Toshiba M30 display fault

[surfersaiyan]

I'm trying to fix a Toshiba M30 for a friend.. he he

I have looked around a bit and cant really find anything similar to this problem. It has a kinda mixed up mish mash on the display but you can just about see some stuff to navigate around a little

I have reseated the display plugs at both ends with no joy. I dont have another monitor to try but as soon as I have access to one, I will. If anyone has a sec to see what you think..

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t8/surfersaiyan/080721_111316.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t8/surfersaiyan/080721_111340.jpg

cheers, surfersaiyan.
OS that you can see is backtrack.

 

[raybay]

The Toshiba has a history of trouble with the inverter. Available on eBay for about $20,,, 18 screws later, it will probably work just fine... Retest in SAFE MODE to see if you get any faint images in low resolution on the screen... or connect another monitor to the port in back. If no monitor there, it may be the system board.

 

[surfersaiyan]

thanks again raybay.. I have heard about the inverter problems. so, you think the inverter would produce the type of display error as shown in the pics?

i am gonna try another monitor with it since its pretty simple to do so, but if you're reasonably sure that the inverter produces such a fault, its good enough for me.

 

[raybay]

The inverter's job is to invert the negative image into a positive image for amplifying to the screen. There isn't much electrical power involved but more of an inmage reversal and clarifying process.
But when it begins to fail any of a number of weird things happen. I have obtained the inverter you need on eBay for as little as $12 plus shipping. It isn't difficult to install, but you need a good quality #1 and #2 philips screwdriver, and something with a small flat blade to pry up rubberized screwhole covers. All together, on that model there are 18 screws to be removed and replaced... but no fancy adjustments. The inverter is about the size of a ball point pen, and has plugs and sockets that insert to fit.
For that small amount of money, it is cheaper than taking it to a tech station for $145 to $185.

Other things that it could be are fixable at the same time... unplug and reinsert all the ribbon cables and other wiring... because if it is no the inverter, it is usually a cable that has come loose... But it can be a defective screen that will cost you about $179 to $239 plus shipping.
Of course I am only guessing, but we fix a lot of Toshiba's in our shop...

Good luck. Please let us know what you have done, and what the resolution turned out to be.

 

[surfersaiyan]

FINALLY.. got it connected to an external monitor. same. so in that case i'm guessing its something more serious than an inverter and something i dont really wanna get involved with!!

 

[raybay]

Ah, too bad, but maybe only a cpu fan, hard drive, power adapter, or something else simple and relatively inexpensive.

Please let us know how it all turns out.

 

[surfersaiyan]

REALLY?? those small-ish things could create this havoc? well, for starters when she handed me the laptop to look at "..it doesnt work.." she said, it didnt have a hard drive in it!

"this could be your problem" said I, and promptly installed one of mine with XP & BackTrack dual boot on it. screen issue is same whichever OS is booted. so, i'd say its not the hard drive.

I was surprised to hear 'cpu fan' and 'power adapter' and if you have a couple of words on how that might be the issue then I'd be happy to hear them.

Otherwise, unless she just says "ah, stuff it, throw it away" i'm not really prepared to start tearing it down.. but if she does say that.. game on!

 

[raybay]

In that Toshiba, If the fan is damaged, worn, or on a wobbly spindle, the computer won 't boot due to the Toshiba safety factor... nor will it work if the cooling channels are full of pet hair, lint, and dust... or if the CMOS battery has failed.
Look for signs of water, cola, or coffee damage, as well.
Power adapters (the brick between the computer and the wall) fail often enough... as do the socket on the computer into which the power adapter plugs.
Also, if a memory module is bad, it won't boot.
Any beeps heard? If so, it could be memory of video graphics.

 

[surfersaiyan]

thanx heaps for the tips. it boots just fine. just the wierd stuff on the screen as you can see in the pics.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...721_111316.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...721_111340.jpg

i'll pop the keyboard off for a prelim. look for fluid ingress and take it from there.