What can you do if the laptop LCD screen turned completely white? From my experience I can tell that this problem may be related to the following:
1. Loose connection between the video cable and the LCD screen.
2. Defective LCD screen.
3. Defective motherboard (I assume the graphics card is integrated into the motherboard).
Here’s an example of a laptop with white screen. When you turn on the laptop, it starts but the image on the screen is completely white right from the beginning. In my case it was a Toshiba Satellite M45 laptop but this problem may occur with any other brand.
Most likely you still can use the laptop with an external monitor. Just connect the monitor to the VGA port on the back or side of your laptop and then switch the video output from internal to external mode.
On Toshiba laptops you can toggle between internal and external screens using Fn+F5 keys. Hold down Fn and press on F5 until you get video on the external monitor.
On IBM laptops use Fn+F7.
On HP laptops use Fn+F4.
It’s possible that you have to use a different key combination on your laptop but you get the idea.
On some laptops, in order to be able to use the external monitor, you have to connect it to the laptop and then restart the laptop so the external monitor is detected by the laptop.
I noticed that in some cases the laptop screen may turn white because of poor connection between the video cable and the LCD screen. If you want to check this connection, you’ll have to take apart the display panel because the connector is located on the back side of the LCD screen.
These laptop service manuals and disassembly instructions may be useful.
I always check the video cable connection first. Reconnecting the video cable may fix your problem.
If reconnecting the video cable doesn’t help, most likely you have a problem either with the LCD screen or with the motherboard.
The best way to find out witch one is causing the problem is testing the laptop with another working LCD screen. Without this test you’ll have to guess because as I mentioned before this could either bad motherboard or bad LCD screen.
You’ll have to disconnect the video cable from the LCD screen (connector 2) and the inverter board (connectors 3 and 1). After that you connect another working screen and test video.
For this purpose I’m using one of my test LCD screens. My test screen is cracked and because of that you see a wide white band in the center but it still works fine for this test.
The original screen is white but my test screen works normal (except the crack of course) and I can see the image. After this test I can tell that the problem must be related to the screen.
After I assembled everything back together and connected the original LCD, it’s still white.
CONCLUSION. In my case this problem is related to the LCD screen and it has to be replaced.
If you find this article useful, please consider making a donation to the author. Thank you!
May 9th, 2008 at 2:02 am
you do a good job. thanks
May 10th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Thank you for sharing such a nice data, it was usefull information .
keep it up..
May 10th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I had the same problem. Did the same test and then replaced the screen. Still same results, any ideas.
So far I replaced the screen, motherboard, and the inverter.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Also if I hold a light to the screen I can see it, otherwise everything is black.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Good job. thank you
May 11th, 2008 at 8:47 am
js_buyandsell,
I guess in your laptop the video card is integrated into the motherboard?
If you’ve replaced LCD, motherboard and inverter but the laptop still has the same problem with video, then I would assume the problem is related to the video cable.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I’m new to this and have only handled a few different models/brands but it seems to me that most lcd video cables have different connectors (where they connect to the motherboard). Is the connector on the back of the lcd the same so that you can swap any lcd for testing or do they all have specific connectors on the back as well?
May 17th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
wow that was great you are awesome…does the same thing apply for black screens?
May 18th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Helvis,
Different LCD screens have different connectors. If you want to test your laptop with another screen, you’ll have to remove the screen from your laptop and compare connectors.
May 18th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Erica,
Troubleshooting laptops with black screens will be similar. Here’s my previous post for troubleshooting video problems.
You said the screen is black. How black is it? Can you see anything at all, maybe a very faint image? Did you test the laptop with an external monitor? Can you get see external video?
May 19th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Mine is a Compaq, when I move the screen forward of backward it flickers and gives a damaged image when get my hands off of it it works well,,,, can u assist me please… and thanks in advance
May 19th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Fathi,
Test your laptop with an external monitor and find out if the external video goes bad too when you move the laptop LCD screen. I’m just trying to narrow down the problem and find out if it’s related to the LCD screen or something else.
May 19th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Thanks cj2600 i will try it tomorrow cause the laptop is at work and i’ll tell ya what happened with me…. thanks again
May 20th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Hi from Italy, my brother’s notebook, an Asus L3TP L3500, has a white screen since 4 years: Many people look into it to find what’s going wrong: at the end, after many years and many repairers, this is the response:
1) the LCD is ok
2) the mother board is ok
3) the inverter is ok
4) every connection into lcd is ok
There’s an other idea in your opinion to explain white a screen apperas so white? The notebook works perfectly with an other external monitor.
Thanks if you can give me your opinion
“Ciao” (Bye)
May 21st, 2008 at 2:35 am
HIII cj2600 I did just as u told me but the external monitor worked perfectly no damage on the video or flickering…. please help me
May 21st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Thanks CJ. Do you know how many different kinds of connectors there are? I would buy a cracked screen of each kind to use for testing if there were just a few different types.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:50 am
I’ve got a similar problem toFathi (13) but mines an acer. When I apply pressure to the keyboard area or bend it slightly the screen goes flikery and messed up.
I’m going to have a go a wriggling the video cable and hope for the best – good plan or not?
May 29th, 2008 at 9:45 am
HI, I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE COULD HELP ME LEARN HOW TO REPLACE MY LAPTOP RIBBON CABLE FOR MY SCREEN FOR A HP DV8000. I WOULD LIKE TO DO THIS JOB MYSELF BUT I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TAKE APART THE LAPTOP TO DO SO.
IF YOU NEED MORE INFO FROM ME TO HELP EMAIL ME AND I’LL GIVE YOU THE INFO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH
H.P
May 30th, 2008 at 5:08 am
Good Try it could be LCD, LCD Cable, and Video chip issue;
From Laptop Repair Technician
May 30th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
on a HP dv4000, I can barely see windows on the black lcd screen, no backlight, with an external monitor only works if the lcd cable is disconnected from the motherboard, is the problem the motherboard? need advice……..
May 31st, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Fathi,
1. Check connection between the video cable and LCD screen/motherboard. Reseat connections on both LCD and motherboard.
2. Could be damaged video cable. You can try replacing the cable.
3. If 1 and 2 do not help and you still having the same problem, most likely it’s related to the LCD screen. If that’s the case, you’ll have to replace the screen.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Giordano,
This is not related to the inverter board. Most likely the repair people tried reseating connections, so it’s not connection related issue. Did they try replacing the video cable? You didn’t mention anything about the video cable.
I do not understand why your repair people cannot find the problem. All they have to do is test the laptop with another working LCD screen.
If the test LCD screen works fine, your problem is related to the LCD.
If the test LCD screen is white, your problem is related to the motherboard or video cable.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Helvis,
No, I don’t. I work mostly with Toshiba laptops and they have 3-4 different connector types.
Be careful when you buy a cracked screen for test. If the screen is cracked badly, it’s possible you will not get any image on this screen, so it’s not really good for test.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Patrick,
You can try reseating the video cable connector on the motherboard. Also, this can be a problem with the motherboard or graphics card. When you apply pressure on the keyboard, you are flexing the motherboard.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:35 pm
H.P.
If you never disassembled the laptop, I would recommend taking it to the repair shop.
But if you decide to do it yourself, these links can be useful:
Removing broken screen from Compaq notebook
HP Compaq laptop manuals with step-by-step disassembly instructions
May 31st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
t2dano,
I would try replacing the inverter board first.
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I was wondering… do you know if all latitude c series laptops use the same lcd panel connector?
Would it be possible to frankenstein a larger lcd panel from a model with a larger lcd? Would there be voltage issues??
Would it be totally safe to assume that at least the same model, but different cpu speed, would be usable for testing whether a larger lcd would fry the system?
I have a c400, it has heating issue and 12 inch lcd. There is a c800 with a 15in lcd (I believe). I want to put my c400 in a totally custom case, and need to find out if a c800 lcd plug is the same as on my c400… and whether the system can take the strain of the larger panel (battery life is nothing to me)…
any ideas are appreciated!
Cool site!!!
June 4th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Benjamin,
It looks like they use different video cable with different connectors. I don’t think that you can replace your 12″ LCD with a 15″ LCD screen.
You can search for both cables here and compare pictures. Both cables are different.
June 15th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
i Got a Problem With my toshiba Laptop When i Turn it on it Turns Like orange Pink Color N i Tried My Computer screen didnt Work either. and if U Can Help Me Fix this Problem N thank You.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:21 am
I just want to thank you for your advice on making sure that the video cable is securely inserted. That fixed the white screen trouble with my HP laptop.
July 14th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Hello
Thank you for this step by step explanation it was very helpful.
I have a question well i came up with an idea but I don’t know how do able it is. Is there anyway to connect the LCD of the laptop to the external VGA?
is there such a cable ?
or can i cut 2 of the cables and make it on my own?
I’m just curios
July 14th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Gamer,
Do you mean connecting a laptop LCD screen directly to the VGA port on another laptop? I don’t think you can do that.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Hi,
Very very good. I love your website and your kindness to share your knowledge. Do you have any idea, what book should I read, or website to learn to repair a notebook mainboard?
Thanks in advance.
July 29th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Hi, i’m sorry if my question is OT but i don’t know where to post it.
I have a Compaq nx5000 with a 15′ lcd screen.
Can you tell me if i can test on this laptop a 14′lcd (from a nc6000).
The connector on the motherboard is the same but all i have is a series of coloured lines
I use the cable of the 14′ lcd screen.
Maybe i have to change something in the bios?
The nx models came with 15 or 14 screen and the part numbers are the same, both for nx and nc series screens.
Thanxs
July 29th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Andrea,
I’m not sure. It’s possible that both video cables are not interchangeable and you cannot nx5000 with LCD and cable from nc6000.
By the way, what is your problem with the nx5000?
August 3rd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
My 15 lcd shows a vertical line (one pixel thickness that disappear if i push the screen).
A friend of mine gave me the lcd from a nc6000 and so i thought to use it as a spare part.
I tried to use it with both cables without results.
August 11th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
My LCD is completely white, i have disassembled everything and re attached the cables, still white. Tried an external monitor and that works. Am i safe to assume the LCD panel is dead?
August 11th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Andrea,
Sounds like a bad LCD screen.
August 11th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Greg,
Nope, it’s not safe. This problem could be related to LCD or motherboard. I’ve seen both failing the same way – white screen.
The only way to find the culprit is testing the laptop with another working screen. If you still have the same problem on another screen, it’s bad motherboard.
If you don’t have another screen, you’ll have to guess.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Hi,
Really nice usefull information.. thanks for the nice work. I have an issue with my laptop display. the display is fine in the first half the screen and the rest of the screen is just white.. i tested external monitor and it works fine. Please advice.
August 14th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Ramana,
Sounds like a problem with the LCD screen.
Take a look at this post: Laptop has bad video on the LCD screen. What is wrong?
Is your problem similar to the example 5? This is LCD related. You’ll have to replace the screen.
August 14th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
to who made this information availble, thank you so much, its a big help! god bless u pipz…
August 26th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Hi. I have a problem where the screen is normally white, but I get an intermittent display depending on how I move the laptop. It generally works best when I tilt the laptop backwards.
This is seemingly indicative of a faulty connection, but I’m not sure exactly where. I’ve opened-up the laptop and ensured the video cable is attached properly at both ends, but the problem persists. Is it more likely that the faulty connection is on the motherboard or in the video cable?
Advice/ideas welcome.
August 26th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Colin,
Usually it’s bad connection between the video cable and LCD screen. Did you try reconnecting the cable? Just remove it from the connector on the back of the LCD and then connect back.
If reconnecting the cable doesn’t help, it’s possible that you have bad cable. Could be faulty LCD and even motherboard, but I would try replacing the cable first. It shouldn’t be very expensive.
August 28th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Ok guys, this is driving me nuts. I have a HP Pavilion dv6000 and it works fine. The backlight works but I do have a screen problem. The bottom third of my screen looks like a large bar code. It doesn’t display anything except a bunch of vertical lines. When I plug into an external monitor, everything is fine. Any suggestions?
August 28th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Ok i know this is kind of a stupid question but could you tell me the name of the connector that would connect into the video card. I am working with an Inspiron 5100 (yes i know ancient) but i am taking the screen out and converting it to be used somewhere else anyways if you know the name please tell me.
Thanks
September 1st, 2008 at 5:09 am
The new screens ie LED screens dont have an inverter. I have heard that most laptop companies want to use these new screens. I still havent seen a white screen on an led yet. Thanks for the comments
September 1st, 2008 at 2:47 pm
With my laptop, it starts out with the image jumping and flashing. It works its way to the all-white screen. Do you think that is the same problem???
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Paul,
To me your description sounds like a problem with the LCD screen.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm
ferratus,
Do you mean using this LCD as a screen for a desktop computer? I doubt you can do that.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Mychal Pelham,
Do you mean loose connection between the video cable and LCD screen? I guess it’s possible, try reconnection the cable. If no help, probably it’s the LCD screen problem.
Did you test your laptop with an external monitor? The external video works fine?
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:08 pm
cj,
yes that is what i was planning but i found the a way to do it but i found a cheap flat monitor so i am using that instead (less hassle), if you anyone wants to figure out how its not too bad you are just running it via a network instead a direct connect (its more like redoing the laptop and putting a program on it so it is used as a monitor instead of a laptop. but it is possible i just found a cheap monitor and am using it instead.
September 4th, 2008 at 11:35 am
My screen had a one pixel vertical bar down the middle of the screen. then one day it just all of a sudden went completeley white. However,when I move the screen to certain angles It flickers back into a seeable image of the login screen before it again fades slowly to white.
I sent it in to hp for repairs, and they told me it was going to be a lcd screen replacement based ON the vertical bars that they saw. I just want to ask if its possible that the vertical bar was the catalyst that set off the entire screen breaking, as it seems that only that bar was there one day before, and one day later the screen completeley broke (without being subjected to any heat or pressure. (They are trying to charge me 450$! and I think that my case should be covered under my 3 year warranty! Especially because it was a 2k business notebook at the time of purchase)
September 4th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
adny,
Yep, sounds like a problem with the LCD screen.
Do you mean your laptop is still under warranty and they are trying to charge you for the screen replacement? It shouldn’t be this way.
If your laptop is still within the warranty period and the LCD screen is not damaged, it should be replaced under the warranty agreement.
September 16th, 2008 at 9:15 am
In my case, toggling back and forth from external to internal screen I can manage to get the video back on my laptop screen. Sometimes I turn it on and it is white, some other times it is normal, and some others, I lose the video while working! Any ideas on that? Fiddling around with the screen, repositioning it or moving it in anyway does not bring the video back.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Nick,
Could be bad connection between the video cable and LCD screen. Reconnecting the video cable could help.
October 24th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I have a similar conundrum. The Toshiba Satellite A105 started with a white screen now – nothing at all. I read to try pressing on the outer edges of the LCD screen – no change. I connected it to an external monitor and it worked great. When I unplugged the monitor and tried to go back to just the lcd screen, now I have nothing – black screen. I tried removing the battery and ac power and pressing the power button for a minute. After I put everything back, I turned it back on – still black. I removed the screws that held the top half of the laptop (kb, screen, touchpad, etc…) to the bottom to try to see where the screen connected to the main board. I removed and reseated the cable, verifying that there were no bent pins and everything lined up. When I put everything back together and tried turining it on nothing – still black. I checked the cable again – no bent pins and everything was aligned – still black.
I know the problem could be the screen, the inverter, the cable or the mobo. Since I have a limited income and if I tried all 4, I would be at the cost of a new laptop. Can anyone help?
Any and all suggestions are welcomed!
Thanks in advance.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
hi I dropped my laptop bought a new screen and replaced it and it just shows a white screen I took it apart again and saw damage to the data conenction ribbon how much about isit to repair thanks
November 11th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
HI everyone,
Ive got a Hi-grade EAA-89 laptop a few days ago. when i switched it on the screen just went white with a few vertical white lines across the screen after i leave it on for a few mins, the screen seems to split into two halves one being white and one dark grey/black.
I have read through the wonderful and helpful guides on this site and therefore done some experiments:
1) Ive opened it up checked all the ribbon cables etc all connected fine!
2) during the boot up procedure if i press FN+F3 with an external monitor plugged in it will switch over to the other monitor however the picture seems fuzzy sometimes with random distortion shooting across the screen for a few mins but then windows runs fine.
3) But if i press Fn +F3 with no monitor connected then it seems to switch over somehow and display the picture, however this only lasts during the DOS/BIOS selection (ie: how do you wish to start windows………..) as soon as i select any option to get into windows then it goes white again ????
I PHONED A FEW COMPANIES WHO IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME IT WAS THE SCREEN BEFORE LISTENING TO ALL THE SYMPTOMS WHICH TELLS ME THEY WANT £150 OUT OF MY POCKET, SURELY IF THE SCREEN WAS DEAD I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO VIEW THE DOS BOOT SEQUENCE? I WAS THINKING IT MIGHT BE THE POWER INVERTER BOARD IE: IF WINDOWS TRYS TO DRAW MORE POWER THEN IT CAN PRODUCE, OR POSSIBLY THE GRAPHICS CARD THAT WOULD EXPLAIN THE FUZZY BITS WHEN AN EXTERNAL SCREEN IS CONNECTED.
THATS ENOUGH OF MY RANTING LOL, ANY IDEAS ARE WELCOME………
REGARDS JAS
December 5th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I have a question about what to do with an LCD that will not display. I have a Compaq v2424nr and my LCD stopped working, but if I plug in an external monitor it works fine.
If I tap on the button that puts the computer into standby when you close the lid the LCD screen blinks to the tapping of the button, it tries to turn on but won’t and the screen looks ok (a little reddest as it flickers). I have changed the settings for the display and nothing works.
I have read through the guides and I am ready to tackle the repair, but where to start? I took the computer into a shop and for $40 they said it was the LCD and could replace it for $525 (way to much).
Any help in where to start!
Thanks, Dan
December 5th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
In reference to Post #60:
Not knowing what to do I took the laptop apart (nothing broke). I checked the connections for the video card, video cable and inverter, they all looked fine. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, no burnt cards, smells or blackened areas.
I checked the standby button (lid close button) to see if it was dirty or loose. The rubber extension for the button was clean and the switch itself does not seem loose at the circuit board. But if I play with the switch (tapping it down) I can get the screen to flicker.
Moving the small plastic point that comes out of the switch side-to-side does nothing, just up/down (on/off) makes it flicker.
Could this be my problem, just the switch?
Thanks, Dan
December 7th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Dan Brown,
Sounds like a problem with the inverter board or backlight lamp.
You mentioned that the screen turns on for a moment and it has reddish tint, right? It tells me that most likely you have a problem with the backlight lamp but I cannot be sure without testing the laptop with a known good inverter.
You can try replacing the inverter board first. If it doesn’t help, you’ll have to replace the LCD (or backlight lamp inside the LCD).
You said the repair shop quoted you a new screen, apparently it’s a problem with the backlight lamp which is located INSIDE the LCD screen. I assume they already tried a new inverter, you can ask them. Most repair shops will not replace backlight lamps and they quote you a new LCD screen instead.
It’s possible to replace the backlight lamp yourself but it’s difficult. Check out this post:
How to replace laptop backlight lamp (CCFL)
If you have no experience, there is a really good chance to damage the LCD. But if your repair is successful, it will cost you less then $20 instead of $525. Proceed on your own risk.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Thanks cj2600 for the reply,
I have an older laptop (Gateway SoLo), the connector to the LCD was a different size so I couldn’t try that without taking the LCD apart further (i didn’t check to see if the cable to the notebook card was the same, figured it was also different).
Would the inverters be the same for testing?
Yes the screen flickers (only for a second) as the laptop is turning on or switching between displays, and as I play with the switch. I did call the shop after I found out there was an inverter and bulb that could also be wrong, but they didn’t remember if they checked the inverter, just said they found the LCD bad…
Don’t have any problem with replacing the bulb (downloaded the guide), I just need some advice on where to start so I don’t purchase something not needed. It does seem to be the inverter or bulb.
Thanks, Dan
December 10th, 2008 at 4:58 am
when you said you have a test LCD does it have to be the same LCD what matches the model of the laptop or can you use any laptop LCD to test these problems
December 19th, 2008 at 5:20 am
i have a problem with an Acer Aspire 3610 screen, when i switch the computer on the screen goes full white and then fades into the normal view slowly and with blotches, and the mouse arrow cursor moves really slowly, here’s a video of waht i mean: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8QqJ-21yCJc
any ideas? thanks.
December 22nd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
My old Toshiba 1905-S301 worked perfectly for over 6 years.
He is still working perfectly as long I DO NOT MOVE THE LAPTOP OR THE SCREEN. THEN THE SCREEN IS BECOMING OF DIFFERENTS COLORS WITH LINES OR SQUARES, WITH OR WITHOUT THE POINTER APPARENT ON IT. SOMETIMES THE SCREEN TURNS BLANK.
I CONNECTED AN EXTERNAL MONITOR AND IT WORKS FINE (TOGETHER WITH THE LAPTOP SCREEN) AS LONG I DO NOT MOVE THE COMPUTER OR THE SCREEN OF THE LAPTOP. THEREFORE I PRESUME THE PROBLEM IS NOT IN THE SCREEN OF MY LAPTOP.
AFTER THE FAILURE, I CAN HEAR THE HDD, THE COOLING FAN RUNING AND THE CHARGING OF THE BATTERY IS WORKING FINE AND NOT AFFECTED BY THE FAULT.
SO IT CANNOT BE A POWER SUPPLY PROBLEM.
I presume the fault is coming from a short or a loosed connection between the SCREEN and the COMPUTER (because of many years of opening and closing the laptop) or A LOOSE CONNECTION IN THE MOTHERBOARD (VIDEO/VGA).
I HAD A PROBLEM WITH A BROKEN PIN OF THE POWER BOARD BUT I REPLACED AND IT WORKS PERFECTLY.
I bought a new Toshiba laptop but I like my old one better and I would like to keep it for “play” and “experiments”.
Could you help me?
Thanks.
January 15th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Responce to # 64 paul Says:
No Paul I have an older Laptop (Gateway Solo from the mid 90’s) and my current laptop is a Compaq V2424 from @2003. I am asking if the Inverter/bulb would be the same for testing.
I would hate to take the new laptop apart to replace the bulb and find it’s not the problem. But I would realy hate to try the inverter and it messes up the new laptop…
February 1st, 2009 at 4:16 pm
HI, my sony vaio VGN-CR25G laptop LCD screen turned completely white. But I’m sure that the OS is running, Keyboard is working; everything else is working except the LCD screen.
1. I tried to connect my laptop to External Monitor, but it’s not working either.
2. I tried reconnect the cable between LCD and motherboard. no luck either.
I don’t think the Graphic Card is faulty…coz OS is loading, and I can shut down Windows normally, although I can only completely white
screen
Is that a LCD issue or MotherBoard issue? Thanks
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Seth,
Unfortunately, I cannot tell which one is bad without testing the laptop with a known good screen. One day we had two laptops in our shop failing exactly the same way as yours. One of them had a problem with the LCD screen and the second one a bad motherboard.
Sorry, cannot help.
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Hi, I seem to be having a similar problem. My screen is completely white but when I put pressure on the top part of the laptop screen (where I’m told the connectors are) I can get an image on my laptop. It is too painful to keep putting pressure with one hand on the top part of the screen. Do you think this is simply a problem with the connection? Everything else works fine as I am actually using my laptop and typing this with one hand.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:31 am
Thanks cj2600. it was a motherboard issue.
February 16th, 2009 at 5:43 am
I have a similar problem to Joseph, in that squeezing the plastic on the sides of my Inpiron E1505 LCD fixes the problem, for a while. It seems to happen randomly – the image will fade away to white, sometimes slowly, sometimes more quickly. Rocking the LCD screen back and forth or squeezing the sides seems to help. Any ideas?
March 7th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Did you use same model lcd for test o can you use any??
March 7th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Eric Naranjo,
Nope, the model was different but it looked very similar to the original LCD installed into the laptop. Same size, same type of connector on the back. It just happened that I had that cracked screen under my bench.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Is it possible to remove the screen and just use the laptop with a monitor?
Or do I have to leave the broken screen on in order to use it with a monitor?
April 12th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
I have the exact same problem as Joseph. It seems like it is a connection problem. As far as a way to put a band-aid on the problem, you can get something like a thin piece of metal, and bend it into a vice, and slide it on to keep constant pressure. It works for me, but I am looking for a more permanent solution. I use a PCI slot dust cover. Cheap and effective.
Anyone know if I can fix this without replacing the LCD?
April 15th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Danny J,
Yep, it might work as a temporary solution. Also, you can use a piece of pen eraser and placed it inside the display assembly between the LCD screen and cover. When you assemble the display back together, the screen cover applies pressure on the LCD screen because there is a piece of per eraser between them. Might work too.
Permanent solution? Buy a new LCD screen.
I don’t think that you can fix this problem at home.
May 14th, 2009 at 6:43 am
I have a similar problem where my toshiba M302 screen goes totally blank or the picture becomes unsteady. When I use pegs to hold the sides it becomes temporary steady.When I remove the pegs, it goes blank again. As a lay person, I was told it was a fibre problem. I am yet to find a solution to it.
May 15th, 2009 at 7:45 am
I have a customers Vaio CR510e. The LCD is white with little black spots. When you lightly tap the LCD you can see video. Connected to an external monitor everything works fine. What do you think? Someone suggested the video cable from the MB to the LCD.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:55 am
John M,
First of all try reconnecting the cable to the LCD screen. Could be just loose connecting between the cable and screen.
May 18th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Alright, I know this is asking a lot, but I think I might need a bit of help.
I started without this guide. (Headstrong and have issues with instructions >.>) Halfway through I decided it might be a great idea to have a diagram displaying and informing about what I was looking at.
I came across this article, but now I need help.
Over the course of a few weeks, my LCD display has been acting off. I could turn the computer on, but whenever the screen refreshed completely, it would come up white with faded lines. Sometimes, depending on the angle of the lid, the screen wouldn’t come on at all.
Does any of this make sense? Is it possible that you might be able to help?
May 19th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
good day i need help.. i have compag presario 2100. the problem is when i turn on the screen appear pure white but after 15minutes waiting i see on screen working fine but if i restart it back to white again then wait another 15minutes.. i check all the video cables but it plug properly.. thank you please reply
May 21st, 2009 at 7:34 am
Im in a bind. My screen is completely white. I have the toshiba satellite. Can u help me fix the problem because, i have so much memory on it. For me just to take it to a computer repair store is 100.00. Thats for the estimate. And no telling how much to fix the screen. I really do not want another laptop. I love this one. Please help me out of this crisis.
May 23rd, 2009 at 7:18 pm
My T-60 has a white screen. Hooked up to external monitor, everything fine. Bought a new screen, still white. Bought new cable, still white.
Could it be inverter? Can’t think of any other possibility.
Stumped on this one.
Thanks for any help.
Rob
May 26th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Hi,thanks for useful site.
I have a Sony VGN-S150 laptop. One day when i pressed the power button, the screen went “white” (gray-bright actually)and held there,HDD still running, nothing else, and my laptop could not start, even the boot logo.
But the interesting thing is, when the laptop not responding, if i turn off (by press-n-hold power, wait for HDD stops) and then turn on immediately, it will work as normal ( boot, starting windows,…), but the screen gets white again if at screen saver mode (turn off display).
What could be the problem?
I really need help. Thanks
May 29th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I have a compaq presario 1500, the monitor is white but works with a external hooked up. How do I fix this problem? I see someone fixed it but was still white and the screen needs replacing. But I need to make sure if it can be hooked up on the inside first. This would help very much. Thank you for reading this.
June 1st, 2009 at 7:10 am
PLEASE HELP ME, I DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO TURN TO….
HERE i made a video of it so you guys can see clearly :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meqokDHolw8
THE main PROBLEM: OK i have an inspirion 1520 with 8600mgt. i was playing a video game but then my graphics drivers crashed, so i went to start> shutdown and i restarted the computer. when i turned it on again everything was ok so i turned on the game again. this time graphics driver crashed again but this time i had to shut down by holding down the power button for 10 seconds. now when i restarted the computer, the screen is BLANK AND BLACK, nothing shows up..no bios boot page, no windows logo, nada. i reckon that the system still runs b/c i can still hear the windows sound when i log into my account (yes i logged on blindly). also i can turn up and down the brightness, but i just can’t see anything, CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME? i update my computer regularly and had the newest bios, i was running windows xp sp3/
ANOTHER PROBLEM: so alot of people from other forums are saying its my gpu, but here is the other problem, MY DELL WARRANTY EXPIRED. is there any way for me to replace my 8600mgt with another 8600m gt? i can’t send it to dell cause my warranty expired. i looked at the online manual and it seems like you could take out the 8600m gt on the inspiron 1520 with ease, but my problem now is finding another 8600m gt that is compatible with dell. i’ve googled and found nothing, DELL does not have one neither. does anyone know any place where i can get another 8600m gt card and remember my comp gpu is not mxm. anyone know any sites?
my DELL WARRANTY EXPIRED 5 MONTHS ago, is it possible to still extend my warranty? i haven’t played my laptop the whole before it crashed. i only turned it on for 30 mins and i noticed that it was running hotter than usual and i checked the temps and noticed that the 8600m gt gpu was really hot, THEN BOOM NOW I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING ON MY COMPUTER. PLEASE HELP PLZ.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:34 am
john,
To me it looks like you have a problem with the LCD screen.
In order to confirm that you’ll have to test your laptop with an external monitor attached to the VGA ports. Can you get video on the external monitor?
If you can, most likely it’s bad LCD.
You might have to use Fn+F8 key combination to switch video from the internal to external mode.
Before you replace anything, test the laptop with an external monitor.
June 3rd, 2009 at 3:52 am
I have HP Pavilion ZD8000. it boots Ok but there ia 3inch vertical line to the left of screen. After copmletion I can see WindowXP logo and finaly for moment or two I can see mosuse pointer the the screen goes completely white. I have tried external monitor and it shows some red and orange bars. Can you help me as if motherboard was faulty, I should not get all bootup info, windoXP logo etc. Please can you diagnose from this info , problem with my laptop. The inverter works OK.
Rgds
JSM
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:05 am
Hi, I have a toshiba satellite, it works fine but when I try to play Virtua Tennis 3 The screen turns white? Why and how to fix it? Thanks.
June 5th, 2009 at 2:45 am
Hi,
When you connect an external monitor and use the function keys to toggle, does this work before logging into windows? I thought you would have to be logged into windows for the function keys to work but from your photos it looks like you have the boot sequence showing up on the external monitor….laptop in my case is a HP Compaq M2045.
It hasn’t got a white screen but it has developed a thin vertical line an inch in from either side of the screen which is various colours depending upon the background colour. Thinking it might be the cable or possibly screen, but getting an external monitor would be cheaper than replacing the laptop screen…but if the screen eventually dies completely, would want to know that the external one will work without needing to get into windows first…
June 7th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Anne,
I think it depends on the laptop brand and model you have. On some laptops you can toggle in BIOS, in other laptops you have to wait until it boots into Windows.
I was working on a Toshiba laptop. This particular model detects an external monitor automatically.
1 pixel vertical lines? Sounds like a problem with the LCD screen.
Can you find an external screen and try?
June 9th, 2009 at 12:24 am
Thanks for all your help.
I’m actually asking this on behalf of my Mum who doesn’t live near me so I haven’t actually seen the screen. Yes it sounds like she has a 1 pixel line down the screen – two of them either side. I thought it might have been the cable, but perhaps it is the screen. She is taking it to someone to look at today. I thought I’d ask about an external monitor as getting the internal laptop one is going to be expensive as it has to come from overseas…she hasn’t got access to an external monitor otherwise I would already have got her to try, hence my question.
June 16th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
I have a problem with my laptop NEO M54G.. when I plug-in an LCD projector and activate the function button to feed the video to the LCD projetor. Nothing happens! no image is projected. But the projector detects the signal coming from my laptop, yet there is no image projected.
I’ve already press the function button + F7, check the cords and even tried plugging in 2 different LCD projector models (AcER and SONY) Same thing happens, the LCD projector detects the video input but shows no image. what could be the problem?
June 18th, 2009 at 8:31 am
cj2600 you are doing a great job, thanks and I need your help. I am from Bangladesh and I purchased a used Sony VAIO from a lady from England. I didn’t know the LCD had troubles and after a few days, the screen started to turn white with streaks of dirt black. I thought the LCD was gone.
But strangely if I didn’t turn the laptop on for sometime, the display started to come back again. Recently, the display comes back very rarely. What I cannot figure out is that, if the LCD is gone, how come it is working some of the times. I tried with external monitors and it worked fine too. I checked with Laptop electricians, not very good in this country, and they suggested to change the LCD. What would be your suggestions? I know changing the LCD would be an easy solution, but is there anything else that might be going wrong?
June 20th, 2009 at 4:31 am
Hi, I recently dropped my Toshiba Satellite A215 and the screen cracked. I would like to replace this myself, can you give me instructions for this task. Also can you recommend a website where I can buy a LCD screen for this model. Thanks.
July 4th, 2009 at 4:30 am
I have a Dell Latitude D820, It works fine except for when the screen goes white and yellow starts to flicker and the image on the screen cant be seen. could this be the back light or the screen itself?
July 31st, 2009 at 11:49 pm
I am having Dell Inspiron 630m laptop which has display problem for more than 5 months which was dim display before. now my display is fading(white) and also showing vrtical lines sometime.
but here the thing is if i press and hold the screen on particular part (before it was the center of the screen, now it is the left upper corner of the screen), then I will get the original display!
Pls tell me what could be a problem? if I need to replace my LCD screen, how much it costs?
August 8th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
vijay,
It sounds like you have a problem with the LCD screen and it has to be replaced. You can replace the LCD screen yourself as it explained in the Dell service manual.
You can find a new screen here for about $70-80.
August 9th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Hi CJ
My Laptop is Dell Inspiron 6000 ..4 years old..Its been a while I used to have vertical lines on my screen as show in the pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9.....6/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9.....otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9.....otostream/
..Usually I used to place a tight paper holder (clip) on left or top and these lines used to go away..I was thinking there might be a connection problem. And I ran diagnostic , all checks passed..I reconnected the video cable but no change…Can you please help me which connection might be loose or wrong..
Thanks
Nandu
August 9th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Nandy,
Your pictures and description sounds like a problem with the controller board inside the LCD screen. That means the LCD screen has to be replaced.
You can search for a new LCD screen here and probably find it very inexpensive.
The LCD replacement instructions are located in the service manual, here’s the link.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Hi, Iv got a compaq c300.. I noticed a fault with small sharp flashing lines so after reading a few surgestions I tested the connection on the back of the screen, took it out and replaced it. All I get now is the white screen connection securly connected but still the white screen. Do you think its the screen or the cable??
August 12th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
I know nothing about taking apart an LCD screen, but when my screen turned white I followed the directions. And thank YOU for such precise instructions because my Toshiba Satellite laptop is up and working again without purchasing anything. The cable was loose. You saved me! Thank you!
August 18th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
My screen is yellow and green. I will turn black as well< what do I do?
August 18th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Elizabeth,
Did you have a chance to test the laptop with an external monitor? Do you get the same problem on the external screen?
August 19th, 2009 at 2:02 am
Hi,
my laptop is ACER, at time M/B is not good and my LCD pannel is good. My LCD pannel is join to 4 pin. I went to know, how to join this LCD pannel to VGA cable.
August 19th, 2009 at 2:03 am
i have a compaq presario f700, the screen has been going white, flashing and the pictures jumps and freezes to, but sometimes its fine? i did a test with a external monitor and the picture was fine on that one, i want to try the cable thats conects the monitor to the laptop etc becuase i feel that might be the problem, any ideas? and how should i go about getting into the inside of my screen? im new at lcd screens but i feel this maybe easily rectified, any help would be most appreciated, thanks chaz
August 19th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
HI I have the same issue, i have a sony vaio laptop(VGNFE865E) recently by accident few drops of water were spilt accidently however i was quick to flip the laptop upside down so that no water gets logged on the motherboard. It worked fine till today(the water spill happened almost a month ago) but suddenly today it is not working. Is there a chance to save my laptop if yes how can i do that or appreciate if i can get a shop name and place where i can take it to get this rectified. Appreciate you help in advance
Thanks
Sastry
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Thanks so much – helped me figure out why my screen was white!
August 25th, 2009 at 4:35 am
Hi
I have read your topic about the white LCD screen and I have the same problem. But on my HP compaq it goes to a white screen but there is no harddrive light on and also it wont power down unless i take off the battery. I have also tried via the VGA lead and it doesnt come up with anything (just black blank screen on tv)
My brother put the windows disk in and tried but nothing until about the 15th attempt and it let me in and i manged to save some files until it did the same and went to white screen again. This is still the case ?
Do you think its my motherboard and if so is it easy and cheap to replace???
Many thanks steve
August 26th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Steve,
It’s likely that you have a problem with the motherboard.
You’ll find motherboard removal/replacement instructions in the maintenance and service guide published on HP website. You’ll have to search a little bit.
Type in Google: Hp support. Enter your HP notebook model in the search line. Go to the manuals and download the maintenance and service guide. Search for the instructions.
Find the motherboard part number, most likely it’s located in the memory compartment. Google the part number and find out how much they are asking for it.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:14 pm
hhaha I have the same computer as your example… it just happend to my toshiba – so sad. Fortunately it still works with an external monitor.
great web site!!
Jenna
August 31st, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I have problem with my Acer Aspire,my Lcd is all white, i can work with other monitor but in my laptop is all white,nobody cannot find the solution,someone say: YOU NEED TO CHANGE MOTHERBOARD,but i cannot understant why,coz i can work with other monitor? do you have any idea whats going on?
thanks
September 1st, 2009 at 7:53 am
Xhevdet,
I cannot tell without testing the laptop. It’s one of the following:
1. Loose connection between the video cable and LCD screen. I would definitely try reconnecting the cable first.
2. Bad LCD screen. You’ll have to replace the screen.
3. Motherboard fault. You’ll have to replace the motherboard.
The only way to find out which one is causing the problem, is testing the laptop with another known good LCD screen. If you don’t have a spare screen, you’ll have to guess.
September 1st, 2009 at 11:27 am
Another Acer white screen problem. When I partially close the laptop, I can see the screen image perfectly. Does this suggest anything?
Probably unrelated, but four weird “dll” messages pop up, like “kitohulo.dll not found” Scan with AVG didn’t show anything.
Thanks,
September 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am
TBill,
As I mentioned before it could be connection related issue. Try reconnecting the video cable first.
Unrelated.
September 5th, 2009 at 8:29 am
hi, i have a hp laptop 6735 i cant see anyting on the screen untill i look at it very well because it displays very tint i tried 2 lcd screen screen but no avail, what do think is the problem.?
September 6th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
hi, i have a hp laptop
6735 i cant see anyting on the screen untill i look at it very well because it displays very tint i tried 2 lcd screen
screen but no avail, what do think is the problem.?
If the screens work fine on other machines but both of them don’t work in your machine then the next step is the inverter. If the inverter is replace and you still have that problem then the next step is the sleep or stand by switch for the laptop. Many of them if they are press on while the machine is on the screen will look like the back light of the screen is bad or the inverter is not working anymore. If you still have the problem after all this then the motherboard will need to be replace.
September 7th, 2009 at 11:55 am
i have a toshiba l25 and if i grab the top left corner of the screen and put pressure on it i will have a perfect screen. if not my screen goes black or has lines through it. i figured it was a loose connection but replugged everything i could think of. anyone think the screen itself is cracked just enough for me to fix it like that and go back when i don’t?
September 17th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
My computer is an Acer Extensa 4620z and I have had the same problem. The screen jumps and little then burns into a white and doesnt allow me to see or work. I noticed that when i moved the screen is jumps and if i keep pressure on the screen usually it will work fine. So it seemed to work best at the top left hand corner for me, so I was holding it in for awhile (was in China so made it hard to find parts). But then my sis gave me a big binder clip and i squeeze that on the top so i dont have to hold it. I am going to try to see if it is a connection problem. But for some of you that might help you use it until you get it replaced and dont want to hold the screen too long. Good luck!
September 24th, 2009 at 11:35 am
I have the same problem with a presario c310,the laptpo has an onboard intel graphics chip, after boot the screen goes white, so I boot in safe mode and every thing works ok.
I was thinking this could be a corrupted graphics driver….?
September 27th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Have a hp laptop , goes to white screen often.
I don’t believe its a lose conection with wires.
It just goes in different times , more so now then before.
Can you think you can point this down for me.
Could it me the lcd screen. this laptop is only about a year
old. gets used every day , my wife leave the screen on all the
time. Does that have any thing to do with that.
Thanks for your time
October 1st, 2009 at 6:30 pm
robert,
It’s hard to tell what is causing the problem without troubleshooting.
Here’s what you can try.
Start the laptop, connect an external monitor and set the laptop to output video on both screens. Wait until the laptop screen goes white. Will you loose video on the external monitor?
If video on the external monitor stays normal when the laptop screen goes white, most likely it’s either bad connection between the video cable and LCD screen or you have a faulty LCD screen.
October 11th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
My laptop turns white very often i never really used it is only about 2 years old and i was thinking it could be the video cable? How do i get to it? Just take the back off? Well anyway thank you for your time please email me back
October 12th, 2009 at 7:02 am
I have a toshiba 17 inch-satellite p200-2 just 2 years old and out of warranty of course. Screen gone white-external works god.
I am assuming motherboard becasue before it went I could smell compnents burning! Can it be the inverter> I hope!! Cheaper than MB!
I have a working dell d600 can I take screen out of it to use as a test screen?
Also have a IBM thinkpad-600 no screen-no external but boots ok
figure MB on that too!
October 13th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Hi, I have used your website in the past and have donated. I have replaced the lcd screen on a laptop that was dim and had vertical lines across it. Now it works for about 30 min, then upon next reboot screen it stays white. External video screen works ok even when internal lcd is white. The connector going to the board is not in perfect shape. It`s hard to describe the damage, but it looks almost as if a wire or 2 could be coming apart from the connector. The other end of the connector, at the lcd side, is in perfect condition. My question: Have you ever had to replace a video cable for a laptop? If so, are they universal? Where do you recommend I get one? thx. Charles.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Charled Santerre,
Could be poor connection between the video cable and LCD screen. Try reconnecting the cable on the back of the screen.
Yes, I replaced many video cable. They are NOT universal. Video cables are model specific.
You’ll have to search on the Internet for a new cable.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Bob,
First, I would try reconnecting the video cable on the back of the LCD screen. Could be just loose connection.
It’s not the inverter problem. The LCD still has backlight (even though it’s white), it means the inverter functions properly.
Your problem could be related to:
1. Loose connection between cable and screen.
2. Bad LCD.
3. Bad motherboard.
4. Bad cable, even though very unlikely.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Nick,
So, the screen is getting white intermittently? Could be loose cable. Try reconnecting the video cable on the back of the screen.
October 16th, 2009 at 1:16 am
Hi, I wanted to leave a follow up to my white screen issue. I initially thought it was the video cable because the connector going to the mobo seemed to be in less than perfect condition. However I got to thinking: on a cold start everything worked fine. It’s only once the pc was running for a while, after which I would do another test reboot, that the screen would be white. Initially I had scotch taped the excess wire from the screen to the inverter because I was afraid it would get tangled or too much pressure would be applied to the wire and it would cut off. Anyhow I removed the tape and shoved the wire in a crevice under the screen, out of the way. Also I removed the material around the video connector going to the mobo and re-taped it with black electrical tape and made it more snug. It works fine, I did lots of long tests and many reboots and everything is ok.
October 17th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
hi,
i also hav a white screen problem but i think a bit complicater.
my laptop falled down and the screen broke ,its now completely white .do you thing its the inverter ,the screen or both i have to replace ? please notice that the screen is a 16,4 ” CCFL 2-Bulbs and i dont hav the possibility to find another one just for test purposes .
here a picture : http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/7489/img0992.jpg
October 24th, 2009 at 3:14 am
I have a SONY VAIO VGN-CR23G laptop.
My laptop lcd screen shows white blank screen.
I connected with an external monitor but i am not getting either
” the white screen” nor the normal screen. Thus it is neither showing white screen nor working properly.
I tested my external monitor with another laptop, it is fine
Sony service people say categorically that my LCD has to be changed cost around 250$, which is not acceptable to me.
Kindly show me some light
October 25th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Suvesh varghese,
1. Could be bad connection between video cable and LCD screen. Try reconnecting the cable.
2. If reconnecting the cable doesn’t help, most likely you have a failed screen. You cannot fix the screen. You’ll have to replace it with a new one.
3. Could be a problem with the motherboard.
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:45 am
I have the problem with my HP compaq laptop cn6120. when I switch it on it starts normally and it hangs up after a few seconds until I press near the mouse pad. when it opens into windows again it hangs and brings a pop up message saing power surge on USB port hub. Could you please help me solve this problem.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Emmanuel mwaba,
It’s hard to tell what’s going on because it’s not a common failure.
Try reseating memory modules. Maybe one of the modules is not making good contact with the motherboard.
Test the laptop with only one memory module installed, try it in different slots. Maybe the memory slot is bad.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
hi,
I have tested the backlight and the inverter board everything is ok and power to the inverter board is also ok but my lcd screen is still dim, what should i do. Please if there is a fault on the motherboard how would i fix it. Thank you.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Hi.
I hope someone can answer my question. When using another screen to test the laptop, does it need to be the same size as the original one? i.e. could I test my 15.4″ widescreen laptop with an older 15″ screen as long as the connectors are the same?
Cheers
Rob
November 9th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Ernest,
It’s impossible to tell what is wrong without testing the laptop. Maybe you have a stuck lid close switch and the laptop “thinks” that the display is closed even though it’s opened.
When the display is closed, it activates the lid close switch and the backlight goes off.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Rob,
It’s hard to tell. I would think that you should test the laptop with another 15.4″ screen.
I don’t know if the 15″ screen will work, I haven’t tried it myself.