Here I’m going to post some laptop screen photos showing bad video output. I’ll explain what was wrong with the screen and how I fixed it. I plan to ad more examples as soon as I get new pictures. If you have your own example (and know how to fix it) please let me know and I’ll post it too.
Here’s some help for finding a correct part for your laptop.
Other post related to troubleshooting laptop video problems:
How to troubleshoot and fix laptop video problems
Taking apart notebook LCD screen
Replacing LCD screen inverter
The newly installed screen is not working
Example 1.
Here’s a picture of Satellite M55 LCD screen I made this morning. I got this video output as soon as I started the laptop. There were a lot of vertical lines, and they were changing color without any pattern. To me it looked like Northern Lights (never seen in real life) 
. The external monitor worked fine.
As soon as I applied some tension to the screen it changed the pattern. Some horizontal lines appeared in the middle of the LCD.
Here’s the difference. When I torque the screen, the image appears but it’s distorted with some horizontal lines running across the screen.
Reseating the video cable didn’t make any change and the problem was fixed after I replaced the LCD screen.
Example 2.
I took this picture from Toshiba Satellite M65. I think that this example is very typical. One day you wake up, turn on the laptop and see one or a few hair-like vertical lines in different colors.
When you move the LCD screen some lines might disappear or more lines appear on the screen. A video output on an external screen would be perfect, without any lines. Unfortunately, these lines indicate a screen problem. I’ve never seen this kind of video output caused by a bad video cable or bad FL inverter board. My laptop was fixed after I replaced the LCD screen.
Example 3.
The photo below comes from Toshiba Satellite 5205. The laptop displays identical vertical lines all over the LCD screen as soon as I turn it on. Sometimes these lines are red, sometimes they are blue, sometimes they become wider and change color to white.
The same pattern appears on the external monitor. It displays same vertical lines. When the same video defect appears on both monitors – internal LCD screen and external screen, then most likely it happens because of a bad video card. On some laptops the video card is integrated into the system board, on other models it’s a separate module.
In this example, the vertical lines were caused by a failed video memory on the system board. I’ve tested the video memory with Microscope utility and it failed the test. In Toshiba Satellite 5205 the video memory is integrated into the system board. To fix the problem, I’ll have to replace the board. (We do not have equipment to replace the memory module itself).
Example 4.
Here’s another example of a bad LCD screen. My bad! It wasn’t the LCD screen problem.
As soon as I turned on the laptop, I was getting these reddish marks on the LCD screen but not on the external monitor. Reseating and replacing the video cable didn’t help. The problem disappeared when I installed my test LCD screen. Yes, for some reason I wasn’t able to reproduce the problem on my test LCD screen. But the reddish video appeared again as soon as I replaced the screen. I guess it happened because the system board had some kind of intermittent problem with onboard video or video connector. Long story short, I had to replace the system board and it fixed the problem. Yep, I misdiagnosed this laptop.
Example 5.
Here’s one more example of a faulty LCD screen. The left half of the screen works just fine but the right side is completely white.
Example 6.
Here’s another laptop with a bad LCD screen. This time it’s a tablet PC.
Example 7.
This screen looks like the screen on the example 1. I hooked up an external monitor and the external video works perfectly fine.
Here’s the difference. When I torque the screen, the image appears but it’s distorted with some horizontal lines running across the screen.
After a few seconds the image washes away.
I had to replace the LCD screen.
Example 8.
This laptop displays inverted colors right from the startup. As you see, the Toshiba logo is light green instead of red. The background is light gray instead of black. The Intel logo should be blue on a white background but it is red on a black background.
When your laptop displays inverted colors as on the picture above, this is an indication of a bad screen. You’ll have to replace the screen.
Example 9.
Here are two more screens. In both cases this problem is related to the LCD screen, witch means the screen has to be replaced.
On the image below you see a white band running from the top of the screen to the bottom. This band appears right from the laptop startup and runs through the logo too.
On the following image only the left side of the screen is working properly. This problem is caused by faulty LCD screen.
Are you looking for a new LCD screen for your laptop? Try here.
If you find this article useful, please consider making a donation to the author. Thank you!
August 31st, 2006 at 3:41 pm
Dear Sir…..
i have a prob that i don’t see discussed yet…..i’m in dire need of help….my toshiba a70 has a prob..it only displays about 11 inches of video on the screen…the right side 3 or 4 inches are black…it works well on an external monitor…no luck updating drivers… also it does the same thing in safe mode…..please gimme a holla on where to go and what to do.i heard you were the best out there
thanx
August 30th, 2006 at 11:34 pm
Chuck,
Just in case start the laptop with an external monitor connected to the laptop and check if the pink tint also appears on the external video. If it does, then you might have a problem with the system board (onboard video). If the external video is fine and you get pink tint only on the laptop LCD, then I would suspect the screen itself. The pink tint could be related to a bad screen. The lack of backlight could be related to a failed FL inverter board. I’ve never seen that a bad FL inverter board causes a pink tint.
I would try reseating the video cable on the motherboard and on the LCD screen, to make sure that it’s not a loose connection issue. Also reseat cables on the FL inverter board. Make sure that you have the latest version of BIOS installed on the laptop. There are a lot of BIOS updates for this model and some of them are related to video.
I believe that in this model the magnet is hidden under the LCD bezel (mask), it’s attached to the bezel with a tape. So, if you remove the LCD bezel for a while, the switch will not work anymore and you can test if it fixes your problem. Here’s a guide for removing the LCD screen bezel. Do not open your laptop if it’s still under warranty.
August 30th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
Toshiba Model M55-S135
Part number: PSM50U-02L01C
I have an interensting situation. When first powered on, there is a pink tint to the display. After about 10-15 seconds, the display blanks out. If I shine a flashlight on the display, I can see that there ie everything there. If I close the lid and place the machine into suspend mode and open it again, the display lights up and then goes off again. I have determined there is a magnetic switch near the keypad that places the machine into suspend mode. If I place a small magnet near the proper spot, the system goes into suspend mode and then will come out again. As I do this the display lights up for a few seconds and then off again. Keeping a magnet near the switch seems to keep it on for a while longer.
My question is this. Is this switch bad or is there a problem with the backlight or FL inverter? I think it is the switch but, I would like your opinion.
Thanks for your time.
August 26th, 2006 at 8:20 am
paid $40.00 on ebay for inverter. easy intall with your instructions , laptop works great
thanks for your help. saved me lots of $$$$$
August 23rd, 2006 at 7:47 pm
Jim,
Here’s my previous post on troubleshooting and fixing laptop video problems. If you have an intermittent problem with the backlight then most likely your FL inverter is going bad. I have created a guide for taking apart Satellite M35X display assembly and the inverter board is pictured on the step 10.
August 23rd, 2006 at 2:06 am
my screen is dim, it flickers but no lines like in these exampes. the external monitor works fine. i have a m35x-s111 sometimes i can make out whats on the screen but most of the time its to dim. please help. great site
August 21st, 2006 at 10:39 pm
Rob,
Most likely it’s the LCD screen problem. Just in case try to connect an external monitor and check out the video output. If you see the same vertical strip (very unlikely), then it’s onboard video problem – the motherboard problem. If the external video is fine, then I would suspect the LCD screen itself. Try to twist the screen, apply some tension to it. Does the vertical strip changes location, color or width?
August 21st, 2006 at 10:33 pm
What a great site!
I have a Satellite P30 and today a vertical strip approximately 1 inch wide down the left hand side of the screen turned white. I can move my mouse cursor over to where the “Start” button is in Windows, and activate the “Start” button, however, I can’t see the button or the mouse cursor. Any ideas what might be the cause and solution to this problem?
August 21st, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Seanrox,
I don’t sell parts, I install them but I can give you a part number you need.
K000027700 – blue cover
K000027710 – copper cover, you don’t really need
K000027720 – gray cover
Google for the part number and you’ll find it in the first line.
August 21st, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Hey CJ2600. Thanks for the detailed reply and link to your guide.
Since you’re in the business, do you have any M55 covers for sale? I tried eBay. No luck. I’m wanting the grey/platium colored one. Currently I have the copper color.
Thanks again!