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 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 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 11th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Andrea,
Sounds like a bad LCD screen.
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 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.
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?
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 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 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 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