Laptop screen not turning on

[king123456]

Earlier today it was working fine with no problems. Then i put it on standby. A few hours later, when I tried to start it up again, the screen doesn't display anything. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is it broken?

Btw, I left it charging.

 

[Harvey]

Need for info starting with the make and model is your laptop. You can use that info to search the manufacturer's website for help, as well.

Were you running on the power supply or battery when the problem hit? If you were on battery, maybe recharging will fix it.

Is your machine still under warranty? If so, contact the manufacturer's tech support.

If it's out of warranty, and you're lucky enough to have a good company, they may still help you through their online chat. I've had that experience with HP/Compaq, which is one reason I recommend their laptops.

 

[king123456]

It's a laptop I got from cyberpowerpc though I don't see how it's related to why the screen isn't displaying anything.

It was charging when it happened.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: king123456

It's a laptop I got from cyberpowerpc though I don't see how it's related to why the screen isn't displaying anything.

It relates because others who have had the same problem may know the answer or at least, where to look for it. Without that info, all we know is, it's a laptop, which is good because toasters usually don't have good video.

It was charging when it happened.

Which tells us it isn't just because the battery is low... or not if the battery is so dead that it's acting like a short circuit. And yes, that can happen.

 

[king123456]

Well, the laptop is turning on, just not the screen.

 

[Harvey]

Back to square 1. Is it in warranty? Have you checked the manufacturer's tech support?

And you'll still have to tell us the exact model number, indcluding any sub-info like a part number (p/n) if you want help from members who aren't paid to suppor you but just happen to have what you need to know.

 

[king123456]

It's a FL90 model and it's not in warranty. I had this laptop for over two years so I really don't think I'll get any good help from their tech support. I'm thinking it's more of a technical problem that other laptops also have .

 

[Harvey]

Is there any light leakage behind a dark screen, or is it completely black? If you don't see any light, the fluorescent backlight or the circuitry controlling it could be fried.

In any case, it sounds like you need a hands on tech. Cyberpowerpc's support could tell you how much they would charge. Be prepared for sticker shock. It may be more than the cost of an even more powerful new machine.

 

[king123456]

Yeah, I searched around and I saw that might be the problem. It was working fine just hours earlier and I didn't notice anything wrong with it so I was being a little hopeful.

As for your first question, I might have seen a little bit of light coming out from the dark screen or it could have me imagining. At any rate, I don't see any light coming out now.

 

[corkyg]

Try connecting an external monitor. From what you say, it seems that your backlight may have burned out. If the desktop et al displ;ay on the external monitor, then you pretty well know it is the screen itself and not the mobo. A new backlight can be had.

 

[Paperlantern]

I would do as corkyg suggests and definitly check on an external first, if it comes up you at least know its definitely a screen issue of some kind. Backlights arent easy to install, though it can be done, disassembling an LCD panel may not be high on this guy's wish list. It could also have blown the inverter board. That would not only be cheaper, but a heck of a lot easier to fix. A $3 voltmeter set to AC will tell you if the inverter is toast or not.

As a side note, if it comes up on the external, make sure by some freak occurance the laptop isnt in presentation mode only and simply not putting anything to the monitor anyway, if it can be fixed by holding Fn and tapping a button then all the better.

 

[king123456]

I tried and attached a monitor to my laptop, but the monitor says no video input. But when I disconnect the monitor, it says monitor has been disconnected. I did the Fn + f3 thing but my monitor doesn't show anything.

 

[corkyg]

OK - that suggests that your video chipset is probably gone. No video signal on the external more or less points to that. That would make me focus on the mobo. Some lappies have replaceable video cards. Most do not. Not good news.

 

[Paperlantern]

Originally posted by: corkyg
OK - that suggests that your video chipset is probably gone. No video signal on the external more or less points to that. That would make me focus on the mobo. Some lappies have replaceable video cards. Most do not good news.

Slightly confused by that last line, if i read it correctly you are saying that most do not (because they don't) and this is not good news (which its not).

When you turn the laptop on, what occurs? Does it behave as though its booting? Can you see hard drive activity and so on? As though the machine is loading windows? or does it power on and basically just sit there?

 

[king123456]

I'm not exactly sure what's going on when I power it up since I don't have sounds for logging in and booting up. But I suspect it's just powering up and sitting there. Maybe a clue is when I press the power button after it starts, it just shuts down immediately.

 

[corkyg]

Laptops don't beep on boot, but they light and flash LEDs. OK - how many LEDS light up? Should be two if on A/C power and not booted. If booted, should be three.

 

[king123456]

Well, only one lights up when it's not plugged in (the power one).

 

[corkyg]

OK, just so we can better fault isolate, do this:

1. Remove the battery from the laptop physically.
2. Plug it in and then deal with all the lights and signals so we have a common start point.

 

[king123456]

I removed the battery and started it up with it plugged in. There was still only the power light lit up.

 

[corkyg]

OK - still nothing on the screen, eh? Seems like your video chipset on the mobo is kaput. Look for the same laptop on EBay that can replace this one or be used for parts. As I recall, the problem may have started with it being put into STANDBY. It is possible that it is locked in Standby.

OK - so now, try this. With it plugged in on A/C only, hold down the start button for sevberal seconds and see what happens.

 

[king123456]

When it's turned on, as soon as I press the start button, it shuts down immediately, even when I don't lift my finger off the button.