HELP - black screen T61 - win works nomal????

[Maden]

Hi all,

I have a T61 WinXP and suddenly my screen went black - I mean COMPLETELY! Not even the start screen comes up anymore! Window starts up normal (I can hear the sounds, and use hotkeys). The thing is that I really need this one file that is on the hard disc - and I need it tomorrow. I think I know the path of it.

Do you have any ideas how I can copy my harddrive or this file???????? It is of utmost importance to me!!!!!!!!
I tried knoppix, but same thing, just a black screen. I think it is a [censored] up nvidia 140M driver that crashes quite often GRRRR. but now its really game over

Please help me

Greetz

[GomJabbar]

You should be able to plug in an external monitor and see your display there.

Sounds like your display backlight failed. Could also be the inverter that powers the backlight, or a stuck display lid switch. I have had two backlights fail on me on my T42s.

IMO, the easiest solution if you are out of warranty is to buy a used display lid complete for your model ThinkPad. Ebay is a likely source. It is easier to replace the lid than just the display inside. You can refer to the Hardware Maintenance Manual for your model ThinkPad for the procedure.

[Maden]

I dont think its the backlight. When it is "on" I can see how it gets lighter on the screen...
I just really need the data.
I took out the HD
I have also an 3.5" external HD at home - would it be compatible with my 2.5" laptop HD - both are SATA? Or would I kill my laptop HD by doing that?

[Maden]

I dont think its the backlight. When it is "on" I can see how it gets lighter on the screen...
I just really need the data.
I took out the HD
I have also an 3.5" external HD at home - would it be compatible with my 2.5" laptop HD - both are SATA? Or would I kill my laptop HD by doing that?

I just opened up my external SATA and connected my laptop HD to it and I could retrieve my data, but the computer is still broken...
at least I got my data

[yak]

Yes, both 2.5" and 3.5" SATA hard drives use the same SATA standard so you can freely connect your laptop hard drive to the external 3.5" hard drive enclosure.

As for the screen, do you see the ThinkPad logo when you turn on the computer?

If not, does the backlight work? I mean, does the screen look any different compared to when the computer is turned off?

If only the backlight is broken, you should be able to see the image, it will just be very, very dark. Take a closer look.