A31 SILVER SCREEN

[Argonaught]

When I powered up my backup A31 the normal wirrrrs and bleeps etc. sounded off, the right pilot lights come on, ie HDD and POWER but the screen is lit up silver.. no IBM logo nothing.. just bright silver..or gray.. Anyone else experienced this and is it expensive to fix?

Byron

[rkawakami]

Sounds like there's a problem with the video signals getting to the display. If all you see is a brightly lit screen and moving the lid around doesn't make it better, then there's a few places where you may be able to fix this without spending any money:

- re-seat the LCD ribbon cable connector where it plugs into the motherboard
- re-seat the LCD ribbon cable connector where it plugs into the back of the LCD panel

You will need the Hardware Maintenance Manual for the disassembly instructions:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-39796

Another possibility is that there's a break in the LCD ribbon cable. However, given that this is an A31, the most likely cause is that you may be having a problem with a loose graphics chip (GPU) on the motherboard. Connecting an external monitor to the VGA port on the system may not help pinpoint the problem as sometimes it is possible with a loose chip to be getting a good display out the external video port while the LCD is "broken". The general solution to this type of problem is to reflow (heat up) the motherboard so that the solder underneath the graphics chip is melted to re-form the electrical connections. That type of service can run around US$75-$100, assuming that you have to ship the laptop out to get this work done.

[Argonaught]

I'll give that a shot as soon as I have some time to pull out a stand alone monitor

Thanks Ray

[ajkula66]

I hate to disagree with Ray, but I'd say that this is not related to GPU.

Whenever I've seen this on a ThinkPad (never on an A3x mind you) it was a bad video cable, or the LCD itself, former much more often than latter.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[rkawakami]

Well, just to CMA, I did suggest that the problem might be in the cable (but did not explicitly say to try replacing it first; my bad). George is probably right about the odds being something that is not the GPU; he has a lot more experience with the A3x systems than I do. I will say that a T23 of mine has a similar problem with a "white" screen, albeit temporary. If I flex the lid or move it back and forth, the problem goes away. I've attributed it to a loose or broken LCD ribbon cable but I'm too lazy to go in and fix it .

[Argonaught]

Ok tested it on an monitor at work.. YUP its not the GPU, so its gotta be the cable...I'll get around to replacing it, thanks guys

[rkawakami]

And another CMA post .... Just because there's no problem with the external VGA port, it doesn't necessarily mean that the GPU is defect-free. In some cases, you can have video issues (e.g., a loose GPU) with the laptop's LCD screen and yet the signal coming out the VGA port is fine. Those are two different signal paths (digital for LCD, analog for VGA port) and one can show problems while the other is perfect. Checking the external video signal is more of a "if it's bad too, then the problem is most likely the GPU". If, however, the VGA port is good, then the diagnosis is still incomplete.

[Argonaught]

CMA?

[rkawakami]

Cover my *ss.