Laptop LCD screen problem

[mikehende]

A friend of mine bought an HP Pavilion ZE5000 laptop,

http://www.laptopcloseout.ca/canada/media/hp_ze5400_canada.htm

the seller says that the screens shows "white" so you can't see anything on it but it shows perfect on any external monitor, my friend bought this with the intention of getting a new screen for it but I would like to know if this screen problem is repairable? If so, how can I go about it?

[kelly]

I don't know much about these, but I would venture to say that the problem is either the screen itself or the electronics that drive it. I'm guessing it's the screen and it's probably not repairable.

Laptop screens have a white background light. Then transisitors change the color as required to present the user with a computer screen. So the background light is working but the transistors aren't.

-tony

[mikehende]

I don't know much about these, but I would venture to say that the problem is either the screen itself or the electronics that drive it.
-tony

Because the laptop works fine with external monitors, there shouldn't be anything wrong with the Mobo or any other electronics except in the screen piece, correct?

[kelly]

Different electronics. While the video generating electronics may be working, different electronics drive the laptop screen and external monitor. It may be as simple as the connector going to each.

It's probably just the monitor, but threw this in just to cover all bases.

- tony

[mikehende]

The friend was thinking of sending the laptop to Geeksquad to run a Diagnostics test but I told him that it doesn't make sense to pay them $60-something for this test when a new screen cost just around $100, what I'd like to know is, just what is this dagnostics test they run to determine the causes of problems and why can't we have these tools and do the same thing?

[mikehende]

my friend found this laptop repair facilitity whose site does a great job explaining the details

http://laptops.home.att.net/lcd-repair.htm

What I have to decide is whether to send the laptop for repair at their facility or get a used screen, problem is, both options will cost around the same, this is taken from their page, they have the problem and fix covered:


Quote:
"15 Those with LCD's failures (white LCD screen) normally bad electronics inside the LCD PCB driver we repair for $85
(white LCD screen) check to see if your system board is still sending 3.3 volts to the LCD, if no Volts, I can repair your system board by adding a few transistors and a zenor diode
3.3 volt regulator supply for lcd white with 0 Data"



Since I don't have the tools to see if the system board is sending the 3.3volts and also becuase they list the sympton and repair strategy I am thinking it is best not to buy a used screen but to let them do the repair, would you guys agree or do you think it may be best to get a screen wheter used or new? Just asking your opinions here.

[kelly]

Mike - While it might be easy to send it out for repair, it may be more educational and rewarding to purchase a mulitmeter that measures volts and ohms and start learning how to use it.

- tony

[mikehende]

I have 3 projects from the A+ book which I plan to start addressing soon Tony:

1] Learning to to handle the Registry.
2] Moving the swap file
3] Learning how to use a multimeter

not neccesarily in any order, this would have been a great opportunity for me to learn to use the MM and to be honest, I would definitely like to fix this [if it was mine] for the challenge more than anything else, since it's not, I don't know if it's wise for me to attempt this, if I had someone whom I could ask to guide me through this then yes but I don't know if I can depend on that tutorial alone, suppose I misdiagnose something somewhere and have my friend purchase parts that's not faulty or I mess up something else while trying or both?

[kelly]

Agreed - I forgot that the machine doesn't belong to you. Best not to 'practice' on someone else's machine.
- tony

[mikehende]

My thinking exactly. From the article in that link, it suggestes that work has to be done on the Mobo itself, if it was just changing a connector/plug or something then I would have attempted it. I haven't given up though as I intend to take a look at it and fiddle around a little as soon as I get the chance before advising that it goes to the laptop repair shop.