Monitor Problems

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sausage · #1 Post by **sausage** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:15 pm

so my computer (for which I have a reputation of having very odd and annoying problems) has run into another one. there are green bars vertically down the entire monitor that are 1 pixel wide with 1 pixel of normal color in between. There are no performance issues and this problem is at all times the monitor is on, (thinkpad logo, startup password, grub, windows, and linux) and it is also split, with the top of the monitor on both the top and the bottom, separated by a thin black bar.

I can post pictures either monday night or tuesday afternoon, I am in Minnesota for the weekend visiting family and the T60 only has one usb port working, and I no longer have the palm rest for the mouse touchpad. Before you ask, my brother found it in the couch (lost the screws for it while taking it apart and didn't feel like putting it somewhere safe) and tore it to pieces. So I need the mouse.

I am trying to diagnose if this is a monitor, cable, or motherboard problem and try to figure out what I can do to compensate/completely fix the issue without replacing the laptop.

hunterman223 · #2 Post by **hunterman223** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:45 pm

Sounds like a southbridge failure to me, with the problems you are having. No much you can do there, most likely a new motherboard is needed.

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sausage · #3 Post by **sausage** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:55 pm

do you mind explaining what the southbridge is and how it could have failed?

EDIT: ok, a friend explained the southbridge to me and we have concluded that it's not the southbridge because usb works (the top port has been broken for years, I somehow pulled out part of it while removing a flash drive) and so does the sata hard drive, however it is possible that I damaged it a few months ago (I was having serious mobo issues earlier that nearly fried my HDD) and something else caused it to die over night, it was working just fine yesterday.

hunterman223 · #4 Post by **hunterman223** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 5:37 pm

If USB works then its just the video? Either the LCD cable, the LCD itself (unlikely) or the GPU. Which videocard do you have?

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sausage · #5 Post by **sausage** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 5:43 pm

The GPU is very possible, i'm fairly certain it's not the cable.

I have the standard T60 card, an X1440 Mobility iirc, and it's been giving fan errors intermittently for the past 2 years (I take it apart, spray it out and it works again) and it is never colder than 45C after turning on and reaches an excess of 105C before crashing if I have it run at full speed under load for too long, however I try to keep it underclocked to avoid that, but it still hits an upwards of 95C. I could fool around with the card if it would help at all.

hunterman223 · #6 Post by **hunterman223** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 5:57 pm

That definitely sounds like the GPU failing. Those temperatures are way high which could be the what is causing "fan error" (system thinks something is wrong with the fan because of high temperatures). You will most likely need he motherboard replaced, there Isn't much else you can do for a GPU failure. Try hooking up to an external monitor and see if the lines are still there.

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sausage · #7 Post by **sausage** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 6:52 pm

Ok, I'll reply back on Monday night or Tuesday afternoon after I get home and find a spare monitor. Thanks for the help

EDIT: so, thinking that GPU failure would go along with graphical performance failure, I ran Sword of the stars: Born of Blood, which taxes my system pretty heavily, and lags during graphically heavy parts, but it ran just as well as normal. ideas?

hunterman223 · #8 Post by **hunterman223** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 7:19 pm

Not necessarily, but try reading the temperatures while you are stressing it.

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#9 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 7:46 pm

Wow, I don't think I've ever read a thread with quite as much mis-advice/information given ever since I've been here. The two vertical lines are due to bad column drivers in your LCD. You need a new one. You also need a new fan. High temps do not cause a fan error, but a bad fan does cause the error and high temps. Keep using the old fan and it will cook your system for good.

sausage · #10 Post by **sausage** » Sun May 01, 2011 12:02 am

Ok, Harryc. First before I start, I'm not bashing you in any way.

Don't call it misadvice, he doesn't know the problem, I don't know the problem, we were trying to figure it out, if that's not good then I don't know what is. Now that we think we know the problem we don't need any more "misadvice," so chill.

And don't say you've never seen a thread like this, you have over 12,000 posts, I guarantee you have seen more than 5 posts of said "misadvice" in your moderating career.

Moving on.

I've been using this same GPU for 3 years and it has ALWAYS done this, without fail. I benchmarked it a few weeks after getting it. From startup temp at around 50C to crashing took 2 minutes 27 seconds under full load, even before getting the fan errors. Plus it's stock so I figured it was normal and I've compensated for it by underlocking it.

Anyways, that's not the issue (so many people say it is, but if that kills my comp so be it, I've tried so many ways to fix it it's not even funny)

the point of the post was to fdiagnose the true problem, which you have done so eloquently, and what went wrong. So, if it truly is the LCD itself, what causes the "column drivers" to go bad (I have never heard of column drivers dying)/what should I have done differently to prevent that. I was using it yesterday for a good 5 hours, turned it off, unplugged it, put it in it's case and set it down flat next to my bed and went to a party. I woke up, hung out with the family for a little bit, opened it up and this happened. so, I ask again, what went wrong?

#11 Post by **Harryc** » Sun May 01, 2011 5:00 am

It is a failure at the bond between a column driver transistor and the LCD panel. Excessive flexing of the LCD may account for this failure 'sometimes'. Other than that I have no idea.

hunterman223 · #12 Post by **hunterman223** » Sun May 01, 2011 6:49 am

Thanks sausage. To see which one it is try hooking it up to an external monitor, which is why I suggested that. Lines on the monitor, GPU. No lines, monitor. Hopefully I have been more helpful than it may appear.

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sausage · #13 Post by **sausage** » Mon May 02, 2011 7:34 pm

So, yes, it is the LCD itself, and I found a replacement for 49.95 USD on Ebay. Thanks

Hunterman, you were indeed helpful

hunterman223 · #14 Post by **hunterman223** » Tue May 03, 2011 9:37 am

Wow, $49 for an LCD? Great deal.

Glad you got it sorted out.

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