature-monitoring utility to check the internal temperature (around the vid card, if possible)
5. Check out the BIOS on the notebook to make sure nothing is set incorrectly somehow…power management or something like that…
I’m not an expert, but hopefully that will help..
June 30th, 2007 at 7:21 am
Thanks for the great information here – it’s been a good resource.
Question :
I have a Toshiba Tecra A1 with a screen problem. Half of the screen is composed of wide black vertical stripes (which sometimes will appear as shades of gray/green.)
Here is an image of the problem :
http://i8.photobucket.com/albu.....ure004.jpg
I’ve tried :
*reseating the connectors to the LCD / Mobo
*external monitor test (works fine)
But no luck. One suggestion has been that
“the contacts on the display edge have
separated, which means replacing the whole LCD unit”
What do you think?
Thanks in advance,
Janos
June 25th, 2007 at 7:14 am
My Toshiba Satellite M60 was working fine up until recently. The first time, I was playing a MMORPG (one that I’ve been playing on this notebook for over a year and a half), and the screen flickered for a second, and then went blank (there was still a backlight, but nothing on the screen at all). I alt+tabed out of the game, and the screen filled with my normal windows screen. So I went back into the game, and it worked for a few more minutes, then went blank again. The game was still running, as I could see my character in the game on my hubby’s comp, and could type in chat, and it came up on his computer. So I alt+tabbed out again, and this time, the computer crashed. I restarted it, but when I restarted it, it didn’t seem to want to do anything. After a bit of trial and error (and two complete system reboots), the problem still persists. It most of the time restarts, and can be used with an external monitor, and after the two reboots, it would work fine for a while (a few hours), then it would do it again. We are at wits end, as this laptop was not cheap, but it is out of its waranty, and we are not keen to pay out the ears for an expensive repair. Any help, or suggestions you could give would be fantastic.
p.s. The computer has been taken apart and put back together, with the fan being hoovered and everything jiggied to make sure it’s in properly. HELP Please!
June 25th, 2007 at 12:23 am
I have a fujitsu e7010 and on the right of the screen about a 1/4 way across I can not see anything I just get red blue green white black and so on all the colours in vertical lines tried all I can think of is the screen on its way out or can it be fixed hope someone can help sorry about the last post thanks
June 24th, 2007 at 9:40 am
I have a jujitsu e7010 and on the right of the screen about a 1/4 way across I can not see anything I just get red blue green white and so on all the colours tried all I can think of is the screen on its way out or can it be fixed hope someone can help
June 21st, 2007 at 8:24 am
My back light is not working on my dell laptop.I can make it out with a flashlight.But for the life of me I cannot find the switch that tells the laptop that the screen is open.I can see the switch on my wifes hp laptop.can you help