Laptop Display Repair?

[Jimaz]

A few weeks ago my laptop display started intermittently flickering for a few days before going completely dark. I'd like to repair it if possible since it works fine otherwise. Does anyone have any experience with this problem? Repair cost? Is it a do-it-yourself job? I can solder.

I'm guessing it just needs the back light CCFT replaced although while it was flickering I also noticed very tiny horizontal white lines sparkling all over the display ... meaning ... what?

[[Heh, heh. How many DYESers does it take to change a light bulb?)

After it went dark I was just barely able to see its display image in bright sunlight well enough to switch it over to an auxiliary monitor. That was no easy task but it does work now albeit in a less-portable way.

[Gannon]

I dunno, more likely the ribbon cable that runs through the hinge.

That's the only thing that has ever failed on my old laptops.

I've got a few that I've pieced out over the years...what brand is it?


There is a clearinghouse of computer parts in Indianapolis that I've dealt with...I'll have to look up the contact information but they were absolutely GREAT to deal with.

Good luck.

[Gannon]

Sorry, missed that last line.

I'm moving too fast...zippy.


They'll have those lights at the joint in Indiana...not too difficult to replace them.

Just be careful with the clamshell locking tabs. Usually one portion has to be pushed in to release the lock or you'll snap them all off...

[Eastside]

Is it a Mac by any chance? If so, it could be the motherboard. My Mac did the same thing and that was the issue. It was covered under warranty.

[Jimaz]

Thanks, Gannon, Eastside. I'll keep the ribbon cable in mind anyway since it's a moving part. I guess it's possible it could even be the motherboard. I'm just assuming the most likely cause first. It's a Gateway brand. I'll Google that Indiana store. Thanks for the clamshell tip too.

This isn't an urgent repair. I'm actually glad it happened. It forced me to get a new monitor for my big honkin' Vaio desktop. It's nice to have its high performance back.

That was quite a trip trying to maneuver that mouse pointer on a dark display. Several times I had to swipe it to a corner just so I could find the darned thing, then carefully follow it up to a button I needed to click. Doing it in bright sunlight helped a lot. Knowing ahead of time how to switch to an alternate display helped too.