I see "invisible" keyboard on my screen

hihi

I know the title of this topic sounds weird

Here is the problem

Every time i open up my laptop, i can see the shape of my keyboard board "engrave" on my LCD screen. I always have to use a cloth to clean it off.

Is my keyboard touching my screen when the LID is close? I have this really really thin line across my sz360 thats cause by the space bar and I can't seem to clean it off. I've try using monster cleaner and soap on a tissue but it wouldn't come off. This line doesn't show when I am using my laptop, but only when my laptop is turn off and I look at a angle.

I've try taking pictures and stuff but it wouldn't show

Do you have this problem?

Ch28

 

Sounds like either your keyboard is far too dusty, or you are subjecting your notebook to intense pressure when the lid is down.

For the first issue, clean your notebook every few weeks. Use canned air and/or Endust to keep your notebook looking good and living long.

If you are not using a notebook sleeve for your SZ, you should. Don't just put you notebook in a backpack naked.

 

I'll also suggest buying a large enough microfiber cloth to put in between the keyboard & the LCD when closed so that it will reduce the chances of having the keyboard directly touch the LCD...

 

Ya I think the keyboard is touching the screen

Its touching so much that the space bar made a line on the LCD

OMG SO ANGRY.... Is there something I can use to clean it? Windex?

I do have a sleeve.

http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/se...1&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&productId=1003088

Come to think of it, I only get the invisible keyboard when I use a backpack.

 

My friend's TX also has the same problem. Seems like a common problem for the LED-lit LCD screens on the sony laptop. A sleeve is not going to help. Like SPEEDwithJJ suggested, put a cloth on top of your keyboard so when closed your keyboard doesn't touch the screen.

 

Or you can buy one of this keyboard cover from houminshyan (his user name) selling at ebay to use.

I bought mine from this guy a few days after I got my SZ & this keyboard cover has got a rubbery feel to it. It definitely will not scratch the LCD, you feel safer than slight spill of water will not go into the laptop, the keyboard feels much more comfortable & is not as noisy, & you don't have to use a microfiber cloth to put in between the keyboard & LCD when closed....

I'll like to have taken some pictures & post it but I've just sent my camera for repair this afternoon.

 

link doesn't work

and i need to get something quick... ive use so much monster cleaner and still can't get the tiny line off.

arghhhhhhh

 

Sorry about that. The ebay link just doesn't work. The item I'm talking about is a "rubbery" keyboard cover. Go to ebay & search for a seller called houminshyan & view his items for sale. I highly recommend it since I've got one & you'll not have to worry about scratches on the LCD caused by the keyboard again. I'm using this keyboard cover/protector & I bring my SZ to school everyday, putting them in a WaterField sleeve & into a backpack. Up to now, no scratches on the LCD at all...

 

Thank you speedwithjj

I need to get one of those ASAP. I saw it on my friends MacBook.

Is that the only place to get it? I'm not a big fan of ebay...

I've try using Windex and I still can't get the thin line off on my LCD screen.

I think its perm scratched...I think I'm going to buy a screen protector thingy

SO ANGRY!

I got a question

Can I use rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover to clean my screen?

 

I think that there may be some other place to get it but some of those may be of different quality.

I've experienced 3 types of keyboard covers previously when bought & used on my Toshiba (same type as the one on my SZ), HP, & Dell. I'll have to say this keyboard cover I bought from this ebay seller is the best. It is not some kind of hard & bulky cover. This cover that I bought for my SZ "sticks" to my keyboard real good & it has a "rubbery" as well as "feathery" feel to it.

I understand buying from someone out of this country & through ebay can seem shady & I felt the same way too but at the time I bought it (last Oct), they were the only ones that I can find selling the specific quality of keyboard cover that I want so I just buy it through ebay. It took about 5-7 days from purchase to reach me & I'm quite impressed. It is nicely packaged in a professionally customized big grey envelope (with their company info printed on it) & the keyboard cover is in another flat plastic "container."

Given the way I received it, I'll highly recommend them & you can probably see why they have 100% positive feedback, which at first seems kind of odd to me (I mean no one will have been able to keep their feedback at 100% after selling things for a certain amount of time as there are bound to be someone who will be unhappy for whatever reasons).

I wouldn't recommend using those on the LCD... as those solutions can be pretty "powerful" & who knows how it may react to the outer layer of the LCD screen... it may "eat into" the LCD & cause even further damage....

 

Yes, combine this advise with...

Get a new sleeve, and make sure large textbooks are not smashing up your SZ. That should just about do it!

 

Thank you for the advice.

Im going to bring a cloth with me from now. Does anyone know where I can buy a MicroFiber cloth? I only got one and that was from the MonsterCleaner my friend got me.

Sigh, I've clean it so many times and the line is still there. I feel like selling my laptop now.....

When I carry my backpack, I always have my at the very back, with text books on top. My books are not that heavy.... But I guess I need to rearrange the placement from now on.

I still can't believe I've scratch my LCD. All 4 of my old laptop LCD are in perfect condition and my most expensive laptop gets a freaken scratch across the middle..........

AHHHHHHHH

Thank you.

1 Last question.

Do you think Sony will replace my LCD screen?

 

Only with u come out a very "GOOD" reason y u got a line on your LCD

 

Ch28Kid, I'm so sorry to hear about this. I know how irritating something like this can be when it comes to something you love so dearly.

It sounds to me like it's an impression in the LCD surface itself made by compression in your backpack.

I know you can make your own LCD cleaning solution with 50% isopropyl alcohol and 50% water, so it might be OK. Read the linked article for more information.

Again, I think it's an impression, so I don't think it will be removable.

I think that would be a good idea. Does your backpack have a padded notebook section? Or are you just placing the sleeve in the bag with books on top?

 

I have used a microcloth from shaggymac since I first got my SZ160 almost a year ago, and the screen is still perfect. Check it out...

http://www.shaggymac.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_5&products_id=33

*Use code TAKETEN to get 10% off order

 

yes, you should buy a shaggymac with the coupon provided above. Don't buy the 13" size though as it only covers the screen and not the bezel. You should buy one with a custom size of 12 x 8.5 inches, which covers the whole area of the notebook, here.

 

My old ACER laptop also had this invisible keyboard on screen... managed to get those marks off by using alcohol.
What kind of of backpack do you use?

 

If you call sony to try and get it replaced, dont mentioned it happened when it was in your backpack. Just say your laptop never leaves your desk, but you close the screen every night and noticed after awhile that the keyboard seems to be scratching the screen.

That is, unless you have accidental damage. Then it shouldnt matter how it got messed up.

 

i do not have this problem.

also, when looking from the side i clearly see at least 1mm of space between the keyboard and the screen

 

xelarraf & bogart, thanks for the link to ShaggyMag... It is expensive but I broke down & bought one even though I don't have the "invisible keyboard" problem. Hope my $15 is well spent.

 

I guess the $15 for this cloth and the $20 for the keyboard overly would seem like a great deal versus having to look at a screen that has been damaged or even worse, paying a butt load of money for a new screen...

I am ordering that keyboard overlay for sure...

Don

 

The Shaggymac laptop screen protector are another good solution.

 

I had this problem with my 340, and with my FJ270/b.

With my 360, I've continued to use the little piece of fabric/material that was shipped with the computer. I may go ahead and buy one of the protectors being mentioned on this thread though --- my cat has a tendancy to eat large bits of the aforementioned material.

 

sony wont replace your screen. they'll say its your fault, which it partly is. too much pressure inside whatever bag you use is the reason. alcohol will eat up the anti reflective coating on the screen, so will nail polish remover. you gotta be more careful.

 

Don, I highly recommend that keyboard cover/protector. It is really good quality & that ebay seller I mentioned is honorable & professional. The price he is offering now is even lower than the price I paid last Oct.

I'll really love to post some pics of mine but I'll have to wait for my camera to come back from the repair depot to do it.

 

This screen issue has come up MANY times here before. I clearly remember a few people mentioning that they have used the pink foam protector that comes with the computer. In fact here is my old quote from December in another thread about the pink stuff.

I should look into pre loading DVD's. I had not really thought of that before. It seems like a time investment though. I am a weight miser, but DVD's are very light. How long would it take me to save a Season of 24, or The Wire on my HD at max resolution?
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I used to just put my Laptop in my laptop bag naked. But with all of the in and out of the bag at airports, I now put it in a neoprene VAIO bag as well. The airports do not make you remove it and it has done a great job of protecting my expensive laptop. Oh, I still slip that pink piece of foam between the LCD and the CPU.
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Ch28kid, the fact that you are even considering selling your laptop because of a screen scratch or grease mark or whatever is ridiculous. Laptops are tools, not jewelry. I realize that you are a FANATIC when it comes to your computer (three dead pixels led to your last return of a laptop) but a good laptop will wear with use. Is your computer any less effective? Does it still work. Does the LCD still look fantastic when it is turned on? I understand us all wanting to keep our PC's looking and acting as close to new as possible, but there has to be a realistic expectation of wear. Believe me, I know what a ninny you can feel like when something goes askew with a laptop. In the vein of honesty I should say that my SZ is in the shop for repairs. The left hand side bezel of the computer just kept popping off and eventually it would not stay on. Sony is repairing it right now.

I think that Pink Foam, or these fantastic screen protectors and keyboard overlays are great precautions. I still use my pink foam. I also think a good bag should be used and even a neoprene cover. But even with all of this, you will accumulate scratches and rubs through use. I have tons of miles on my SZ and the carbon fiber has been scratched. I do not know how, but they are there. Oh well.

My SZ's have worked in Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Airports, Ships, my house, my car, airplanes, tents, sand storms, non environmentally controlled spaces and on and on. They have not all behaved perfectly. Two even died with the mysterious Sony RAM problems of the old S series. But I think that if they work and you are still getting the amazing Sony performance and picture, it is hard to lose sleep over a few smudges or scratches.

I'd say take a deep breath, buy the screen and keyboard protectors, and go to CompUSA or BestBuy or an equivelent on Campus in Canada and get a screen cleaner. I think that most smudges will come out. Good luck, and do not sell your SZ over a scratch? Haven't you enjoyed your computer.

If you absolutely cannot live with scratches on your screen, for your next computer by one with an LCD that has a raised lip. Most Dell's do. The raised lip separates the LCD and gives a gap protecting the LCD. They typically incorporate a lock in them as well. Good luck CH28Kid.

 

Well now I just use a cloth that came with some cleaning solution for my camera.

and I wasn't going to sell my laptop cause of this... economically doesn't makes sense to do so.. da line is very thin, and I can't even see if when my laptop is on. I only see when the screen is pitch black.

I'm thinking of buy another micro fiber cloth just to cover up my laptop when close. The plastic keyboard cover looks pretty good but I hate eBay so I don't want to get it.

Thanks for the link. I also think its not removable because I use 75% rubbing alcohol and nothing happen.

I don't have a laptop bag because they all look so ugly. I only use a sleeve with books around it now. Right now I rearrange it so my laptop is on top of my books.



Thank you everyone for the responses.

Ch28Kid

 

I have the exact same problem with my laptop, it is because of the pressure applied on the LCD lid, the LCD comes into contact with the keyboard, imprinting any excess material from the keyboard onto the screen.

What I did to remove this "invisible keyboard" off the LCD, was I just used tap water, apply a little pressure with a cloth and you can rub the stuff out, depending on what is on the LCD, my keyboard became shiny with use so it was worn out so it was probably grease or something.

Best bet is to try to rub it out using tap water then put a cloth between the screen and keyboard when travelling with the laptop.

 

I got a very small line on my screen as well. Currently I have been using the cloth that came with the laptop. I want to order one of those screen protectors from shaggymac.com

I'm confused which size I should order for my SZ so that it covers the entire keyboard and screen?

Can someone please clarify for me.

 

We are all over the place on the measurements for this ShaggyMAC screen protector. It looks like a pretty good product and an elegant way to protect this investment. Our computers are investments. I keep on chuckling at people balking over a $15 investment to protect a $2K investment. If you do not want to spend the $15, use your pink piece of foam. I have used mine for six months now and it has worked great. It is just a bit dog eared and I am ready to upgrade to a more elegant solution.

So does anybody have the real size for our SZ'z? The entire computer, not just the smaller LCD area. Or should we break out a tape measure and post official stats?

 

Thanks for saying that I balk at $15.. I really appreciate your kind criticism. No offense to you as well.

The thing is that I just ordered this microfiber cloth a couple of days ago & I bought the keyboard cover (from ebay) last year... Sometimes people tend to balk not because of not being willing to pay but if you've lived in some Asian countries for some time, you'll know that this amount is way over the top. You'll ask why? Let me tell you why. A similar piece of microfiber cloth such as the one I bought for $15 (I know I'm stupid) can be found in a number of Asian markets for as low as $2 USD!

And since I'll be receiving mine in a couple of days or so, I'll let everyone know whether the size I bought fits or not.

 

What I did was took a new microfiber cloth that I use for waxing my car and cut it to size. Not the prettiest looking, but I'm sure would do the job. By the way, cost me $10 for a package of 25 at the local warehouse store.

 

You are so right about the price discrepancies on products across different boarders. While you are buying your $2 piece of microfibre, just go ahead and grab the SZ on your next trip to India or even Korea for about $1200. Hey, I am with you. If you can save a buck, save it, but don't balk at whatever the expenditure to save your larger investment. You forget that I mentioned I am still using my free pieve of pink foam. Let us know how your ShaggyMAC fits.

 

Got a nice custom fit by using 12" x 8.25"

This model should do the trick just as well.

Just a note: We have used these Shaggymacs for years. They are the originals, made in the USA with the highest grade materials.

 

I use a ShaggyMac with my SZ - have since last April. It definitely helps. Their stock 13.3 is not an exact fit for the SZ, so I'm going to measure and get a custom one done.

It was an exact fit for my old Sharp MW70J. The SZ's keyboard is a tad wider hence the non-exact fit.

 

Keyboard marks on the screen is usually caused by the heat coming under the keyboard. This is not just Vaio problem. I believe it's very common on all Notebook product. Using the keyboard cover or screen filter will help a little. However, it will eventually happen unless you cool down the notebook before you close the screen every single time.

By the time you can't view something on the screen because of this marks, your Vaio would be at least 3 years old and it's about the time for a new one

Cheers,
Heejin

 

If you're really unhappy with the line on the lcd screen of your laptop, maybe you should try shipping it to sony so they can replace it? That is if you still have warranty of course.. There were blotches on my Sony screen so I sent it for sony to replace/fix under warranty and I got it back in 4 days free of charge! If you want to read more about it, it's a couple posts down from this one. Anyways, good luck I hope things work out!

 

I've just received my ShaggyMag 13.3" Widescreen Keyboard Cover / Lcd Screen Protector.

It is of a very good quality but unfortunately the breadth is a bit too short. It covers the whole screen though but when you placed it down on the keyboard/palm rest, it covers from the top (nearest to the indicator lights) right up to only the end of the touchpad buttons.

I've just measured the size of the whole palm rest using a measuring tape & it seems that the perfect fit will be 12 3/8" x 8 5/8" custom sized keyboard protector, depending on preferences.

I wonder whether ShaggyMag accepts returns/exchanges... I guess I may have to spend another $15 to buy another one then.... Anyone wants to buy my current one, feel free to make me an offer.

 

Oh well, I ordered another one from ShaggyMag.

It seems that the code TAKETEN can only be used once for each customer & given that I'm now ordering a custom sized keyboard cover/LCD screen protector, it now costs me another $19.41....

 

Hey SPEEDwithJJ, thanks for your input on this and feedback. So it looks like custom fit is the way to go.

 

Yep. I confirm that the custom sized ShaggyMac keyboard/LCD protector is the way to go.

Anyone who wants to buy it or any other items from ShaggMac, remember to use the code TAKETEN at checkout for 10% off but take note that it is only one use for each customer account. Don't make the mistake I made (I thought we can use the discount code for every order we placed).

Oh, one more thing before I forget. The package for the keyboard/LCD protector comes with two LCD wipes as well (one wet, one dry).

 

Thanks all. I just received my ShaggyMAC. The custom 12 3/8 X 8 5/8 is the way to go. It fits my SZ beautifully and has just replaced my dog eared piece of pink foam.

 

You can also try this place:

http://www.protectcovers.com/laptop.htm

They can make one of those transparent, antimicrobial keyboard covers for your laptop. The cover feels like it's made of soft silicone.

They can even custom make a cover that goes over the lid of your laptop:

http://www.protectcovers.com/laptop_lid_protector.htm

 

These things look great.

 

Just chiming in to say that I also just ordered and received by 12 3/8 x 8 5/8 ShaggyMAC screen protector. Fits the SZ per-fect-ly!!!

Very happy with it. Hurrah for NBR Sony forums!

 

Speed, if you already have the siliconish keyboard cover from eBay, why do you need the microfiber cover? Should seem adequate.

 

The ShaggyMac + silicone keyboard protector is a nice combo. You get a large microfiber cloth to protect the screen and you have a nice cover for the keyboard so you don't wear the characters off the keys. I've also found that after a long time, the keys start to get "shiny" from oils stuck to them from fingers typing on them.

 

My main purpose of using the ShaggyMac is just to wipe my screen from time to time.

 

So I guess the 12 3/8 8 5/8 is the way to go? Would hate to get one here (Finland) just to see it misfit.. Please do post a pick if you have! (especially if you have Panther)

 

the cheapest route, and the one that i use, is to buy a microfiber towel in the automotive department of target for about $5 for a 2 pack. then cut one of them down with pinking shears (zig zag scissors) to the size you need. works great, cheap, and you have extras. they also clean the screen very well.