Laptop screen messed up!

My screen shows lines up and down the screen all the time. It works when i plug it in to an external monitor, but not by itself.

 

Either the LCD screen is bad, the video adapter is [partially] damaged, or (most likely) the connector between the two is lose due to chip creep.

Take the keyboard off the laptop, and remove and reseat the ribbon connection to see if it improves things. If it doesn't, then the next likely candidate is a damaged LCD.

 

How do I take off the keyboard?

 

That should be described in the maintenance guide/manual.

 

EDIT: found the connector, but i jiggled it around and I dont think that is the problem. What are my options if the video card is damaged or if its a bad LCD

 

If you can connect an external monitor to your laptop and it works with no issues then the laptop's vga is fine.

Issues with the laptop's display include;
1. Lose connector on the lcd panel (this connector is at the back of the lcd panel itself).
2. The panel / lcd has gone bad.
3. The inverter (located at the base of the lcd panel) is faulty.

Removing the lcd panel is not difficult. Laptops generally have the save design for panel removal (I have changed about 7-8 for friends). Here is a link with instructions.

http://www.laptop-clinic.com/Laptop-LCD-Repair-Instructions.html

As for a replacement panel and inverter, ebay?. That is what I do. I generally buy a panel (together with inverter just in case).

Good Luck

 

Replacement. A replacement LCD screen will vary depending on the make, model, and resolution, but will probably cost $100 or so. The video adapter is typically integrated into the system board, so replacing it means replacing the entire system board. That's typically $300-$400 or more, again, depending on make and model.

If you're out of warranty, it's usually better to make do until you can buy another one. Remember the average lifespan of a laptop is only 3 years and they are by nature not as serviceable as desktops.

You can also *try* updating the video drivers. If the lines are present on the BIOS show during startup, though, it's not going to fix that.