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.
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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 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 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 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.
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?
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?
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.
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 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 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.