ThinkPad Z61m no LCD, scrambled external monitor

[bodi000]

Hello everyone,

New to this forum, I know that this question could have been asked before, but I have not found any answer yet...

I got this Z61m, 9450-HAG, which has everything looking ok inside, I reseated the LCD to MB connection, the RAMs, applied pressure on the GPU, nothing seems to make the LCD light (it is completely blank). Using an external monitor, the image I got is scrambled.

I burned a bootable BIOS update form lenovo website, but I couldn't move forward as I can't see the text.

Anyone knows the keys to input in order to update the bios? Like enter, 1, E, enter, etc..

If the update won't bring anything better, which are my alternatives?

I know that older TPs had this soldering issue, but apparently this is not the case for Z61 with ATI.

Thank you so much!
Bodi

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the forum.
ThinkPad Z61m (9450-HAG)
T7200(2GHz), 1GB RAM, 120GB 5400rpm HD, 15.4in 1680x1050 LCD, 128MB ATI Radeon X1400, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11abg wireless, Bluetooth/Modem, 1Gb Ether, UltraNav, Sec Chip, IEEE 1394, Camera, FPR, 6c Li-Ion batt, WinXP Pro

I would not even try to update any BIOS if you can't see what you are doing!
Besides, yours is not a problem than can be solved by another BIOS version!

Your laptop is comparable to the T60 series (not the T4x series which was plagued by loose GPU and/or Southbridge).
Remove the LCD connector from the motherboard, then check again with an external monitor.
If it remains scrambled, then I'm afraid you have video-RAM gone bad.
Your only option will be a replacement motherboard (probably anywhere from $100-150).
Place a Want-To-Buy (WTB:) ad in our Marketforum.

[bodi000]

Thank you for your quick answer!

Is there any other test I could do before deciding that I need a MB replacement? Is there any other fault I could check?

regards,
b