Backlight and Inverter problems

Well people, laptop screen repair will be something you will no doubt need info on at some point in your laptop's life... The symptoms are that the laptop display panel will flicker and then appear to switch off, but if you look closely you can still see a very faint image on the panel, almost like peering through the dark, this is because the backlight isn't lit.

Inverter boards have been an issue in a lot of makes and models of laptops – this is a very common fault. The inverter board loses proper connection causing the backlight to flicker or just simply fails altogether.

A little info in what we mean when we say 'Back Light'. Your screen has a fluorescent tube inside it which is just like your normal household tube except for its size, it's about 1/10 of the size. The tube is attached to a small circuit board via a cable, the circuit board acts like the starter in your household variety. This circuit board is called an 'Inverter or FL Inverter', the inverter provides regulated power to the fluorescent tube which lights up the screen.

If the Inverter fails then you appear to have no display, yes and no, the screen is still displaying the image but without light from the tube it only appears ever so faintly.

A lot of repairers will make the assumption that the LCD has failed and tell you about the enormous cost involved in a laptop screen repair to resurrect your beloved laptop, if you're unlucky this may be the case. Some repairers may even tell you it’s the main board because the video card has failed, they'll tell you that your laptop screen repair will involve replacing expensive circuit cards.. rubbish.

One way of verifying this for yourself is to connect an external monitor to your laptop's VGA port and flipping to dual display or external only display, if you get an image then you have narrowed it down to the inverter or the LCD panel.

The Inverter is a small PCB that is generally located in the LCD cover assembly close by the LCD itself. In most cases it can be found either screwed to the case underneath or along side the LCD panel.

Please see diagram below. 

You will need to remove the mask assembly which is the plastic outer border around the screen. If you are the type to be a little heavy handed and impatient, then this is not the task for you. Working around an expensive LCD panel is only for people who have the utmost confidence in what they're doing, the average LCD panel makes up 50% of the overall cost of a laptop and in some cases replacement costs are huge. (Be patient and use minimal force) 



Be sure to remove all the screws holding the mask in place, normally expect to see approximately 4-6 screws. In some machines there will be only 2, the mask is also fixed in by snapping type clips that make it fit to the rear cover assembly.

Once you’ve taken that off, you'll have exposed the LCD and inverter which will both be connected to the LCD harness or wire loom that connects them both to the main board.


1. Connects to the rear of the LCD panel.

2. Connects to the Inverter board or FL inverter.

3. Connects to the main board.

Disconnect the inverter from the harness and from the LCD (the inverter will have a cable plugged into both ends of it) now.. here’s the thing. In a lot of cases your laptop screen repair is just a case of cleaning the inverter pins with some contact cleaner and this will fix the issue for a good while.

The reason is that the pins develop a film on them and lose good connection with the plug that is plugged into them, it’s a good idea to clean the harness plug as well.
If you want to achieve a more permanent fix you will need to apply some Glue (Threebond 1530B) to the end that the harness plugs into (plug number 2, see left image), this will prevent the dirt film forming again on the pins over time.

Once this is done the unit can be reassembled and it should be OK. If you have a faulty inverter that needs replacing the cost will vary from place to place, but study our laptop screen repair guide and use the info to save yourself some money.

How To Hook Your Cellphone To Your Laptop

Different people may need to hook their cellphone to their laptop for a variety of reasons, this includes email synchronising, calendar and appointment keeping, web browsing, downloading photos or uploading ringtones etc.

We receive various enquiries from our visitors asking what is the best way for them to be able to hook their cellphone to their laptop, this will depend largely on what type of communication options you have on both your cellphone and your laptop.

The most common methods of cellphone to laptop communications areBluetooth (BT), Infrared, and USB to Data cable (physical connection).

Bluetooth

Bluetooth function is largely generic in its methods of connecting, basically you need to activate BT function on the phone and the laptop and have them discover each other to form a connection. This is a simplified explanation but it's not difficult to do, remember if you do have problems to refer back to the user manual for the phone or get on the net to troubleshoot, this applies to all the connection methods we refer to. 

The phone manufacturer software suite would also be involved here for proper communication, though be warned that not all cellphone manufacturers software suites work as well as they should, this is particularly true for Nokia's software. There are other software packages from aftermarket companies available online that work for particular phones and some of these are free.

Infrared

Infrared is a line of sight connection, much like the technology in our TV remote controls. Once again Infra needs to be enabled on both devices and they MUST have a clear line of site from one device to the other. Data transfer with Infra is normally controlled from the laptops native software, so no special software is normally required.

Physical Connection

The third option to hook your cellphone to your laptop would involve a direct link via a physical cable from one device to the other. The cable will normally have a USB connector on one end and a proprietary connection for your cellphone at the other. The phone manufacturer's software suite would also be involved here for proper communication.

Some cellphone manufacturers will supply the software and cabling required with the phone itself. If they don't then the software can usually be downloaded from their website. I recently bought a Nokia phone which came with neither the cabling or software so I've had to buy an aftermarket cable to hook my cellphone to my laptop. 

Rugged Laptops

We've had a few queries about rugged laptops so we thought we'd take a look at a couple of the market leading models of hardened laptop computers. 

Panasonic Toughbook

The Panasonic Toughbook is widely regarded as the best rugged laptop computer in the industry. They're manufactured with a durable magnesium case, Panasonic claims the alloy they use is 20 times stronger than the ABS plastic used in most laptops.

Panasonic use military specifications when they test their machines, they have to able to withstand water and dust ingress, on the Toughbook CF-18 and CF-29 the LCD screen is also sealed against water.

They also undergo temperature testing from as high as 96 degrees Celsius down to -51 degrees Celsius, the units are placed in an environment at those temperatures for a set period of time, once they're back to a more reasonable temperature they're expected to boot as per normal.

All Toughbook hard drives are mounted in a shock absorbing dampener which is supposed to absorb up to 70% of the shock if the unit is dropped, the LCD screen is also shock mounted. 

The internal connections are flex connectors instead of being hard wired, these are also designed to absorb any shock and minimise damage.

Panasonic has been building hardened laptop computers for a long time and they have this sort of technology down to an art. 

I've been in the notebook servicing industry for about 10 years now and have always known about Toughbooks, no other manufacturer seems to have as much credibility when it comes to rugged laptops. 

You can check out the whole Panasonic range of rugged laptops here. 


Rugged Notebooks

Rugged Notebooks are also in the business of making rugged laptops and produce a model similar to the Panasonic Toughbook. 

Their machines are also tested and certified to MIL-STD-810F military standards in regards to dust and water ingress, their shock protected hard drive is able to take a 3 foot drop onto concrete or a 15G shock.

Their rugged laptops also come with an optional sunlight readable LCD screen and a touchscreen display set up. The unit weighs in at a lightweight 6.2 lbs. 

Check out the Rugged Notebooks site here, there are some videos on the site that would make the average laptop owner cringe. 

The major laptop manufacturers are now starting to integrate features such as magnesium cases, spill resistant keyboards and shock protected hard drives into their new models.

The rugged laptops featured on this page are not intended for the average user looking to buy a laptop, they are designed for a purpose market which specifically requires these sorts of crash proof systems for in the field applications and other hazardous and dirty environments.

This of course classifies them as a piece of specialist equipment, which in turn makes them more expensive than a normal notebook with the added cost of all the research and development that go into the special features of these machines. 

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Laptop Warranty Repairs

We'll give you an insight on how laptop warranty repair service works and sometimes doesn’t work for you and your laptop. The major vendors I have dealt with over the years all have their own ways of providing warranty service.

Most have found that warranty service is a too large a headache to shoulder themselves so they employ the services of authorized service centers, companies that offer to provide warranty services on behalf of the vendor for a small reimbursement per repair. 

The Vendor will generally provide some guidelines for the service center to operate under, some of guidelines are strict ones based around what they consider warranty repairs. I have found over the years that the perception the consumer has of warranty can differ from that of the vendors.

Software issues are a classic example, vendors do not warranty software and applications just because it was preinstalled on their hardware. Toshiba and IBM (Lenovo) for instance go to great pains to put stickers on several layers of packaging you have to cut through to get to your new beast that state that they do not guarantee the operation of the unit will be free of software problems, or words to that effect.

And yet customers continue to call vendors help desks complaining that a service centre they have been directed to for warranty service has advised them that charges will apply for software fixes for their 3 month old laptops, they are generally directed to the fine print that they would have seen whilst getting their new laptop out of the box.
If customers make enough noise about the issue the vendor will often call upon the service centre to have another look at the machine and advise what they find then often the vendor will reimburse the service centre for services to keep the customer happy. Be warned that you probably won't get this sort of service more than once, that particular service will be recorded by the vendors for future reference.

Warranty for these devices is for hardware defects and faults, bad sectors on your hard disk, USB ports that don’t work or laptops that simply won't switch on. You will have no problems getting these issues with your laptop fixed if you have all the requirements the vendor or service centre needs to log a laptop warranty repair claim.

However these requirements can be an issue if you the customer can’t provide model and serial number details from your laptop. This can happen if the serial number sticker has rubbed off or the sticker is damaged. These details can often be retrieved from the systems bios in these cases, a service centre that knows their stuff will be able to retrieve this for you with no fuss.

This may not be an option for you if you have had a mainboard replacement and the mainboard's BIOS hasn’t been updated with your model and serial number. Previous repair history is something that could get you out of this situation, get a physical record of service when you can.

Customers are mostly unaware of what goes on behind the scenes to provide warranty service. Laptop faults need to be verified, replacement parts ordered, parts need to be fitted and testing can often take longer than expected.

Verifying faults: Vendors often request that service centers perform a number of tests before processing warranty claims.

Warranty claim logging: Some of the vendors differ here considerably with systems they have in place for how service centers log warranty claims for replacement parts. Online systems like Toshiba’s TOPIC system clearly outshines others and is easy to use and full of relevant information files, drivers, bios updates, parts manuals and more.

IBM’s EClaim remote desktop system although practical is clearly behind the times, uploading of claims via data transfer is slow and old hat, limited in function and requires emails and phone calls to IBM to log claims.

HP have an online system called CSN which is good, but in my experience can sometimes be buggy and slow. CSN provides warranty processing and some other services.

Fujitsu also have an online system called HEAT, once again limited in comparison to TOPIC, but functional when it isn’t down. HEAT provides warranty claim processing and some other parts related services.

ACER also uses a remote system called Clarify, a good system full of functions for all warranty related parts and history information. It needs an upgrade or a move to an online web based system which would help Acers profile in the repair space when it comes to parts.

These systems can often let the service centers down by being cumbersome or slow and sometimes simply unavailable, of course this is not always the case. The volumes of repairs or issues troubleshooting an intermittent fault can also cause a problem which in turn results is a slow repair turnaround for you the customer. Parts that are unavailable from the vendors are another issue that frustrates service centre operators, preventing them from providing the service to deal with laptop warranty repair claims as quickly as they would like to.

How To Recover Your Laptop

Laptop recovery is slightly different than say a rebuild of a desktop PC. The software on your laptop is the same basic software you get with a new desktop computer but there are a few differences which separate it from the average PC. 

With every laptop you buy you will receive in some form a recovery image which is basically the manufacturers pre-installed, pre-tested and pre-proven software load that works specifically for the model machine you have. 

Don’t be fooled into thinking that if your Dell Latitude starts to blue screen that you can load your friends laptop recovery CD from his Toshiba M3 and all will be sweet.. that’s not how it works. 

For a number of reasons manufacturers create a preloaded software package which will generally include the following: 

Operating System, these days normally Windows Vista,Windows 7 something. 

Drivers to suit your laptops hardware ie; video, audio, network/modem and any other hardware that's specific to your laptop is generally supplied with the laptop as part of the vendors preload. 

Some hardware is generic and runs fine with native drivers found within Windows already. Devices like hard drives, floppy drives, CD and DVD ROM drives are generally detected and functional without loading any specific drivers. 

If you do a generic Windows install (clean Windows install) as part of your laptop recovery, although most devices will work you may find that they don't have full functionality. 

For example battery life may be limited without the manufacturer supplied power management utility. Most vendors have custom utilities which utilise the hardware supplied with the laptop, these should always be loaded as a rule. 

In fact if you have a problem with your laptop and you call the vendors support line they will more often than not ask you to run the product recovery software (either from the supplied laptop recovery CD’s or from a hidden partition on the hard disk) to rule out your problem being a software issue, which isn’t generally covered under the manufacturers warranty. 

If you call for support and you don’t have the vendors software loaded (if you have wiped the machine and just reinstalled Windows) you may not get assistance until you reload the vendors software. 

If you find yourself in this situation refer to the manufacturers website, normally they will have a support or download page which will contain all the drivers and utilities you will need. 

Using your laptop recovery CD in the event of a system crash can make the rebuilding of your machine a whole lot less painful. 

Where To Get Your Prostar Laptop Parts

Instead of chasing all over the net for your Prostar Laptop parts, use our list of links to find the part you need and compare prices. Most of the vendors we've researched do international shipping but it always pays to double check that they can ship to your area.

Always check the terms and conditions for each supplier, follow our guidelines below.

- Check whether you'll be charged a restocking fee if you have to return a part. This may be a flat fee or a percentage of the purchase price of the item.

- Don't discard the packaging for your repair part, you may need it if you have to organise a return or exchange.

- Enquire about who has to pay any shipping or freight charges on parts exchanges or returns.

- The supplier usually won't be held liable for any damages caused by improper use, handling, storage or what they deem to be 'unauthorised repair'. This is pretty normal but bear in mind that if you're doing your repair work at home you'll fall into the category of unauthorised repairer.

- Check the warranty terms on parts, usually 90 days.

These are just a few things to be aware of, also note that laptop machines made in different parts of the world may vary internally even though the model name or number is the same.

Net Resources For Toshiba Laptop Parts And Acer Laptop Parts

If you're looking for Toshiba laptop parts and Acer laptop parts save yourself your some time and use our list of links at the bottom of this page. Find the parts you need and compare prices between suppliers. 

Most of the vendors we have listed do international shipping but double check that they can ship to your location. 

Also be aware of the following terms and conditions that apply to most laptop repair parts suppliers. 

- Ask if there is a charge or fee for restocking if you have to return a part. Check how long you have to return a part if you order the wrong one. 

- Keep the original packaging that it's supplied in just in case you have to return it. 

- Do you have to pay any charges for freight etc. if you return a part? 

- The supplier will probably not be held liable for any damages caused by incorrect use, handling storage or unauthorised repair. This is pretty standard but take note that any home repair will be deemed 'unauthorised'.

- Find out what warranty is available on parts. 

Keep these points in mind and also be aware that Toshiba laptop parts for the same machine can vary from country to country. This also applies to Acer laptop parts and most manufacturers. 

Fujitsu And Dell Laptop Parts Resources And Links

Trying to source Fujitsu and Dell laptop parts on the net can be a frustrating affair, we've done some research and have arranged the links and resources you need at the bottom of this page.

Compare prices for your parts before you order and double check that the vendor can ship to your location.

Vendors will have a warranty and returns policy, be familiar with it just in case you order the wrong part. Check the main points to be mindful of below.

- If you return a part, you may be charged. This will be a set fee or a percentage of the purchase price. Be sure to keep the original packaging so you can use if you do need to send the part back.

- Check to see if there's a time limit on how long you have to return parts.

- Find out who has to pick up any shipping or freight charges if you want to return or exchange an item.

- The vendor is usually not responsible for damage or defects on parts caused by improperstorage or handling, or by unauthorised repairers. This is not unreasonable but if you're doing your own repairs then this means you, it pays to be extra careful.

- What is the warranty period on parts?

If you heed these guidelines then you shouldn't have too many problems with returning or exchanging parts.

HP And Compaq Laptop Repair Parts

Finding compaq laptop repair parts and HP laptop parts can be difficult so we have done some of the searching for you. Use the links at the bottom of the page to compare prices for the parts you need. 

Please also check if the supplier you choose can ship the part to your location before you order. 

Check the returns policy and warranty terms for the supplier before you order, this will make things easier if you order the wrong part. 

We've outlined the main points to be mindful of below. 

- Find out if the parts supplier charges a fee if you return a part. They may call it a 'restocking' fee and can charge a percentage or a flat fee. 

- Is there a time limit on returning a part? 

- Who picks up the freight and shipping charges for a return or exchange? 

- The vendor will usually say they're not responsible for any damage or defects caused by improper handling, storage or unauthorised repair. This is fair enough, after all they can't control what you do with a part once you receive it but if you're doing your own repair at home then you aren't an authorised repairer and you'll be responsible if you damage a part by doing the wrong thing. 

If you ensure you can work within these requirements then you should be ok. 

How To Backup Laptop Data And Create An SOE

Before we go into the easiest way to backup your laptop data, I'll first cover what is an SOE. In the corporate world IT or IS departments create what they refer to as a Standard Operating Environment (SOE) which enables them to service and support an environment which doesn’t differ too much from user to user. 

This can save a huge amount of time and money in support when they can solve a lot of issues users are having without going to great lengths to diagnose them. 

To put things in perspective, lets say a company has 300 users all with computers on their desk. The company will generally try and fit everybody with the same machine whether it be a desktop or laptop, all running the same applications, network settings etc. This enables the IS or IT dept to create an SOE which is good for their entire fleet. It would be tested in their own environment and customised to perform all the functions required for day to day business, of course there will be some variations to suit users individual needs. 

If at any time a users computer fails or has a problem, a replacement computer can be given to the user with limited interruption to their work while in the meantime the issues with the machine can be resolved. 

This also enables the IT or IS dept to be familiar with one standard environment and not 300 different systems all with different hardware and software. 

How can this work for you at home??
When you get a new computer or you wipe your old one and rebuild it you can first backup your laptop data and then create a basic SOE which you can save in the event of a problem which can be reloaded to get you back up and running in a third of the time it would take you to rebuild it from scratch. 

Here’s an example of a basic SOE: 

-Windows or Linux operating system.
-Drivers for all your hardware.
-Office applications.
-Third party applications you use, ie Ad Aware, DAP, Adobe apps, Nero etc.
-You would also set up your internet connection and email settings. 

You would get the machine to a point where it is functional for day to day use. Try to refrain from loading anything unnecessary like games until you have created the basic SOE. 

A good base for such an SOE is to create your own on top of what has already been supplied by the manufacturer of the machine. A lot of the work will have already been done by the vendor. For example, the machine comes already setup with the operating system and machine specific drivers and utilities. 

Once you have the machine running the way you like it, you need to create an image file. This is done by using software like Ghost (by Symantec), Drive image, True Image, Acronis True Image or the like. These software packages are made to be quite simple. The image can be stored on DVD (recommended) or on a backup partition on the hard drive, this is only possible if your drive has already been partitioned in this way. If not then another software package like “Partition Magic” may be required. 

I suggest for example if you have a 20GB drive then you can split the drive into two 10GB halves, installing all your software on the C:/ partition and using the D:/ to backup your laptop data. This is to safeguard your image if the Operating System becomes corrupt. Keep the second partition for saving your backup laptop data files and your SOE image. In all cases I recommend you keep copies of the image on DVD as well as on your hard drive, but that’s just me.. 

Job done, now in the event of you getting a nasty virus or your hard disk crashing, you have complete snapshot image of your system which includes all your backup laptop data files as well. Depending on what laptop backup software you used to create the actual image file will affect how it is reloaded back onto your system. For example, if you have used Ghost you can use a Ghost boot disc (floppy) to boot your machine giving you access to the DVDROM or you may be able to create a bootable CD. 

Important Note: You need to create a boot floppy or CD using the application you have chosen to create the image with, it's best to do this when you create the SOE image. The application you have chosen will have this function built in. 

Your image can then be reloaded back onto your hard drive using the boot floppy or CD, whichever you've created. 

Note: You cannot load an image on the same drive it's stored on. So if you have your SOE image stored on your C: and you try and restore it back onto your C: it will fail, this is the importance of having the image file (SOE) on another partition or DVD disc as Ghost and other apps. enable you to image Partition to Partition and DVD to Partition. Your backup laptop data files should also be stored on this partition. 

For more info on image backup and restore procedures you should refer to the backup software manufacturer's website. 

By having a laptop backup procedure, creating an SOE and making sure you regularly backup your laptop data, restoring your machine after a hard drive crash or virus infection can be done with a minimum of fuss and machine downtime. 

Laptop Repair Parts Links And Resources

Just a little bit of info when sourcing laptop repair parts -

Be careful when attempting to do any sort of part replacement in your laptop that involves purchasing any model specific parts, i.e. any PCB replacement big or small. Because of subtle differences between models sold in different parts of the world not all internal parts are the same even if your model name or number is.

It's best to consult a technician who is familiar with the brand of notebook you have, do this by starting with the manufacturer's recommended or authorised repairers.

Below is a list of links for parts for some of the major notebook and laptop computer manufacturers. Use these links to track down repair parts and to compare prices between suppliers. 

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Links and resources for Compaq and HP laptop repair parts 

Links and resources for Dell and Fujitsu laptop parts 

Links and resources for Acer and Toshiba laptop parts 

Links and resources for Prostar laptop parts 

How To Select Your Boot Drive

You may need to select your boot drive if you're reformatting your machine or for a variety of other reasons, we're also commonly asked for info on how to boot up from a CD drive.The process is relatively straightforward, we're dealing with a Toshiba machine below but the procedure is very similar for most laptops and desktop machines.

You'll commonly hear about a boot order or boot priority, what this refers to is the sequence that your bios looks for from your bootable devices ie. CD ROMs, floppy drives, USB drives, hard drives and even SD cards.

If you want to boot from some of these devices you will need to ensure first of all they are installed with a bootable area and you'll need to create a boot disc. 

Creating an MS-DOS start up disc from within Windows

The MS-DOS startup disk you create will allow you to disk into MS-DOS.

1. Insert a floppy disk into your computer's floppy drive.
2. Open My Computer, and then click the floppy disk drive to select it.
3. On the File menu, point to the name of the floppy drive, and then click Format.
4. Under Format options, click Create an MS-DOS startup disk.
5. Click Start.

Note: Creating an MS-Dos start up disc will erase any information on the disc and will only allow the system to boot into an MS-DOS prompt. The disc won't contain any additional tools.

DOS Tips

In order to select your boot drive you will need a basic knowledge of DOS commands, the information below is from the Windows Help system. Type 'DOS commands' into the search window in Windows Help and you'll get all the information you need to operate within the command prompt or DOS environment.

Changing the default drive

To change the default drive, simply type the letter of the your choice. The new default will be listed in subsequent DOS prompts. 

Example:

• C> A: [enter]
• Changes the default drive from C to A
• A> C: [enter]
• Changes the default drive from A to C

[enter] means that you must press the Enter Key before the format command will execute. [Enter] is required after any DOS command, it is assumed in all commands found below. 

CHDIR (CD) Change Directory Command

Once you have located the directory you want, you may move from directory to directory using the CD command (change directory).
(we've written the word 'backslash' here because the character doesn't always display properly in web browsers, use the actual symbol in your commands)

Example:

• C> cd furniture
• Moves you to the directory called 'FURNITURE'
• C> cd backslashfurniturebackslashchairs
• Moves you to the directory called 'CHAIRS' under the directory called 'FURNITURE'
• C> cd ..
• Moves you up one level in the path
• C> cd backslash
• Takes you back to the root directory (c: in this case)

How To Remove And Replace Your Laptop Hard Drive

This is a photo guide to assist you to remove and replace your laptop hard drive. In the photos here we are working on a current model Toshiba but the procedure will be similar on most laptops.

Firstly, locate the hard drive bay and remove the cover screw.

Remove the bay cover to reveal the HDD.

Gently disconnect the hard disk from its connector as shown.

Check to ensure the connector pins haven't been bent, if they have carefully bend them back into line with a small flat bladed screwdriver.

Remove the 4 screws from the harddrive bracket and take out the drive.

To replace your laptop hard drive simply reverse the steps shown above. 

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