Line in LCD screen.

I was thinking of buying a Vaio TX before with a cracked screen but lost the bid at the last second. Now I got my eyes on another Vaio TX this time with the screen intact but a thick white line running down the middle of the screen. The seller and a couple other people said that the entire LCD has to be replaced.

I'm a COMPLETE newbie at this sort of thing but is there not a cheaper, simpler way? I've seen and heard of several laptop LCD's having these vertical lines. I'd like to please know what are the methods to have this fixed? Would the entire screen truly have to be replaced just like with a laptop with a cracked LCD?


Here are pics of the laptop.

 

If the problem is with the screen, yes you'll have to replace the whole thing. It could be a videocard issue, though..

 

I was looking around on Averatecforums with one user saying it could be a bad connection between the LCD and the interface board or an internal break in the LCD.

Some also said that if you mess with the screen, like tilt it a bit, the problem will go away, could it just be a loose/bad connection between the computer and LCD or is the LCD itself bad?

Also, anyone know how this problem could have been caused?

 

There is a 1 in 1000 chance that it will go away. There are three scenarios. The connection is loose, the video card is malfunctioning, or something has burned the LCD ribbon.

The third scenarios is probably your situation. I've read that some components in the laptop heats up and burns the ribbon cable, thus destroying some of the wires inside which creates those huge vertical lines.

I suggest you not buy that Sony because replacing an LCD is a hassle and it is a lot complicated than it looks. If you do, however, want to buy it, go to here: http://screentekinc.com/ to find laptop LCD replacements.

 

Can anyone else please provide me any advice?

 

connect it to an external monitor, if that works then its either the LCD panel or it LCD inverter

 

If the ribbon cable is burnt out, then I don't need a new screen right? All I need is a new ribbon cable right?
I'm afraid that perhaps maybe only a cable is bad and needs replacing but that every repair shop will convince ignorant old me to replace the entire LCD for a lot of money.

 

The problem is that I don't own the notebook yet, I have asked the person if he has done that, awaiting his reply.
He says he will sell the TX790P for $450 to me via Paypal, says he doesn't want to bother trying to fix it.

 

If tilting the screen certain ways makes the problem go away then it's definitely not a video card problem. That should also rule out the broken LCD idea, but I'm not positive. Usually true: "tilting screen + fixing/causing screen problem = connection problem."

 

I honestly have no idea, but the only way to really find out, is to get your hands on it.

 

Ask a computer tech in your home town, show him the picture, he will give you a quote & definition of the problem. It looks like a $1200 computer to me, if the tech says $80 to fix then your home free. I know from experience they charge $35 CAD just for diagnosing a problem, the parts are extra. Often the parts are only $10 tho.

 

i would assume the most expensive repair is necessary. find out how much that costs + cost of notebook + "cost" of time and trouble = less than new notebook, then go for it.

maybe it'll be a cheap fix, but you can't know unless the seller tells you or you can test it yourself

 

The seller wants to sell the TX790P to me for $460 with shipping via Paypal.
When I get the notebook, I suppose what is the first thing to do? Take it to a place to diagnose the exact problem? Could be the LCD itself or maybe a bad cable?

 

like mentioned above, the potential problems are (a) a bad lcd, (b) a bad cable, (c), a bad connection, (d) a bad gpu.

it's easy enough to determine where the problem is, but you never know. and the problem could be really cheap to fix or really expensive. there's no way to know what's bad unless the seller performs some troubleshooting that you can rely on or you take a gamble and buy the thing.

 

Okay, I sent him the payment last night, says he'll use priority shipping and it should reach me by Wednesday. Since I'm a complete newbie at laptop repair, where would be a good place to go to get it diagnosed for the exact cause of problem once I get it?

 

Errr....bump for more info/advice?

I'd like to know what I should do with the notebook once I get it. It will have that annoying white vertical band right down the middle, probably will hook it up to an external monitor

 

you want to eliminate where the problem is coming from.

the easiest thing to test is to plug it into an external display and see if it's replicated. if not, then you know it's not the gpu.

the next thing i would do is to open the notebook up and reseat the cable. if this fixes it, then you got lucky.

in all honesty, when you get the notebook and power it on, you'll probably be able to tell right away where the problem is. you'll be able to tell if the LCD is physically not working or if pixels are just not lighting up.

 

Okay, I got the TX790P and the white band is there and quite annoying but since I paid only $460 for the laptop, I shouldn't be complaining! This is a sweet notebook!

The LCD itself doesn't look physically damaged to me.
I connected it to an external monitor and the white band doesn't show thank goodness.

Do you really think the LCD itself is bad or just some cables behind the LCD? I don't wanna open up the laptop and mess with it considering I somehow killed my beloved Lifebook P5020D just by removing the hard drive!!!

So I feel really nervous tinkering with electronics.
Who can I go to to diagnose the cause?

I hope it ain't the LCD cuz its $600 from Sony.
I'm broke right now so I'll have to wait a while before doing anything to fix this. What if all I have to do is open the screen and mess with some wires?

The good thing to do is take a high res pic of this and show it to you guys.

 

either the LCD or the cable/connection.

 

Go for the cheaper fix first. See if you can get hold of that cable they use to connect the LCD to the motherboard. If that does not fix the problem, first do something brainstorming and asking techies. If nothing else fixes the problem, then see if you can get hold of a new LCD. IMO, the LCD should be the last fix as they cost the most.

 

Here are some large pics I just took, if they can help.

 

Rahulnirmal. What ever happened to the Toshiba laptop that you had earlier in the year? Just curious if it bit the dust or not.

 

I returned it back in late August and got my current Compaq V3019US a week later. I just bought this Vaio TX790P as well.

Ever since I had a Fujitsu Lifebook P5020D and accidentally broke it, I always wanted an ultraportable but then could no longer afford one and so I was finally able to buy this one for only $460.
Now, all I have to do is fix the screen.

 

What didn't you like about the Toshiba M-55? I've had my M-55 since January and have been very pleased with it.

 

I would suggest that you ask your seller how it happened. The circumstances could help to identify the possible problem.

Sony is using a non-standrad soldering technology, so that some electical contacts can be damaged during the strong hits.

In your place I would start from checking the connections of the display cable to the mainboard.

Be very careful and attentionful while disassembling the lappy. It is helpful to record all your steps. Also, use only good quality screw drivers of proper size
and make sure there is no static electricity on you.

How your lappy works with the external terminal?