Thinkpads Forum

IBM TP 2626-LNU 390x series

The Laptop boots fine into Windows 2000 Pro. I can see the boot process through an attached external monitor via vga output port.

The problem is when the system is turned on from cold boot, the LCD screen activates with just a clearish/white background color and nothing more. Stays solid and does not display the Windows boot information, no BIOS screen, no nada.

The screen appears to be in good shape, intact and connected to the laptop correctly. Any suggestions? Troubleshooting? Recommendations as to what could be causing this?

It has never been taken apart before.

Thanks.

I'm not 100% sure on this but if you are sure the cable's connected good, it could be a bad cable and/or bad inverter.

AlphaKilo470 wrote:I'm not 100% sure on this but if you are sure the cable's connected good, it could be a bad cable and/or bad inverter.

OK, thank you. I am pretty sure about the cable but can it be replaced? Is there any manual as to this operation if indeed it is the cable?

I have heard in the past that screens may get magnitized causing this problem. So a degauss must be perfomed so it can return the screen back to normal. Is this true? How can I perfom this procedure if it is possible?

LCD screens cannot get magnetized. Only CRTs can. Do not use a degausser anywhere near your ThinkPad.

If the display is white, your backlight and inverter are fine.

Either a cable came loose (which can happen in a machine over five years old), or cracked or the display panel has died.

The system board and video controller are fine, because you can see video on an external display.

Read this site's FAQs. They will tell you how to get the Hardware Maintenance Manual for your machine. It will tell you how to take it apart so you can check and re-seat your display cables. Take your time.

Thank you. I will pass this info on to the owner of the laptop. I was not able to see if the LCD was properely seated or not. I appreciate your help.