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.
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July 24th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I have a Toshiba Satellite A105-S1014. The display is black. I am able to hook it to an external montiro and get a good picture. I was wondering if this could be an LCD problem? Also, I have a Topshiba M35X-S111 Satellite that was given to me with nothing inside. CAn I switch out LCD screens betwwen these laptops?
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Hi there,
I found this website when typing in my computer symptoms at google.com, and I figured I’d write something just in case anyone can help or suggest something. I’m a college student, so my laptop is quite important for me to have.
My computer screen is starting to develop a fading section on the bottom third of my screen, sometimes its blue, but lately its become multi color, mostly greens and blues. If I apply pressure to the screen, sometimes it goes away.
What should I do to fix this problem? I’d appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks so much.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Greg,
I think it’s a bad video card. Test the external video output.
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Rocky Dunklee,
I believe this malfunction is caused by the LCD controller board, apparently it has a bad solder joint or something like this. You cannot replace the controller board because it’s permanently attached to the LCD. I think you’ll have to replace the screen.
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Bob,
You are correct, your description sounds like the laptop has a hardware related problem, most likely related to the motherboard or the graphics card.
I believe in your laptop the graphics card is integrated into the motherboard. You’ll find instructions for removing and replacing the motherboard in the maintenance and service guide for HP Pavilion dv9000 and dv9200 notebooks, click on the link (it’s 3.72MB pdf file).
July 21st, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I have a problem with a Dell latitude C840, the images can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2.....298855630/
I will test tonight for the external output, but any tip, idea over this images will be really appreciated.
Excellent work, I really find the site extremely useful!!
Best regards
July 21st, 2008 at 8:25 am
Hello,
First off Thank you for the Amazing post!! and the replies really helped me confirm my suspicions of the malfunctions i am faced with.
the laptop i am currently working on compaq presario V5000 has similar symptoms visible in EXAMPLE 7…
i have a couple of questions for you..
1. what caused this malfunction?
2.can this malfunction be fixed with out screen replacement? and if so could you assist me please?
i have a brief explanation of the problem i have at hand on the compaq..
the screen is kind of fuzzy with lines in it but you can still tell there are things going on in the background..if you torque the screen a little (sometimes you have to fiddle with it a bit) the screen comes back perfect just as if it were new… you can let go and sometimes it maintains integrity and does not got back to the malfunctioning state until moved once again…my main problem is that it seems to me like a short of some sort in the screen…where i have no clue of…i am not entirely sure how an LCD screen functions, but i have did some research which had let me to this forum.. i beleve it can be fixed with out a replacement.. i will list the steps i have already taken to try to clear up this malfunction..
1. tested the auxilary screen output…tested good on my monitor while dual screen mode was in effect the laptop screen was in malfunctioning status and the CRT monitor was clear of any fault.
*with this step i ruled out the inverter and partially the video card as the malfunctioning agent.
2. i pulled off the video card cover and removed and reset the main and aux cables for the LCD screen… i also removed the video card and replaced it…i booted up the laptop. the screen was still malfunctioning .
*with this step i totally ruled out the video card as the malfunctioning agent.
3. i disassembled the laptop and the screen itself and checked the connections to the inverter..and the connection to the LCD screen chip located in the cover of the screen in between the backing plate and the LCD unit..i reassembled everything paying close attention to put everything where it had belonged and paying extra attention to tighten everything up just in case that was the cause of the short…(i have a process i do myself when disassembling laptops which makes it 100% easier to disassemble and REASSEMBLE **the hard part**LOL) if you would like to know this step E-Mail me at Levantar05@yahoo.com please..after the reassemble was complete (except the LCD case just in case i had to remove it again) i booted up the laptop and the screen was still suffering from the same problem..after i powered down the laptop i came to the computer in search of a way to fix it…,so please if you have any info on the cause or solution of my problem EXCLUDING LCD screen replacement please E-Mail me.. or if you have knowledge that would be benificial to understanding the problem and simply how an LCD screen works E-Mail me also….
Thank You All for you time
Rocky Dunklee *freelance computer tech
July 20th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
ok, process of elimination. It’s NOT the cables, NOT the monitor (they all work otherwise)- it’s NOT software as it’s a blue tint even during the bootup into safe mode (no VGA Drivers), etc. It’s definitely an internal hardware problem. The docking station port and the laptop port itself both make a bluish tint to it- so it’s not a specific port. I almost wonder if the graphics card itself is dying? Do laptops even have a separate graphics card? Can I fix this myself???
July 20th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I have a HP dv9010us Pavilion Laptop. The laptop’s display works great. I’ve always used an external LCD monitor- and about a month ago, the secondary monitor suddenly had a blue tint to the screen. The laptop’s display worked great. Eventually the 2nd LCD screen wouldn’t even display a picture. Assuming it burned out- I just got home with a brand new Samsung 22″ LCD monitor- plugged it in, same exact problem- blue tinted screen. Initially I thought it might be a bent pin in the cable or receptacle- but I tried brand new cables with no results. My laptop also has a ‘docking stand’ in which has an external monitor jack in that as well. I tried the docking stand’s monitor output, as well as the one directly on the laptop- both have the same exact results- blueish tint to the screen. This leads me to believe it’s NOT the monitors or the cables.
Do you have ANY ideas as to what this could be, and how to fix it? My drivers are completely up to date as well. Please help…
July 20th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Jose Lopez,
I think it’s either bad video cable or bad LCD screen.