Computer wiz needed !!

[compig]

A friend of a friend has a little computer shop , I took it there today and we determined it's the screen , or cable to the screen , as I suspected. So now I have to decide whether to mess about trying to gain access to the screen in the lid to check if it's the cable or the screen module or just buy another laptop !!  This guy showed me his Macbook which is seriously sexy but £900 ($1500) !! I didn't know that it was possible to use Vista on Macs.
 

[LowGear]

Not only is Vista possible on Macs but simultaneously (switch back and forth with a click!).  And then there's system 7 which is mo-better than Vista according to my two favorite computer gurus.  I might say if you saw 7 you might go for the less expensive PC notebooks that are well below $1000 USD here in the states and they come with 7 installed.

So what you're saying is that as soon as you hooked up an external monitor your problems went away.  Can I have your hard drive?

Casey

[compig]

Yeah , he showed me that facility !!  Display on an external monitor was perfect. He's made me an offer on this faulty laptop should I decide to go new , so the hard drive is spoken for !  Have to say this has annoyed me , 2 years old and the display dies !!  Anyway , this guy gave me the low down on which brands to avoid and which to go for , he reckons the best  apart from Mac , is the company that bought the  IBM pc division , begins with L but can't recall the full name.

[AdeV73]

the company that bought the  IBM pc division , begins with L but can't recall the full name.

Lenovo is the laptop business that used to be IBM.

Personally, I've always used Dell - but I've only had 3 laptops, an Inspiron that got stolen, and two Latitudes, both of which still work fine (one of them is 8 years old now). Their next-day business support is pretty hot too; a refurb computer I bought 2 1/2 years previous developed a motherboard fault, turned out the machine still had some warranty left; so I called them at 3.30pm (expecting the usual fob-off, I wasn't the original owner, blah blah), and they arrived at 8.30am the next day with a replacement motherboard. Now that's what I call service. Of course, the replacement board broke 6 hours later, but they were back again the following day to replace it - and, touch wood, it's worked OK ever since...

[compig]

Lenovo , thats it. This guy highly rates them. Dell is another I'd consider now , lots of people have recommended them due to their better than average customer service. Discovering that this Philips is not a Philips but some clone laptop with a Philips badge has pi55ed me off. Computers aren't even listed in the product list on their website !!
Can anyone give any tops on dismantling the lid to remove the display module ?  It looks like it's not intended to take apart ! 

[clytle374]

If it's like most laptops, there is something like rubber plugs covering the screws holding the lid together.  Be careful and it isn't hard to do.   It could be the cable, but I doubt it unless you open and close the lid all the time.  It could be the video output form the LCD on the motherboard is bad, or the LCD itself.   Ebay is a good place to find parts, I just bought some parts to fix my sisters laptop there. 

Trying a live CD would be a good idea just to rule out a Windows problem. 

If a laptop is your primary computer then spending big bucks to replace it might be your only option.  I use a desktop for games and such, but for just surfing and reading things like this forum a laptop is great for comfort.  Just last week I bought a netbook for $300 that I'm using right now, of course Windows XP didn't stay on it for more than an hour.  Works great for browsing and such,  just an option.

[Wizard]

Just today,  had customer here with no backlight and a flashlight test showed LCD is working so customer will go and get lamp inverter and have us replace it when part arrives.

Cheers, Wizard

[rl71459]

I'm almost afraid to ask..... What is the flashlight test?

Rob

[AdeV73]

I'm almost afraid to ask..... What is the flashlight test?

I imagine you pop the screen out of the lid, then shine a light through it; or, maybe, if the light is bright enough & the lid thin enough, enough light can leak through to at least show the screen is working with the light shining on the lid.

[compig]

Thats for when the display has gone invisible. The display on mine is visible but the colour rendition is screwed up so it has to be the display itself.

[Wizard]

Nothing.  Just shine bright flashlight into the LCD that you are view, you'll see hint of graphics going on.

That is another troubleshooting methods.  In your case, your backlight *is* working and screwing up the graphics at the LCD itself.  This can happen.  Be certain about it as sometimes the wiring between LCD and mainboard can be a problem that why we ask about pulling the keyboard out, turn notebook on, press down on the LCD connector at the mainboard to see if there any changes while on.

Cheers, Wizard