Laptop Screen Issues

[UThomas]

My sister brought her laptop home from school and is looking for me to fix it. Anyway, here are the symptoms:

When power is pushed it gives about 4 loud beeps and then give you the "Safe Mode, Normal, Comand Prompt" screen selection. But the screen is cut in half and half a line displays. Like it only shows the top half of each line of text and only uses half the screen. It also does this when a monitor is connected. Any selection you make, including safe mode, results in an eventually black screen and a hang.

The only thing I can think is that the bios has gone bad, since it can't be a drivers issue if it happens that early. I also don't see anything that will let me get into the bios on start up. Any thoughts?

Thomas

 

[Fallen Kell]

I'm thinking its more of a video card issue then a BIOS problem. The only thing I can really think of is to call up the manufacturer and fined a place that repairs these things. There really isn't much you can do with laptops in terms of replacing parts yourself as 95% of it is all integrated into the motherboard.

 

[UThomas]

Yep, thought it might be the video card firm ware. But it also won't boot up.

At any rate, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most laptops usually use 2 different "video cards" (chips), one for the LCD and one for the VGA out? For example, my work laptop I believe has an 8 meg ATI Rage as the VGA out, but something else on the LCD. So I figured if there was a problem on the LCD and the monitor I connected it wouldn't be the LCD/video card.

Thomas

 

[c0rv1d43]

I believe that's wrong. I've been using laptops and notebooks for a long time, and I've never seen one with two separate video subsystems.

- Collin