Laptop screen repair - easy or hard?

[rainbow_roo]

So I have a really great lil' laptop that I haven't been able to use for awhile due to a cracked screen. The screen works - but all the cracks in it distort the image and make it essentially not functional

Comments

[mr_silvers]

In broad terms, it's okay to replace the screen. They are normally made to unscrew, unplug, and fall out.

Whether it is easy or somewhat difficult depends on the make and model. Some are simple, while others are like trying to open a Japanese Puzzle box. If at all possible see if anyone has rudimentary assembly drawings of the laptop for reference. They are not absolutely needed, but make things less of a "oh wow, so THAT's what was holding that in place" and more of "okay, got all the screws out."

It is definitely not beyond the skill of anyone who has tinkered with PC cards, CPU's and RAM chips. Things are just smaller and slightly more fragile.

[athauglas]

I can't remember exactly why I put you on my watch list, but today's the day I say hello :}

Replacing the panel is trivial compared to getting the correct replacement for a sensible price. IBM/Lenovo makes it easy, providing service manuals and complete parts lists, but others may not do this. You may find the cost for the panel is much too high to be worthwhile, but once you know exactly what you need, you can hunt for deals.

The only difficult part is avoiding stress on the signal cable, and sometimes speaker, keyboard, and wireless radio wires that might have to be disconnected. Work slowly, have the right tools on hand, and stay organized as you disassemble it, and you will have no trouble.

[the_brad]

agree with this, but make sure you buy a good #0 philips screwdriver.

also, ebay is often a good place to get a replacement screen, so long as you get the same model #

[bluedeer]

Replacing a laptop LCD is generally one of the easiest repairs you can do. The price of an LCD is often an issue, they can be quite pricy, but for the most part, replacing it involves simply removing the bezel (the plastic frame) from the front of the LCD, undoing a few screws (typically four to six) and unplugging one or two cables. Most LCD's have a ribbon cable that often runs along the back or side, and another for the inverter that provides power for the backlight. Once you have the bezel removed, the rest of it should be pretty self-evident. Just be careful when you're removing it that you don't gouge or flex your new screen too much, and you need to make sure they're made for that particular machine. LCD's are not all interchangeable, and many of them have custom connectors and such on them, that one from one model may not necessarily fit a different model even if they're similar, but all LCD's from the same model will fit another.

[jerkstorereject]

If you make even one small mistake it WILL explode and kill you.

[pouchedfox]

replacing it isn't a big deal, but the cost of the lcd usually is the ugly part.