A31p screen blank but external display works

[ramcelroy]

I have an A31p that has a blank screen. When I connect it to an external monitor it works fine.

Does anyone know any test I could perform to see if the LCD panel is the problem?

Thanks in advance,
Bob

[ScottWitte]

I'm sure you've tried this, but have you pressed Fn <F7> to make sure you aren't in some presentation mode?

If you are running in dual monitor mode have you checked (via display properties) that the external isn't primary and the laptop screen disabled?

[Spimoles]

Have you dropped the laptop recently? It could be the the ribbon cable has simply come ajar.

[mitchellst]

Your test was plugging it into the external monitor. It's either your LCD or the connecting cable has come disconnected or partially disconnected. I'd check the cable first, but be warned, thinkpad LCDs aren't much fun to mess around in.

[k2jsv]

If it's the LCD connection to the MoBo all you have to do is pop the keyboard and the connector is about an inch and a half in from the back of the computer. Make sure it's lined up and then reseat the connector.

[charlienyc]

funny i found the forum while trying to solve a similar (if not exact) problem as this thread with my A31p. i took it on a trip last week and the built in screen was completely blank upon startup. [side note: not sure how XP knew, but it ran the MS speech program, verbally telling me everything that was on the screen. how did it know ] i let it boot up completely, used my quick keys Win+U, U to shut down and tried it all again and again to no avail.

well i had an old 15" CRT on hand and had to know if the problem was the video card or the laptop screen. it came right up on the old clunker. now i knew that with my external LCD at home, i had at least a true "desktop replacement" system! isn't that what the A series was billed as?

back home, after reading some posts here, i figured it wouldn't hurt to push down near the back of the bottom half of the notebook (i.e. behind the power button). voila! oh yeah, two more hints that it was a hardware problem: 1) there's always been a crack in the bottom left corner of the screen bezel that causes things to be a bit loose and 2) it wouldn't go into standby when i closed the lid. who knows how long i would have looked for software solutions had the 2nd clue not been present!

another problem (maybe) fixed?
now that i'm 'hooked up' here on the board, i downloaded Omega drivers to coax the ATI Radeon 7500 card that seems to be the cause of many o' blue screens of death lately. i had five crashes yesterday in about an hour. now, dare i say it, i haven't had any. just to be on the safe side, i'm ordering some Artic Silver to keep the puppy cool.

just wanted to share my experiences, as it looks like a lot of us are in the same boat! while i'm at it, i have a question for the resident experts: around what temp should the CPU be running? using Mobile Meter, i saw mine go up to 67 C recently. too hot? oh and where can i get the little black screws that hold the screen hinges in? just need one

cheers,
-c

p.s. i promise to not be so verbose in the future- thanks for reading!

[sausage888]

My SL6K5 CPU runs about 38C to 43C.

[charlienyc]

now that i'm 'hooked up' here on the board, i downloaded Omega drivers to coax the ATI Radeon 7500 card that seems to be the cause of many o' blue screens of death lately. i had five crashes yesterday in about an hour.

just an update: the Omega drivers have saved me! no more crashes... i'm so happy