ThinkPad T430 - white screen on boot-up

[br1anstorm]

This is the first time I have encountered such a problem and I have no idea whether it is software or hardware related ... and as explained below, I can't easily provide the basic system info to help with troubleshooting.

I have a Lenovo T430 laptop which until today has been totally reliable. The "main" operating system is Linux Mint Debian Edition 5, in a dual-boot setup with Windows 10, and the laptop has an mSATA solid state drive installed in a spare slot which I use as a separate "Data" drive to keep all my personal files, documents etc. [EDIT: in fact I got this the wrong way round, so need to correct it. My Mint LMDE5 operating system is installed on the 256GB mSATA drive or "card" in the WWAN slot, the original hard drive has Windows 10 installed on it, and my Data is on a 1TB Samsung Evo 2.5 inch SSD which is in a caddy in the CD/DVD drive bay]

But I have to add that my technical expertise is very limited....

As of a week ago, everything was working perfectly. Both LMDE5 and Win10 were up to date, and I have not - in the past week or two - added or changed any software. I have not used the laptop for the past 4 or 5 days. I took it with me on a trip away from home but did not actually use it. It hasn't been dropped or damaged during that trip (it just remained in the boot of the car).

I've just got home, plugged in the AC power supply, and tried to boot up. The On-Off power button illuminates and the keyboard-light comes on - but the screen simply shows a completely white blank screen. No display of the usual ThinkPad initial screen, nor does it progress to the usual Linux boot screen (Grub) offering the choice of system-options for boot-up. After about 10-15 secs the screen briefly flickers to black, then immediately again goes completely white. And then - after about 10 minutes - the screen goes black (as if the laptop has gone into hibernation), and if I hit any key, the screen again goes bright white. Similarly if I shut the laptop lid, the screen goes black, but lights up completely white again when I open the lid.

The other step I have tried so far is to long-press the On/Off button to shut down the laptop, unplug the AC adapter and remove the battery for 20 secs, then replace battery, plug in AC adapter, and try again to boot. Made no difference: the bright white screen reappears and nothing else seems to be possible.

Hence I cannot boot up the computer into either of the operating systems, cannot log in, so cannot "get into" the laptop to try any of the basic terminal commands or copy/save files on to any other drive; and I don't have the expertise to know what other keys to press (like Ctrl-Alt-Del) or strategies to try.

I'm trying to be logical about this. Has the screen display failed somehow (usually a faulty screen doesn't light up, stays black or blue, or starts getting stripes or lines or goes a pale shade of pink)? Has something happened to the display-driver? Or is it some other kind of hardware problem? Perish the thought, but is it some kind of motherboard failure?

I do have a separate rather ancient monitor. I know it works as I have successfully used it with another laptop: it gives a 'duplicate' screen display. So I tried connecting that to the ThinkPad T430 via the VGA socket. I thought this might enable me to bypass the laptop screen and get a working display which would enable me to boot into the system and gain access to the computer and its data. But when I switch on the T430 with that monitor connected, the monitor simply displays a message saying "no signal detected" . This seems to suggest to me that it's not the T430 screen itself that has failed, nor the cable connection to the screen, as there is no signal or data to the VGA port either. Does that point to a different, or more serious problem causing the white screen?

Any guidance and advice would be appreciated. If there's a hardware fault I can perhaps cope with that, in the sense that I do have another - spare - laptop. But my personal data and important files .... and the backups I take on a roughly monthly basis ... are all on the SSD within the T430 whose screen has gone white. Recovering the data is, ultimately, what's really important; and at the moment I can't see how to get at the files and material on any of the drives installed in the T430. Without a screen display I can't see how to actually do anything with that computer.

[RealBlackStuff]

When you connect the external monitor, you need to press Fn/F7 together to change screens.
If that has no results, you may need to remove the keyboard to check if the LCD-connector is properly seated on the motherboard (see the T430 HMM, page 94, items 4 and 5).
Make sure to remove charger and battery before you open it up!
As for the SSD with your data, you should be able to take it out and put it in another laptop.

[br1anstorm]

Thanks @RealBlackStuff .... it's really good to have knowledgeable advice! I made a second attempt to plug in an external display monitor, and this time I followed your advice on Fn/F7. And hooray.... an active screen display appeared on the external monitor. The T430 laptop screen remains completely white.

So the good news is that - using this external screen - I am able to get into the system and, crucially, to access my "Data" drive and all the important files and documents therein. So I am, immediately, copying them all on to an external hard drive as backup/insurance.

The less-good news, I suppose is that this confirms that there's a hardware problem on the T430, but it only affects the laptop's own screen, not the VGA port. So I assume that narrows it down a bit. Am I right to think it's either a bad connection between computer and laptop-screen (as the screen gets power to illuminate it, but nothing is displayed); or that there is a problem with the graphics driver or some other part of the system?

I will try to do some exploring and checking once I have saved and backed up my personal files. Forgive the dumb question.... but where exactly do I find the T430 HMM (and what does HMM stand for)?

And - another separate question: the drive with my data on it is actually an mSATA SSD, which I fitted into what was - if I recall correctly - the WWAN or PCIe port inside the laptop. Can I physically remove that mSATA SSD, and either install it into another laptop in the same way (I have a couple of spare T430s Thinkpads, and an X240), or into some sort of external case or adaptor to connect via a USB cable? [EDIT: with apologies, as now noted in an edit to the original post, I got this wrong. The operating system is on the mSATA, and my Data is on an SSD in a caddy in the CD/DVD drive bay]

[axur-delmeria]

The mSATA SSD can be transferred to other laptops. I've done this a few times on my X220's.

There are USB 3.0 enclosures for mSATA SSDs, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/10GBPS-Enclosure ... 07BBLYXFL/. Also, the Samsung T5 external SSDs are actually mSATA SSDs inside an enclosure.

[br1anstorm]

Thank you, axur-delmeria , that is really useful information.

My first step is going to be to try to salvage my personal files and documents and copy them on to another - external - USB hard drive as a safeguard and backup.

In terms of transferring one - or more - of the actual drives in the faulty T430, I need to correct my earlier post. I got the drives the wrong way round. I have inserted an Edit comment in my earlier posts to explain the error. The 256gb mSATA drive or "card" in the WWAN slot has my main operating system installed (Linux Mint LMDE5). My "Data" partition is actually a 1TB Samsung EVO 2.5 inch SSD which sits in a caddy in what was the CD/DVD tray. It holds my personal files and documents, and also has a partition in which Linux Mint 19 is installed.

So in fact I think I will need to transfer that 1TB SSD with my data and Mint 19 into my likely replacement laptop - a ThinkPad X240 - rather than transferring the mSATA drive. But still, it's good to know that there is the option of putting that mSATA drive into a separate USB-connected external enclosure as in the link you provided.

[axur-delmeria]

The Thinkpad X240 supports M.2 SATA SSDs on the WWAN slot, but only the shorter 2242 size. None of the major brands cater to that particular niche-- Transcend is probably the most decent brand amongst the available choices.

Note: if you put your mSATA SSD in a USB enclosure, you can probably boot from the Linux Mint installed in it.

[RealBlackStuff]

The Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM) can be found via the HMM link at the top of each Forum page.
Start checking the LCD-cable.

It is a good idea though to make a backup of your data-drive.

Also, you should be able to transfer all your drives (main, Ultrabay and WWAN) into a T430s and continue there, AFAIK without having to reinstall.

The X240 has no Ultrabay, and neither has the docking station for X240, see this: https://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=112106
But X240 can take THREE drives, see this: https://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.p ... 05#p810005

[br1anstorm]

The Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM) can be found via the HMM link at the top of each Forum page.
Start checking the LCD-cable.

It is a good idea though to make a backup of your data-drive.

Also, you should be able to transfer all your drives (main, Ultrabay and WWAN) into a T430s and continue there, AFAIK without having to reinstall.

The X240 has no Ultrabay, and neither has the docking station for X240, see this: https://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=112106
But X240 can take THREE drives, see this: https://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.p ... 05#p810005

Thanks, RBS, for that advice. I've been studying the HMMs - very useful and almost better than Youtube as guides!

I have managed to back up (or rather copy) my personal data on to an external hard drive, so that's taken care of.

I've been looking at which other ThinkPad to use as a successor to the faulty T430. I happen to have three spare ones, all different models:

- X240 was initially my preference, mainly because the one I have has a nice IPS screen, and because it's thin and light. But the touchpad isn't great, and accessing the slot for mSATA is a bit of a chore.... internal battery etc .. and it has no optical drive bay to take an additional SSD;

- X230 was a possible. But access to the mSATA slot is a nightmare, needing removal of keyboard, palmrest etc. And it has no optical drive bay either;

- T430s has ended up being my best choice. Easy to install the mSATA in the WWAN slot under a simple cover on the under-side. It has an optical drive bay into which I can put the second ("data") SSD in a caddy. The laptop is almost as slim and light as the X models. And the keyboard, touchpad, screen etc are all user-friendly and familiar.

So that's the route I plan to take. I just hope that if I transfer the drives from the faulty-screen T430, I'll be able to boot and use them in the T430s without problems or fresh reinstalls.

Once I have that sorted, I'll have to do the disassembly and detective work on the T430 screen problem, as I'd like to get that back into action in due course since it is still such a good machine....

Thanks again for the advice, information and reassurance!

[kfzhu1229]

Thanks, RBS, for that advice. I've been studying the HMMs - very useful and almost better than Youtube as guides!

Yeah, check and reseat the LCD cable on both ends of the laptop. But remember to unplug BOTH the charger and the battery - or else you fry the motherboard instantly!
(how it works is that the main voltage is always on on the LCD cable and if you unplug the cable in a way that the ground pins come off first, data pins get ungrounded and send main voltage down to your graphics, killing at least the CPU)
Then additionally if the reseats don't work, check once you're into the OS on the external monitor that whether the internal LCD is detected inside the OS. If so, is the native resolution correct (1366x768 or 1600x900). If that's wrong your EDID data/clock pins can be broken, which results in the laptop sending the wrong native resolution to your LCD and the LCD cannot understand it (native resolution, not resolution scaling). In which case either a pure black or pure white screen can occur (or mirrored image).
Additionally it's also possible that the 3.3V LVDS power rail fuse is blown. If that fuse is blown, the backlight still works but nothing drives the LCD crystals themselves, and since your specific LCD is normally white (when there's no power the crystals display white), that's what you get.

[br1anstorm]

Thanks, kfzhu1229, for that very practical advice. I haven't yet embarked on the disassembly and checking of the faulty screen (that's the task for the weekend) - but the cable will be the first thing I check, and the reminder about unplugging the charger and battery is very wise.

Just a couple of simple questions on your other points. You said "... check once you're into the OS on the external monitor whether the internal LCD is detected inside the OS.". How exactly do I do that?

As described earlier, I can't get into either the Linux Mint Debian Edition OS which was my main OS, nor into Linux Mint. In each case after booting and entering the password, the external monitor just shows a Mint splash screen with no menu, no cursor, no action, no way to navigate. Effectively it's "frozen".

I can however get into Win10 which is also installed and see a normal display on the external monitor with menus, cursor etc all of which works so I can open files, and navigate. I have tried to explore the Display Settings from there.

When in Settings/Display/Rearrange your displays I click "Detect", it shows up two displays as rectangles. One (curiously labelled 1/2 and identified in the Multiple Displays/Advanced Display Settings as "Display 2: Wired Display") is clearly the external monitor plugged into the VGA port, whose properties are shown as 1024 x 768, refresh rate 60.004Hz , etc etc. The other rectangle is greyed out and has the words "Display not detected", and the scale/layout/resolution band orientation boxes are blank . Clicking to the Advanced Display settings for that, it is listed as "Display 1: Internal Display" with an information list that includes Desktop resolution 1024x768, Active signal resolution 1600x900, refresh rate 60.331Hz, etc.

Then.... interestingly ... if I go on to click 'Adapter properties' and then further on under the 'Generic non-PnP Monitor' tab which appears I click Properties again, it says the device is working properly. However, in the Events tab beside it, there are three entries, all dated 13/11/2023 16:06:41 (which is, I believe, probably the moment I switched the laptop on and first got the white screen). Those three entries are

Device started (monitor)
Device configured (monitor.inf)
Device not migrated

and in the Information box below that "Device DISPLAY\Default_Monitor\4&377fd03a&0&UID16843008 was not migrated due to partial or ambiguous match", followed by a further collection of details including 'Last Device Instance Id: DISPLAY and a string of letters and numbers, Class Guid with more letters and numbers , Migration Rank: 0xF000FFFF0000F100, Present: false, and Status:0xC0000719"

This is all double-Dutch to me. I can try to get a screenshot with all the detailed strings of letters and numbers if that is significant. But to my simple mind, the message that this Display Device [ie the laptop's internal screen] was not migrated must mean something and must indicate that something is wrong.

I wonder if that helps to narrow down the cause of the white screen on the laptop's internal LCD?

[kfzhu1229]

When in Settings/Display/Rearrange your displays I click "Detect", it shows up two displays as rectangles. One (curiously labelled 1/2 and identified in the Multiple Displays/Advanced Display Settings as "Display 2: Wired Display") is clearly the external monitor plugged into the VGA port, whose properties are shown as 1024 x 768, refresh rate 60.004Hz , etc etc. The other rectangle is greyed out and has the words "Display not detected", and the scale/layout/resolution band orientation boxes are blank . Clicking to the Advanced Display settings for that, it is listed as "Display 1: Internal Display" with an information list that includes Desktop resolution 1024x768, Active signal resolution 1600x900, refresh rate 60.331Hz, etc.

So for this part it says multiple displays with display 1/2 (i.e. both the external monitor and the internal monitor are supposedly displaying the same thing)? That would explain why internal display says desktop resolution 1024x768 and active resolution 1600x900. As long as the active resolution is correct theoretically the screen should display something (assuming 1600x900 screen is what's actually installed).
In this case it suggests to me that the 3.3V LVDS power rail is missing, and that your EDID and the backlight power are both working correctly. (If EDID is not detected properly your screen will not be detected as active resolution 1600x900)
You may need to look at the motherboard and first reseat the cables and then if that doesn't work, try to see if the fuses are blown. Try to find schematics and/or boardview and find where exactly the 3.3V LVDS power rail is going and which fuse is responsible for that. It is also possible that one such fuse can blow on the screen side as well but that's underneath the thin protective tape of the screen so check that last.
Again, no 3.3V LVDS power rail means the LCD crystals do absolutely nothing, which is just the same as the turned off state of the display but backlight on - hence white screen.

[br1anstorm]

Thanks kfzhu1229. I'm beginning to fear I'm getting into areas well above my pay-grade!

Looks as if you may have identified the problem. I'm now not sure I have the skill to fix it....

I haven't yet opened the laptop casing up and removed keyboard etc to make the first check - ie the cable connections. But just to respond to the points in your latest post.

Yes, I would assume/expect that the display info would show that the internal and external monitors are supposedly showing the same thing. That's what I have set up, essentially using the external monitor to replicate and reveal what ought to be on the internal screen which of course is completely white.

The external monitor is indeed 1024 x 768, and the internal laptop one 1600 x 900.

Evidently the backlight on the internal screen is working - hence the bright white when the machine is powered on. And the EDID (=detailed info) is being read and reported in the Settings.

By a process of deduction, if the cable connections are OK, this seems to leave the "3.3v LVDS power rail fuse" as the likely culprit. This would imply that just trying to replace the screen would be a waste of money and effort (as the power supply to a new screen would still be faulty/unavailable).

It looks as if it will be a tough challenge (a) to find a schematic/diagram which shows exactly where the power rail fuse is located; (b) to access its location - since even to look at the motherboard it seems necessary to dismantle the laptop almost totally; and (c) after getting that far, it seems that repair isn't just an unplug-and-replace-fuse - it looks as if soldering would be required. That takes us way beyond my limited comfort zone: with no experience or knowledge, I'd be groping in the dark with no assurance of success.

Which leads me in the direction of thinking - would it not be wiser, if the laptop is to be resurrected at all, to ask a skilled repair shop simply to replace the motherboard? There would be a cost: new motherboard and the time/labour charge to fit it. But I start to wonder if that isn't more sensible than having an ignorant amateur (=me) attempting a DIY fix?

[kfzhu1229]

Yes, I would assume/expect that the display info would show that the internal and external monitors are supposedly showing the same thing. That's what I have set up, essentially using the external monitor to replicate and reveal what ought to be on the internal screen which of course is completely white.
The external monitor is indeed 1024 x 768, and the internal laptop one 1600 x 900.
Evidently the backlight on the internal screen is working - hence the bright white when the machine is powered on. And the EDID (=detailed info) is being read and reported in the Settings.
By a process of deduction, if the cable connections are OK, this seems to leave the "3.3v LVDS power rail fuse" as the likely culprit. This would imply that just trying to replace the screen would be a waste of money and effort (as the power supply to a new screen would still be faulty/unavailable).

Yeah indeed that is what I am thinking currently. Although, the same thing can happen if that fuse on the screen side end up being the one blown instead, in which case replacing the screen would solve the problem, although totally unnecessary.

Which leads me in the direction of thinking - would it not be wiser, if the laptop is to be resurrected at all, to ask a skilled repair shop simply to replace the motherboard? There would be a cost: new motherboard and the time/labour charge to fit it. But I start to wonder if that isn't more sensible than having an ignorant amateur (=me) attempting a DIY fix?

Well you are of course going to have to fix this yourself. Worst comes to worst buy a 2nd T420 or T430 in much worse physical condition, even one with cracked screen will do. So that you can swap parts between them and isolate the problem for sure. beaten up T420/T430's are worth nothing nowadays anyway.
The soldering job on something like this is not that difficult, as the simplest fix only involves dumping a blob of solder on top of the fuse. That said I found my T520 mobo to be incredibly annoying to solder on and wicks away my soldering iron's heat so quickly.

[br1anstorm]

Well, a belated update which - I hope - brings this little story to a close. And I owe big thanks to @axurdelmeria, to @RealBlackStuff, and to @kfzhu1229 for all their wise advice.

It turned out that the problem, the explanation, and the solution - were all fairly simple.

Back in November I had to focus on shifting my data to another laptop in order to be able to continue operating. And I successfully transferred my SSD data drive and indeed my mSATA drive with the Linux Mint OS into my "spare" ThinkPad T430s.... and I continue to use that.

Eventually I got round to tackling the disassembly of the T430 with the screen problem. And - hooray - the first and obvious step revealed the problem. With the hardware maintenance manual to hand, I took a look at the cable-connection - under the keyboard - to the LCD screen. It appeared to be in place. But I noticed that the little metal plate which is supposed to hold the connector down into its socket, and should be held in place with a single screw, was missing!

[As I bought this ThinkPad as a used ex-business laptop, my guess is that at some time in the past it had been opened up for maintenance and the technician had lost, or simply failed to re-fit, this little postage-stamp-sized plate.]

So I re-seated the connector firmly..... and success: the computer booted up and the screen display appeared perfectly as normal!

I can only guess that some movement or little shock had slightly loosened the cable-connector such that it no longer made a proper connection to the screen.

Without the metal plate to hold the connector firmly in position, I have simply had to improvise by putting a small sponge-rubber pad over the connector and holding it down in place with insulating tape.

So it's all good to go again. And although we all did a bit of contingency thinking about the possible cause of the "white screen" - from a fault in the LCD to a failure of the 3V power rail fuse - I am relieved that it turned out to be simply a loose and easily-fixable connector.

But thanks again to all who offered advice. And I remain impressed by the fact that Thinkpads are built to enable even an amateur like me to troubleshoot and if necessary access and repair or replace some of the hardware.

[RealBlackStuff]

You should be able to make such a cable clamp yourself (or anything else that may work).
See https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005002588233840.html
and also the T430 HMM, Step 2 on page 94

[br1anstorm]

Thanks,, @RBS - it hadn't occurred to me to look on AliExpress for a replacement. I'll follow that up....and hunt for a spare screw that fits!