Thinkpads Forum

I recently purchased a second-hand X200. When the machine arrived, I gave it a clean with a slightly damp cloth, as I have done with my other ThinkPads many times.

Unfortunately, once I was done, I noticed some scratches on the screen. In one place, where I had to rub a little harder to remove some dirt, the screen looked like this (ignore the small white marks, they're just dust):



Have I rubbed off a coating which was on the screen? Do some ThinkPad screens have a coating that a damp cloth can scratch with light pressure and remove with moderate pressure?

Maybe you were a bit over zealous with the cleaning. How is the screen when it is lit especially on a white background?

The marks are harder to see when the screen is lit - they are most obvious when it is off and viewed from a fairly shallow angle, as above.

Assuming that this is damage to a screen coating, I'm just amazed that:

1. The coating is so fragile it can be damaged by a damp cloth, and
2. Such a fragile coating survived with no damage for the 7 years since manufacture

Has anybody else damaged a screen in this way using only a damp cloth? Would I be better off not cleaning ThinkPad screens at all, for fear of this sort of damage?

What sort of a cloth were you using? Some are more abrasive than others.

Scotch-Brite™ High Performance Cloth, a microfibre cloth which specifically says it is OK to use on computer monitors.

I would maybe carefully clean again. Maybe the previous owner applied a protective coating.

You don't have much to lose really. Is the texture sticky of the scratched or unscratched screen?

The coating on the screen looks stock, so I don't think the previous owner modified it.

It may be possible that the cloth picked up some hard particles and ended up scratching the screen as it moved over it. On the other hand, there are pretty distinct patterns in the scratch lines, so it may just be a more abrasive cloth.

Might there have been some contamination on the cloth that reacted with the coating? I've never seen this kind of thing before with a Thinkpad. I wonder if it's done kind of coating that was applied by someone else.

Whenever I get some small surface scratches on screens, I put a dab of isopropryl alcohol and a dab of water onto a rag and try to rub it away.
Usually up and down and left and right, then circular movements.

I think the previous environment might of had something abrasive which gave it that weird coating?
Not too sure, haven't seen something like that though.

What make and model is the screen?

Are they scratches or markes? Can you feel them with your finger tip? Do the marks clean off, say with water and rubbing alchohol (be gentle!)?

jaspen-meyer wrote:What make and model is the screen?

It is an AUO B121EW09 V3.

jaspen-meyer wrote:Are they scratches or marks?

Cleaning the screen has definitely left rubbed something off it rather than deposited something onto it. Perhaps some form of anti-fingerprint coating - the display does now seem to get dirty very easily.

TankPad wrote:Might there have been some contamination on the cloth that reacted with the coating?

I have tried other cloths to rule out contamination - whatever I use, some of the coating comes off.

TankPad wrote:I've never seen this kind of thing before with a Thinkpad.

Saucey wrote:haven't seen something like that though.

There is obviously something strange going on with this particular screen. Rather than leave it with patches of coating missing, I have gone ahead and rubbed the coating off the entire display. It is no longer obvious that anything unusual has happened.

So, the condition of this screen is once again acceptable. Also, given that nobody else has seen this problem, I won't worry (too much) about this happening with another screen in future.

Most likely you just removed the anti-glare surface treatment, probably giving you a brighter screen.
It might also have turned a little glossy.

bakery2k wrote: So, the condition of this screen is once again acceptable. Also, given that nobody else has seen this problem, I won't worry (too much) about this happening with another screen in future.

So long as it looks ok now eh.
I've cleaned ThinkPad screens with all manor of cloths and I usually use IPA or alcohol wipes, yet have never seen anything like this before so I wouldn't worry too much.