FX Screen Upgrade/Replacement Process

Since I just successfully switched out my P-7801u FX's AUO screen with a stuck pixel for an LG screen I purchased off E-Bay, I thought I'd put up the pictures I took so others with WXGA+ Gateways who have been contemplating the upgrade get a better idea for what steps it involves.

The guides I used were both found on notebookforums.com and are available here:

http://www.notebookforums.com/thread212385.html
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread215459.html

I think they give a good description of the steps so some of the steps are copied over from the first thread by Spinitch and augmented with details by me. Pictures are my own.

1) Unplug AC Adapter and remove battery. Press the power button for 3 sec to remove any stray power

2) Flip the LCD open and locate 6 rubber circle bump stops. I used a small flathead screwdriver to gently pry the rubber bump stops off. Underneath are six screws that hold the front half of the bezel to the rear half. These screws, when removed, are very long.



3) After removing these screws, start at the top and carefully pry the bezels open, then use a plastic card like a credit card and slide it across the borders to help un-clip the bezels. I found it easiest to start around the top using the two metal hooks on either side of the webcam that are part of the laptop closing mechanism for leverage.

Once removed, the front bezel looks like this:



The back half of the bezel and the LCD looks like this:



The LCD is framed by two brackets screwed in on each side (marked by the red ovals) which are then screwed into the bezel. There is a cable for the webcam (top blue box) and the cable for the inverter (bottom blue box).


4) Now you will want to push the LCD down until it is in a horizontal position. Locate and unscrew the remaining screws that attach the LCD panel brackets to the bezel. There should be four of them, two on each of the hinges. These screws are shorter than the 6 found under the rubber bumpers.

5) Unplug the inverter cable (2 wires, one white and one pink) and the webcam cable. For easier access to the inverter cable plug, you can remove the inverter by unscrewing the two screws on the green part and just take it off.

6) On the underside of the LCD screen is the LCD cable and the rest of the webcam cable. They are attached with tape to the underside of the screen. Carefully peel off the tape until you get to the LCD cable plug and unplug it.



7) You should now be able to remove the LCD panel from the plastic housing. Remove the brackets on each side of the LCD panel by removing the screws on the sides. There should be 3 very small, short screws on each side, for a total of 6.

Your LCD should now be on its own and look like this:



8) Take the new LCD, align the brackets on each side, and screw them in. Then, align and plug in the LCD cable, then the webcam cable, and attach the tape that holds them to the underside of the LCD.

9) You can now lay the LCD back into the plastic housing and align the brackets with the holes in the housing. Plug the inverter cable back in.

10) Now you will want to plug in the laptop and turn it on to make sure the screen works. If nothing shows up, turn it off and make sure you have all the cables plugged in correctly.

11) If the screen works, you can now screw the 4 shorter screws into their positions in each of the two hinges.

12) Make sure the inverter cable is tucked in and place the top bezel back on. Screw in the six long screws and replace the rubber bumpers on top. You are finished!


If any parts of this are unclear or if more pictures are needed, please feel free to let me know in the thread.

Thanks for reading.

 

Great post, I know this is kinda late from when you made it. Do you happen to have the part number of the new LG screen you put in?