laptop - Netbook screen display is garbled (has black/white & horizontal line patterns, screen freezes, and/or wrong display position)

07
2014-07
  • galacticninja

    Upon powering my netbook on, its screen turns into a garbled display (has black/white patterns, horizontal line patterns, screen freezes and/or wrong display position). This distortion happens even at BIOS startup, continuing to Windows startup. Occasionally, the issue starts around 3 minutes after the Windows desktop appears.

    Pictures of the monitor (click on image to enlarge):
    enter image description here
    enter image description here
    enter image description here
    enter image description here

    More pictures at: http://imgur.com/a/ArME1

    Details:

    • This happens even in safe mode (the last picture above is of the netbook screen in safe mode).
    • I connected the netbook to an external monitor (through VGA) and the display in the external monitor shows up just fine. I have been able to use the netbook without any issues with an external monitor.
    • Aside from the monitor, the netbook still works (I can shut it down with keyboard shortcuts) and the files that it has shared through LAN can be accessed fine. The torrent client's web interface on the netbook can also still be accessed on another computer.
    • The issue sometimes happens even at BIOS startup.
    • The variations of the distortion will sometimes change randomly.
    • Occasionally, the non-distorted screen display will simply freeze.
    • The netbook didn't fall in the ground or get hit by an object.
    • The netbook is mostly used as a torrent seeder and downloader. Its lid is opened and closed around 2 times a day only, but the netbook is powered on almost 24/7 (its lid is closed most of the time). It is mostly accessed through another computer through LAN and is not often used directly.
    • The netbook was bought around 2 years ago.

    What are the possible causes of this? Any possible fixes or methods of repair I can look into? The netbook is now out of warranty.

    Netbook details:

    • Answers
  • Dan Neely

    Putting a live linux distribution on a USB stick would let you test hardware vs software easily. Seeing what happens if you sit at the BIOS screen like Bobby suggested isn't a bad idea; but a pure textmode display will put significantly less load on the GPU than GUI desktop will.

    Since the problem doesn't occur immediately on powerup, the only cause that seems likely to me is overheating. Have you verified that the fan still spins. Taking the bottom off and blowing out any accumulated dust should help here.

    CoreTemp will let you monitor the CPU temperature; if it's really high the odds are your GPU is also overheating since the GPU and CPU are integrated but I'm not aware of anything to read the GPU temperature directly.

  • ultrasawblade

    Possible causes:

    • Overheating as @Dan Neely says

    • Physical issue with cable connecting LCD to motherboard

    • BIOS not initializing GPU correctly, try BIOS update (this is a long shot)

    • Motherboard needs to be replaced (bad chipset, or bad something else that would cost more than replacing the motherboard to fix)


    • Related Question

    laptop - White lines appear right in the middle of my Dell XPS M1210 screen
  • ymasood

    My Dell XPSM1210 has developed these weird lines right in the middle of the screen. When I connect an external monitor the lines disappear and the display is fine.

    Is this a problem with the screen panel, and if it needs replacement is there a place where I could buy one?

    This laptop is not under warranty so I'm willing to get the screen replaced.

    Dell XPS M1210 white lines in the middle of the screen


    • Related Answers
  • A Dwarf

    It can be one of 4 things, of the top of my head.

    1. The ribbon cable connecting to your laptop screen. Solution: Fixable by going to one of those computer repair shops that also deal in laptops. Of course, you can also go to a Dell representative in your general area. But may be a bit more expensive

    2. The screen itself. Solution: Probably needs to be replaced. Quite annoyingly so because it's always more expensive. Computer repair shops or Dell.

    3. More rarely, the inverter board. I find it odd the lines are white. So why I thought of this one. Solution: Needs to be replaced. Cheaper than the above two.

    4. Bad soldering or dislodged cable. Solution: The cheapest, eh. No replacement parts. Just putting things back in place.