Help!! - T42 dropped... Video problem

[jsmit86]

So -- the "Cute little puppy" my wife just got, got tangled up in my power supply cord, and pulled my T42 off the table. About a 3 foot drop. It was LCD open at the time.

It worked OK for a while, but then the LCD went weird. It was mostly a Lt Blue Gray background with several vertical lines in the display. I rebooted, and it was OK again for a while, but sometimes when moving a key or just wiggling the right side of the PC, the problem will return. Sometimes if I cycle through a Fn/F7 command a few times it clears up.

When the background is Blue/Gray like that, if you move the touch point, you can see a shadow where the "mouse" would be. Again, a reboot seems to clear it.

So far during the boot process, the text based LCD stuff is clear.

Does anyone have any suggestions of things to check before sending for repair. (Out of warranty of course!)

And... can anyone suggest a FAST REPAIR.. I am in the Phoenix area.

[jsmit86]

To be more specific, the problem can be duplicated by "rapping" the lower bottom corner edge of the PC near the area of the VGA connector. The VGA connector itself is not loose, nor will just tapping it will cause the problem. I have also had the problem when hitting the home or page up keys.

If I use the PC on a hard stable surface, it seems OK, but if I use it in my lap, more issues.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

[redsb3]

Sounds like the LCD ribbon cable could be loose either at the MB or at the inverter. It may have been jarred enough to loosen it slightly causing an intermittant contact problem. Worth a shot, costs nothing to take it apart and reseat the cables. Disassembly instructions are available on the IBM site.

[jsmit86]

Thanks!

I will search for the instructions. I've replaced the keyboard, so if this isn't much more difficuly, I may give it a try. If not, I'll try to find a repair place in the Phoenix area who can check this.

[jsmit86]

I had my tech reset the cables, but I still have the problem. Now I can replicate it by "rapping" on the left side of the cover near where the LCD cable is. My tech said that he could not open the LCD cover to re-seat that plug, and after looking at the guide, it would appear that the LCD and the cover may be a single FRU.

If I need a whole new LCD, does anyone know what this will run?
(1024x768 14.1")

I am concerned that if I go the service route, I could end up with both the LCD and the Planar board which I am certain is big $$$.

Is the Depot service reliable? I am in Phoenix. Can anyone suggest local repair?

I can replace the whole pc for $1199 for the 1875DLU

http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/store ... Id=2072541

It has a 60gig drive. Otherwise it'svery similar to my 2378DUU
Can I put my current 40G drive in the new T43?,
Or...If I buy the replacement, can I "clone" my current drive to the new drive so I keepl all of my installed apps etc?.
Any suggestions appreciated.

[cmarti]

Your lcd COVER can be opened try to do it yourself it is not to difficult just FOLLOW the manual.

I'm not sure but your lcd is 14.1? or 15.0 inch?

[jsmit86]

My LCD is a 14.1"

I downloaded the ThinkPad ComputerHardware Maintenance Manual for my T42. Based on this, I think that removing the LCD bezel is beyond my skill level. My tech really did not want to mess with it, and he removed all of the stuff up to this step.

It looks like you have to remove the screw covers on the bezel, and I am concerned that this could easily get messed up.

Even the disassembly that was already done has removed the self adhesive screw covers from the bottom of my pc. I know this probably won't hurt anything, but I think I'm getting to the point of needing to have an actual IBM tech do this.

As I sit here writing with the PC on my lap, it seems to have stabilized somewhat. But... I am concerned that the way things go, the LCD will go dark on me at some inopportune moment. So far I've been lucky. It's always cleared up with a reboot. As a side note, after my tech worked on it I checked it out at his location, and it worked fine. When I got home however, I could not initially get the PC to power up. I disconnected the battery, held the power key for 10 seconds, and then it rebooted fine.


So..... I think I need a good tech in the Phoenix area, or go to IBM depot service.

Anyone out there have a referral?