Asus A6Vm - screen dies - help please!

** Edit: Screen issue sorted, loose connection from recent repair - problem with webcam now though... **

Hi everyone, I think my laptop's on to me - my screen has just gone completely back on me! (this is what I get for asking for the service & repair manual lol)

It's an Asus A6000 series A6Vm, about six years old. The screen bezel around the left side was cracked, so I replaced the bezel and back plate with a used A6U model, keeping the original screen.

Is there anything I should look to check, replace, repair? I'm currently writing this on the laptop connected to a 32" CRT, so apologies for any bad spelling - I can't really see the screen too well lol

I've downloaded the pdf files for the A6 disassembly, I'll be printing it off tomorrow. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

If you look at the screen in direct sunlight or with a light pointed directly at it, do you see an image without the backlight, or is it completely blank? If you see an image, the first suspect is the LCD backlight inverter. That should be a cheap (under $15) part to replace. The next suspects are the LCD backlight CCFL tubes themselves, which do burn out eventually. You can disassemble the LCD unit itself, but it requires a lot of care and a relatively dust-free environment. After you disassemble the LCD you then remove the CCFL tubes, measure them, and order replacements.

If you get no image at all on the screen, the likely culprit is the LVDS (display) cable which runs from the motherboard to the back of the LCD. You can make sure both ends of that connection are secure. If they are, the cable is either faulty or the LCD logic board has gone bad.

 

Thanks for the advice, I stripped the screen down using the disassembly instructions here somewhere, and I found one of the cables was very loose – I figure it was probably not fastened sufficiently when the screen bezel and lid were replaced recently.

Just to make sure, I stripped it down, and removed the screen because the webcam did not work properly either. I replaced the webcam and its cable with the original, and then reassembled it. Success – the screen works again!!!! Yay!

But my webcam still doesn’t work, so I’ve changed the thread, so I can ask what the heck I do with this please? It has disappeared from my settings – there is nothing in the scanners and camera section in my control panel, and when I open and close the laptop screen a window comes up with “Found new hardware”.

Now, it began doing this when I had the above work done by a friend, but to be fair it has been a while since I’ve used the webcam. It's a problem that would have began when the screen bezel first cracked I think.

My thoughts on remedying this:
1. I spoke to ASUS to get a driver for the webcam the replacement lid came with - no dice, it just wouldn't install.
2. Next is the driver disk I have somewhere - Where are they generally located please? I’ve looked for the drivers in my computer so I could uninstall them and start again in case they were conflicting, and I can’t even find them!
3. Get into the device manager / USB settings - my wife told me about this, I have to find out more.

Are there any tricks I’m missing please?

 

Maybe the cable is still loose, if you are flexing it and the connection is going in and out (might be why you see found new hardware).

You would need to look under the USB devices and see if one has an exclamation point or is unidentified. Then you would go to its properties and take its device ID and match that against a driver from ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support-

 

Could be a loose cable, although since I swapped it, I'd like to have thought it would have been sorted - should have pressed harder! lol

Going into Control Panel -> System -> Hardware - Device Manager, it shows the ALI 5603C under 'other devices', and no drivers come up for it. The USB I'll have a look for my driver disc and try to reinstall it. Funny, the driver that ASUS sent me is different to the Bison driver I know it's meant to be, but the part number is the same. :S There's five USB ports listed, although mine only has four. I think it's gotten mixed up somehow...

 

There are webcam drivers for the A6Vm model here: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download A6Vm

 

OPen and close laptop, two things happen - "found new hardware ALI M5603C" caption on the taskbar, and a window "Found new hardware" wizard, which invites me to install software. I select the software I have, it asks me to wait while the wizard searches, and...

"cannot install this hardware" Apparently it cannot find the necessary software.

So, I follow the instructions I have from Asus, but they don't work either. Comes up with a window called "error", with "Install failed! BisonCam Camera".

Only thing I can think of is that while the connection between the laptop and the webcam is enough for the laptop to register it's there, it's not enough for it to connect properly?

This was the same issue when the screen was replaced, and even though I've taken it apart and swapped in the original webcam and cable, the result is the same. I'm a bit stuck...

 

You can try a linux livecd/liveusb to see if the camera works in Cheese (camera app) or is listed if you open a Terminal and run lsusb

UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads

 

Thanks for that - I did some digging and came up with my original drive CD, with mixed success. I've installed the software, and it found the camera! Yay!

But when I close the laptop, it loses the camera. If I reconnect via device manager to C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\BisonCam.sys, it reconnects.

It seems I have a loose connection somewhere, or a sensor on the blink?

And now I've just had a serious error on start up, resulting in a BSD and check disk. Microsoft window came up telling me my laptop had had a serious error, but couldn't locate the driver. I'll try accessing it now, and updating it,

These are the same errors my wifes laptop encountered before it gave up the ghost - she gave up on hers, I'd like to try to fix mine if possible - it's been good to me all these years!

The webcam has now completely disappeared - not even showing up as hardware to install / missing drivers. I think this definitely requires disassembly - are there any sensors or cables I should check to ensure they are okay, given the symptoms above?

 

Before you rip it apart, I would really suggest trying the webcam with a livecd. That will help you rule out a software problem.

Your USB webcam will be connected to the motherboard by a small cable, it is fragile so be careful with the connector. It is easy to bend those pins. You can also check the webcam unit under the lcd bezel.

 

Thanks for that - I will have a look through the site you linked to and try that first.

 

Apoloiges for the delay, and for my epic fail - I have had a look through the site you gave the link for, but having not dealt with Linux before, I've no idea where I'm going or what I'm doing! lol

I take it I am downloading one of the versions of linux, from Ubunto to xPud? Sorry for sounding dense, I'm in somewhat new territory here, and very embarrassed about it!

 

Yeah, try any flavor of Linux, Mint might be the best if you have no experience.

There are instructions for unetbootin, it's pretty simple, just make sure you have a USB stick that doesn't have any data you need on it.

 

Gotcha, thanks for that!

 

Just to let you know that I haven't forgotten about this - we've been travelling across the UK and we have relocated to Sydney - not much in way of available time to get this done, or desk space for that matter! lol

We will be settling in a house soon, and I will give this a crack.