You replaced the broken LCD screen in your laptop with a new screen but it’s not working. Does this sound like your problem? Let’s find out what could be wrong and how you can fix it.
First of all, I assume that your new LCD screen is compatible with the old one. Different screens require different video cables. Make sure you new screen is compatible with your laptop.
OK, let’s say you accidentally damaged the LCD screen in your laptop. A part of the screen still works fine but you cannot use it like that so you decided to replace the screen yourself. You can find LCD replacement instructions in service manuals or this DIY site.

You did some research and purchased a compatible screen, installed it into the laptop, turned it on and… The new screen is not working!!! What could be wrong?

Before you start to panic, check all cable connections again. Check connection between the video cable, LCD screen and inverter board. Reconnect cables just in case.

Take a closer look at the connection between the video cable and LCD screen. It’s possible you accidentally pulled the video cable from the connector during the screen installation.

The video cable has to be seated properly, all the way down.

Also, on some older LCD screens there are very thin pins inside the connector. Take a look inside the connector, make sure there are no damaged (bent) pins.
You can straighten bent pins with a very small screwdriver but this procedure requires a lot of patience and concentration.
Fortunately, most newer LCDs have a different type of connector, without fragile pins inside.

OK, you have reseated all connectors and cannot see anything wrong but the new screen still is not working. What’s next?
Remove the new screen and connect the old one. If the old one works properly (except the damaged area) but the new one is dead, apparently the new screen is defective and has to be replaced. Hopefully it has warranty.
Here’s another scenario. The new screen kinda works. You can see a very faint image but there is no backlight.
If that’s the case, disconnect the new screen from the inverter board and plug in the old screen instead, as it shown on the picture below. If the backlight inside the old screen lights up, apparently the new screen has defective backlight lamp and has to be replaced.

Related post: Laptop has bad video on the LCD screen. What is wrong?
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September 28th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I’m repairing an M55 for a friend. The video is intermittent but mostly absent. It’s a black screen with the back light on. When I unplug and plug the monitor cable you can see the video momentarily. I checked all the connections and they are tight. Any ideas as to what could be the issue?
Thanks, Jim
September 24th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
duale,
You’ll have to find out why your LCD is not working properly. Take a closer look at the video cable. Maybe the broken hinge damaged the cable. Also, it’s possible the video cable got pulled from the connector on the LCD screen. Try reconnecting the cable, so it makes good contact with the screen.
If reconnecting the cable fixes the video problem, all you have to do is replace the broken hinges.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Remon,
First of all, make sure the new LCD screen is compatible with the old video cable. If you purchased the same screen (same model), apparently it’s a defective one.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Valerie,
So they already sell laptops with LED backlight? I’ve never seen or repaired one yet. I guess you can search for the LCD part number on the back side of the screen and then google it.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
I have old Toshiba laptop tecra a20, first hinges broke down and now I can’t see good on the moniter. how i can solve to change the monitor and the hinges or only the hinges
September 24th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
just purchased replacement laptop screen for Dell B120 but replacement lights up but doens’t work, double checked to make sure connections are good, they are. I put the old screen in and can see parts of my desk top. Tried the old inverter with the new screen. Is this a case of a defective screen?
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I’m absolutely at my wits’ end here. I have a newly released laptop with a messed up screen, and I can’t find any websites selling the screen part # or model # at all. The official vendor’s website lists the screen, but as out-of-stock, and at either $600+ or $900+. Obviously, I can’t replace my laptop screen with the exact model it came equipped with. So my question is: How do I find out which screens are compatible with my laptop? What are the main sources of incompatibility? I know that my screen was TFT Active Matrix with LED backlight, so I can’t order any with the CCFL backlight. But apart from the size + backlight, is there any way to find out for sure if a certain video cable is compatible with my laptop?
I’ve googled everywhere and this blog seems to be the most helpful and knowledgeable, so I’m really hoping to get some glimmer of hope that I won’t have to put up with a broken screen for the rest of my laptop’s lifetime because I can’t afford a replacement screen. =\
September 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
dani882,
I would if I had this laptop but I don’t.
Check out this posts:
1. How to tighten loose hinges on an Asus A8j laptop
2. How to remove and replace keyboard on Asus A8J laptop
September 19th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Can you make a Asus A8jp dissasembly guide please?
I need that (for my laptop)
September 18th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
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