Black Laptop Screen on boot... hinge?

Hello everyone, it's been a long time since I posted in these forums. My girlfriend has encountered a problem with a laptop that she ordered from ibuypower.com, and numerous searches on their website as well as RMA did nothing to fix the problem.

The issue is that, when she closes the screen after turning off the laptop, she will open the screen to turn on the laptop, but when the laptop boots the screen does nothing, staying black. If she types in her Windows user password, we can hear the chime that plays when you reach the desktop, so we know the computer itself is working fine. The problem SEEMS to be that whatever determines whether the laptop screen is closed or not is not being triggered like it should. I don't know the mechanics behind this or how it is designed, but we once found that by opening and closing the screen numerous times while applying pressure to the hinge, we were able to make it boot properly. There was no rhyme or reason to our method, and I can't be sure that the action did anything helpful anyway. I have also tried the "remove battery" trick I've seen elsewhere on the Internet.

Thank you greatly for your help

 

Unless you can see a notch or small protrusion anywhere on the screen bezel, the "lid closed" sensor is probably a magnet and hall probe. Since pushing on the hinge seems to fix the problem, it may be a bad/frayed data cable for the screen since those usually run beside the hinge.

 

So it's likely a bad cable and not a problem with the magnetic "lid closed" trigger?

 

I can't guarantee it, but thats what seems like to me. The magnet is usually located on the top of the screen near the webcam (or where a webcam would go).

 

Ok, what would be the first step in disassembling the laptop to get at the cable? I know this is probably different for every unit, but I've never disassembled one before. Is there only certain components I would have to remove to get at the cable? Assuming something is wrong with the cable, should I attempt to "plug it in tighter"? De-kink it? Electric tape?

 

Generally, the first step is to remove the strip of plastic above the keyboard. That should give you access to where the hinge meets the base. You'll then need to remove the keyboard to find where the cable connects to the motherboard. There may also be some antenna wires, but those are pretty easy to trace to the wireless card. To be absolutely sure about disassembly, try searching for a service manual or ask ibuypower for one.

I wouldn't try to repair the cable, though. There are dozens of small wires in that little bundle so it would be impossible to find the problem wire(s). Just ask ibuypower to send you a new cable so that you can replace it. If it's still under warranty and you don't feel comfortable replacing the cable, send it in for them to do it. I can't help you with the screen bezel disassembly as designs vary a lot here. All I can suggest is to be careful not to tug on or bend any piece too much. There may also be strips of double-sided tape so watch out for those as they are usually very strong.

 

Actually, before you take anything apart, have you tried using a linux livecd or something of that sort to make sure that it isn't your operating system? (the pressure on the hinge may be a coincidence) You can also interrupt windows startup by pressing F8 after your bios splash screen, which will give you a menu with different boot options. Stay on that menu and try closing and opening the screen. The screen should respond correctly, or not turn off in the first place when closed. If so, then reinstall windows, if not, then go with the cable replacement.

 

No BIOS splash screen appears, although I'm sure there is one there. The problem is that the screen simply doesn't turn on when the computer does.

 

Do you get the window splash screen? You can also try it during that.

 

Nothing, sorry Screen never activates. I might try disassembling like you said to take a look at the screen cable, it might be a matter of being very loosely plugged in. Otherwise, I'm not sure where to go from here. It's a shame because myself and others have had great experiences with ibuypower, but my girlfriend's first laptop is basically unusable with this problem

 

Have you tested this with an external monitor? Based on the what you have said, I would expect this to work with no problems, but it is worth checking.

As to disassembling it, what is the laptop? The might be a service manual available for it. HP and Dell have service manuals for most of their laptops on their support site. Guides for Toshiba can be found on Disassemble, repair, take apart, upgrade, clean Toshiba laptop or notebook yourself.. There are also pointers to guides for other laptops here in the different manufacturers forums.

 

Shine light on the display, really close. Flashlight or desktop lamp is good choise.

If you can then see the graphics, then backlight is dead/not powered. Most of the time it's a power issue. Usually the LCD cable also brings power to the inverter, unless you have LED screen that doesn't have separate inverter.

It doesn't really matter if the inverter or cable is broken. They are usually dirt cheap compared to most other components so you could replace them both at once.

 

The laptop is a custom configuration through ibuypower.com, using a Battalion 15" chassis they don't sell anymore.