The document discusses laptop components including AC/DC power adapters, batteries, motherboards, keyboards, processors, cooling fans, and CMOS batteries. It provides instructions on testing and replacing these components if faulty. The main points are that power adapters must match the laptop's voltage/polarity, batteries can be tested but usually must be replaced if faulty, and motherboard or keyboard failures may require replacing the entire component.

2. AC/DC power adapter as known as power supply or
power brick converts the high voltage AC power from a
wall outlet into the low voltage DC power needed for
your laptop.
The AC/DC adapter provides power for the laptop and
charges the battery. It’s very important to use the right
adapter for your laptop.

5. If you are looking for a new adapter, you
should check the following:
1. Your new adapter must have exactly the same
plug (adapter tip) as the original one.
2. Your new adapter must output exactly the
same voltage as the original one.
3. Polarity on the new adapter’s plug must be
the same as on the original one.
You can find the output voltage and amperage
on the adapter’s label. As you see on the picture
below, my adapter outputs 19V-3.42A.

6. When you buy a new adapter, you
can follow this rule:
The output voltage must be the
same, the amperage could be the
same or higher than on the
original power adapter.

7. HOW TO TEST OR REPAIR POWER
ADAPTERS.
Most newer laptop power adapters are
sealed and you cannot repair them. If the
adapter is dead, you’ll have to buy a new
one.
1. How can you tell if the AC adapter is
dead? You can test it with a voltmeter.
On the picture below I’m testing a 15V
adapter and as you see the output is
15.45V. It’s pretty normal and there is
nothing wrong if the output voltage is a
little bit higher but if you are getting 0V,
the adapter is definitely bad.

8. MAIN BATTERY

9. Any laptop computer has a battery pack which provides
power to the laptop while it’s not connected to the
wall-plug through AC/DC power adapter. Laptop
batteries come in many different shapes and they are
model-specific.
The laptop battery life depends upon many conditions
and circumstances: screen brightness, intensity of
running programs, the temperature of the working
environment, etc…

10. Any laptop computer has a battery pack which provides power
to the laptop while it’s not connected to the wall-plug through
AC/DC power adapter. Laptop batteries come in many different
shapes and they are model-specific.

11. TROUBLESHOOTING LAPTOP BATTERY PROBLEMS.
Let’s say your laptop stopped running on the battery
power. It works fine from the AC adapter but shuts
down as soon as you unplug the adapter. If that’s the
case, try reconnecting the main battery. Remove it
from the laptop and install back. It’s possible the
battery is not making good connection with the
motherboard.

12. The laptop battery life depends upon many conditions
and circumstances: screen brightness, intensity of
running programs, the temperature of the working
environment, etc…
The same battery could last longer in the same laptop if
you optimize the power usage settings in the control
panel. You can lower screen brightness, reduce CPU
processing speed, chance cooling method, and other
settings available on your laptop. Some of these
settings could be changed only through the
manufacturer’s power management software.

13. Unfortunately, the only reliable way to test the
main battery is replacing it with another known
good battery.
If the laptop cannot detect the battery, even
though it’s installed, try replacing the battery
with a new one. If you still have the same issue,
most likely there is a problem wiht the system
board.

14. SYSTEM BOARD

15. A system board also known as motherboard or
mainboard is the main circtuit board in any laptop.
Unlike desktop PC system boards, laptop system boards
come in thousands of different shapes and sizes.
Laptop motherboards are model-specific. In other
words, you cannot remove motherboard from a
Toshiba laptop and stick it into a Dell laptop. All parts
inside a laptop are connected to the system board,
either directly via a connector mounted on the system
board or through a cable.

17. • In a typical laptop the following ports and
components are permanently attached to the system
board and cannot be easily removed and replaced
without
1. Hard drive (.
3. Memory (Rslots.
4. Batteryphone) jacks.
7. Volume control wheel.
8. USB ports.
9. Eithernet (RJ45 aka network) port.
10. IEEE 1394 (Fire Wire) ports.
11. Video chip and some other components and
ports.

18. System board, processor (CPU) and LCD screen are the most
expensive parts in any laptop. In some cases, when one of these
three parts fails, it’s cheaper to buy a brand new laptop than
replace the failed part. But each case is different so do your
research.
SYSTEM BOARD FAILURE SYMPTOMS.
When a system board fails, you may experience the following most common
problems with your laptop. 1. The laptop is completely dead. There are no LED
light activity when you press on the power button or plug in a known good AC
power adapter. 2. The laptop starts but the video output on the LCD screen or
external monitor is garbled. Most likely this is related to the VGA chip failure. 3.
The laptop turns on without video on the screen and the power LED starts flashing.
4. The laptop works fine with AC power adapter but will not charge a known good
battery. If that’s the case, most likely there is something wrong with the battery
charging circuit or DC power jack.

20. CMOS battery also know as RTC battery
Any laptop computer has a CMOS battery also known as RTC
battery. The CMOS battery connects directly to the laptop
system board and helps to retain important BIOS settings such
as system time, date, BIOS configuration while the laptop is
turned off or even when the main battery is removed.
The CMOS battery is rechargeable and it’s getting charged when
the laptop is plugged into the mains.
CMOS batteries come in different shapes and sizes.
On the picture below you see a basic coin cell CMOS battery.
This type of batteries usually found in older laptops. This battery
is removable and replaceable.

21. Here’s another type of CMOS battery. Basically, it’s two coin
cell batteries but they are bundled together and have a cable
which plugs into the system board. This battery is removable
and replaceable.

22. On the next picture you see a CMOS battery which is soldered to
the system board. In order to replace this type of battery, you’ll
have to unsolder it from the system board.

23. CMOS BATTERY LOCATION IN A LAPTOP.
In some laptops the CMOS battery could be easily accessed from the bottom,
as it shown on the picture below. As an example I took a Dell Inspiron 1720.

24. In some laptops the CMOS battery is hidden under the keyboard. As an
example I took a HP Compaq nc6400 laptop.

25. Here’s the worst case scenario. The CMOS battery is hidden under the laptop
cover. In order to access and replace the battery you’ll have to disassemble
the whole laptop. As an example I took a Toshiba Satellite A305 laptop.

26. CMOS BATTERY RELATED PROBLEMS.
Here’s the most common problem related to the
CMOS battery.
Each time you turn off the laptop it resets date
and time back to factory defaults. When you
turn the laptop back on it asks you to set date
and time. If that’s the case, most likely your
CMOS battery is old and has to be replaced.
By the way, removing the CMOS battery on
most newer laptops will not clear the BIOS
password

27. KEYBOARD

28. In laptops, a keyboard is the main input device. It’s interface between a user
and a laptop.
In most laptops the keyboard is connected directly to the motherboard via a
flat ribbon cable.
KEYBOARD REMOVAL STEPS.
In most laptops you can remove the keyboard as it explained in the following
three steps

29. Disconnect the keyboard cable from the
motherboard and remove the keyboard

31. KEYBOARD RELATED PROBLEMS.
1. Here’s a very common “keyboard related problem”. When you press on keys U, I, O,
J, K, L, M the keyboard types 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 0. It happens because the “Number Lock”
function is enabled. You can turn this function off via a shortcut on the keyboard. Hold
down the Fn key and at the same time press once on the NumLk key.
2. One or more keyboard keys came off. You can install these keys back on the
keyboard, you’ll find lots of instructions on the internet or YouTube how to do that.
3. When you press on one key it types two letters. For example, you press on W but it
types WE, you press on T and it types TY, etc… Most likely this problem is related to the
keyboard and it has to be replaced.
4. Some keys in horizontal or diagonal row stopped working at all. Again, most likely
there is a problem with the keyboard and it has to be replaced.
ATTENTION! If you still have the same issue after replacing the keyboard, there could
be a problem with the keyboard controller on the motherboard. It means the whole
motherboard has to be replaced.
A laptop keyboard is not repairable. If it stopped working, you have to replace the
whole unit.

32. Processor also as CPU

33. A processor also known as CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the brain of a laptop
computer. The processor is one of the main components in a laptop. Laptop
processors are made mainly by Intel and AMD.
The processor connects directly to the system board via a processor socket aka CPU
socket as it shown on the picture below.

34. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
Question: Can I overclock the CPU in my laptop?
Answer: No, you cannot. In most laptops the BIOS doesn’t give
you this option.
Question: Can I upgrade the CPU in my laptop?
Answer: Unfortunately, laptop manufacturer’s do not provide
this information to general public. Yes, it’s possible on some
laptops. You’ll have to find a new CPU which fits the same socket
and try it.
Question: Are CPU failures very common?
Answer: No, they are not. CPUs fail rarely. If your laptop stopped
booting, the CPU will be the last component to blame. Check the
memory and motherboard first.

35. COOLING FAN

36. A CPU cooling fan is a dedicated fan which cools down the heatsink and eventually the CPU (Processor).
Usually the CPU cooling fan comes as a part of the heatsink assembly – a metal part drawing heat from the
CPU chip. In addition to the CPU cooling fan, some laptops have a dedicated GPU (graphics processing unit)
fan which cools down the GPU chip.
The CPU and GPU cooling fans connect directly to the motherboard via a cable running from the fan. When
CPU and GPU chips get hotter, the cooling fan spins faster.

37. If you cannot find it on the bottom, then it’s buried inside the
case, as on the following Dell laptop.

38. COOLING FAN RELATED PROBLEMS.
If your laptop feels very hot and shuts down without any warning,
it’s possible that you have a faulty fan. Listen for the fan. Is it
working? Sometimes you can see the fan through the fan grill on
the bottom of the laptop. Can you see the fan spinning?
If the fan never starts, probably it is bad and has to be replaced.
When the fan bearing goes bad, the fan starts making grinding
noise. In this case you’ll have to replace the fan.
If your CPU fan works hard all the time, most likely it happens
because the heatsink is dirty and is clogged with dust and lint. You
can clean the heatsink using compressed air.

39. Memory also known as RAM

40. A laptop memory also know as RAM (Random-
access memory) is a temporary data storage. It’s a
volatile type of memory. When you turn off the
laptop, all the information stored in a RAM
module is lost.
More memory installed into your laptop gives you
a better (faster) performance.
You can test laptop memory with a free diagnostic
tool called Memtest86+.
A type of memory used in laptop computers called
SO-DIMM (Small Outline Dual In-line Memory
Module).

41. SDRAM SO-DIMM
Here are three most common memory types found in
laptop computers:
1. SDRAM SO-DIMM memory has 144pins.
PC100 modules running at 100MHz.
PC133 modules running at 133MHz.
PC133 modules are backward compatible with PC100
modules.If your laptop requires a PC100 memory
module, you can safely use a PC133 module but it will
run at PC100 speed.

42. DDR SO-DIMM memory
2. DDR SO-DIMM memory has 200 pins.
PC2100 (DDR266) modules running at 266MHz.
PC2700 (DDR333) modules running at 333MHz.
PC2700 memory is backward compatible with PC2100
memory. If your laptop requires a PC2100 module,
you can safely use a PC2700 module but it will run at
PC2100 speed.
DDR memroy modules are not backward compatible
with SDRAM modules.

43. DDR2 SO-DIMM
3. DDR2 SO-DIMM memory has 200 pins.
PC2-3200 (DDR2-400) running at 200MHz.
PC2-4200 (DDR2-533) running at 266MHz.
PC2-5300 (DDR2-667) running at 333MHz.
PC2-6400 (DDR2-800) running at 400MHz.
Faster DDR2 memory modules are backward compatible
with slower DDR2 memory modules. For example, if your
laptop requires a PC2-4200 memory module you can safely
use a PC2-5300 module but it will run at PC2-4200 speed.
DDR2 memory modules are not backward compatible with
DDR modules. The notch on DDR2 is located in a different
position from DDR.

44. WHERE MEMORY MODULES ARE LOCATED.
In a laptop computer memory slots could be found in a few
different locations, it depends on the brand and model of the
laptop.
1. Both memory slots can be accessed from the door on the
bottom.
2. One slot is located on the bottom and another one under the
keyboard.
3. Both memory slots are located under the keyboard.
4. There is only one memory slot available for upgrades. The
main memory is integrated into the motherboard.

45. HOW TO REMOVE MEMORY MODULE FROM THE
SLOT.
Step1.
Release latches on both sides from the memory
module with your fingers.

46. Step2.
The memory module will pop up at a 20-30 degree angle.

47. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE
BUYING LAPTOP MEMORY.
1. You are looking for SO-DIMM memory
used in laptop computers.
2. Type of the memory used in your
laptop: SDRAM, DDR, or DDR2.
3. How many memory slot are available.
4. How much memory your laptop can
handle.

48. Hard drive

49. Most modern laptops use 2.5 hard drives. Older laptops″
use IDE hard drives, newer laptops use SATA hard drives.
SATA and IDE drives are not interchangeable, they have
absolutely different connectors.
If your laptop came with an IDE hard drive you cannot
replace it with a SATA drive. The connector on your drive
will not mach connector on the motherboard.
As you see on the pictuer above, a SATA drive has two
flat connectors and an IDE drive has two rows of pins.
SATA hard drives has faster data transfer rate then IDE
drivers. SATA – 150MB/s and IDE – 100/133MB/s.

50. Laptop hard drives spin at different speeds and most
common are 4200RPM, 5400RPM, 7200RPM.
The RPM number indicates how fast the hard drive
platters spin. Hard drives with high RPM number are
quicker than hard drives with low RPM number
because they can access data faster.
SATA connectors on a laptop hard drive are similar to
SATA connectors on a desktop hard drive. You can
connect a SATA laptop hard drive to a desktop
computer using same SATA cables.

51. WHERE HARD DRIVE IS LOCATED IN A LAPTOP.
On most laptops the hard drive can be accessed from the bottom

52. On some laptops the hard drive is buried inside the case
and it’s necessary to disassemble the laptop in order to
access and replace the hard drive.

53. HARD DRIVE UPGRADE.
A hard drive is the slowest part in any laptop. If
you would like to speed up your laptop, replace
your low RPM drive with a faster one. Fast RPM
drives are backward compatible with low RPM
drives.
If you would like to install a larger hard drive,
take a look at the user’s manual and laptop
specifications. Make sure your laptop supports
larger drives

54. Graphics card aka video board

55. A graphics card also known as a video card or VGA board is
a laptop component responsible for creating images on a
laptop screen.
In most low-mid range laptops the graphics card is
integrated into the motherboard. In other words, it’s a
part of the motherboard. If that’s the case, the graphics
card is not removable or upgradeable. If the graphics card
fails, you have to replace the whole motherboard.
A discrete graphics card can be found in high range
models and high end gaming laptops. Discrete graphics
cards can be removed and in some cases they are
upgradeable.
Here’s another example of the discrete video card in a
high end gaming laptop. As you see the video card can be
separated from the motherboard.

57. GRAPHICS CARD RELATED PROBLEMS
You can use the following method for troubleshooting
problems related to graphics cards.
Let’s say your display stopped working properly. The
image is distorted or garbled. Is this problem related to
the VGA board or LCD screen?
Connect your laptop to an external monitor and take a
look at the external video output. If you see the same
problem as on the internal LCD screen, most likely it’s
related to the VGA board. If video on the external
monitor works fine and the problem appears only on
the internal LCD screen, most likely your problem is
related to the LCD screen or LCD cable.

58. TYPICAL VIDEO CARD FAILURE
Below you can see a few pictures taken from a
laptop with a faulty video card.
1. When you start the laptop, the initial screen
with manufacturer’s logo is not displayed
properly on both internal LCD screen and
external monitors. You can see random
characters, vertical lines running through the
logo, random colors, etc…

60. 2. Same problem appears when the laptop displays the boot menu. The
screen is either not readable at all, or there are some random characters all
over the image.

61. 3. Finally, the laptop starts loading Windows,
but the image on both screens is still garbled.

62. CD/DVD-RW optical drive

63. Most modern laptops are equipped with a
CD/DVD-RW drive also known as an optical disc
drive which allows it to read and write data
from or to a CD/DVD disc. All laptop CD/DVD
drives are shaped the same but they all have
different face plates also know as front bezels.
On the picture above you can see three
different laptop CD/DVD drives with different
face plates/front bezels.

64. When you are replacing a failed CD/DVD drive, you
have to make sure that the face plate from the old
drive will fit your new drive.
On the picture below you can see two different types
of connectors found in modern CD/DVD optical disc
drives. One drive has a SATA connector and the other
one has an older slim ATAPI connector.
An optical disc drive with a SATA connector is not
interchangeable with an optical disc drive with a slim
ATAPI connector and vice versa. In other words, if your
laptop motherboard comes with a SATA connector for
the optical drive, you can only use CD/DVD drives with
SATA connectors.

66. On the next picture I compare a SATA connector used in laptop
hard drives with a SATA connector used in CD/DVD drives. As
you see, these two connectors are a little bit different. The data
connector (right connector) is shaped similarly for both drives,
but the power connector (left connector) is shaped differently.
By the way, you can connect a 2.5 laptop SATA hard drive to a″
desktop computer using same cables as you use for a regular
3.5 desktop hard drive.″
In order to connect a Slimline SATA optical CD/DVD drive to a
desktop computer, you’ll have to purchase the Slimline SATA
Cable.

68. If you are replacing the CD/DVD disc drive in your laptop with a
new one, make sure your new drive is compatible with the
laptop. The best way to find a new optical disc drive is searching
by the manufacturer’s part number found on the old drive.
When you install an optical drive which is not compatible with
your laptop, it will not be recognized by the BIOS or you’ll get an
IDE #1 ERROR on start up.

69. HOW TO REMOVE CD/DVD DISC DRIVE
In most laptops, the CD/DVD disc drive is secured by one or two screws on the
bottom of the laptops. Remove these screws and pull the optical disc drive
from the laptop.

70. On some other models, the optical
drive is secured by one or two
screws located under the keyboard.
If that’s the case, you’ll have to
remove the keyboard first. After
that remove those screws and pull
the drive from the laptop

71. Audio board also known as sound board

72. In most laptops the audio board also know as
sound board is integrated into the motherboard.
In other words, it’s a part of the motherboard
and cannot be removed or replaced separately.
Why the audio board cannot be removed?
Because the audio chip is soldered to the
motherboard.

74. If the audio board fails, you’ll have to replace the whole
motherboard.
AUDIO BOARD FAILURE SYMPTOMS AND TROUBLESHOOTING
TIPS.
1. There is no sound from internal speakers or headphones.
Make sure the volume level is not set to minimum.
Make sure the volume is not muted.
If the volume is not mutes and volume level is not set to minimum,
but you still have no sound, try reinstalling the audio driver.
If reinstalling the audio driver doesn’t help, try reinstalling the
operating system.
If nothing helps, it’s possible you have a problem with the audio
board.
2. Headphones are working fine but there is no sound coming from
the laptop speakers.
Sometimes contacts inside the audio jack get stuck and there is no
external sound because of that. Try to plug and unplug the
headphone connector into the jack very quickly a few times.

75. Wireless card

76. Laptop internal wireless network cards also know as
WLAN card or Wi-Fi card come in different shapes
ans sizes. On the picture above you see two most
common internal wireless card types found in
laptops.
Two wireless cards on the top have Mini PCI form
factor connector and found mostly in older laptops.
Two wireless cards on the bottom have Mini PCI-E
(Mini PCI Express) form factor connector and found
mostly in newer laptops.

77. Mini PCI-E connector is not backward compatible with
Mini PCI connector. In other words, you cannot install a
Mini PCI-E wireless card into the Mini PCI slot.
The wireless card plugs into the Mini PCI or Mini PCI-E
slot on the motherboard. Most internal cards have two
small connectors for wireless antenna cables, some
newer Mini PCI-E cards have three connectors and
require three antenna cables.
On the picture below you see an internal Mini PCI
wireless card connected to the laptop. As you see,
there are two antenna cables connected to the card.
One main antenna cable and one auxiliary antenna
cables.

79. In order to remove the wireless card, you’ll have to disconnect
the antenna cables first. Grab firmly the antenna connector with
your fingers and unsnap it from the card. Do the same with the
second antenna cable. After that you remove the wireless card
the same way as you remove the RAM module.
1. Spread latches on both sides of the card with your fingers and
the card will pop up at a 20-30 degree angle.
2. Carefully pull the wireless card from the slot.
On the picture below you see a newer Mini PCI-E wireless card
pluged into the slot on the motherboard. In my example the
card has three antenna cables. Many Mini PCI-E cards have only
two antenna cables.
This card connects to the motherboard differently than a Mini
PCI card. Ther are no latches on the sides. The card is secured to
the motherboard by two screws

81. In order to remove this card:
1. Disconnect all antenna cables from the card. Do not
forget to make a note how cables are connected.
2. Remove two screws and the card will pop up at a 20-
30 degree angle.
3. Carefully pull the wireless card from the slot.
On some laptops the internal wireless card could be
accessed throught the hatch on the bottom, on other
laptops it’s hidden under the keyboard or laptop cover.

82. LCD screen

83. The laptop screen mounts inside the
laptop display panel between the
screen bezel and display cover. The
screen is attached to the screen
brackets (display brackets) which are
permanently attached to the display
hinges.

86. A laptop screen also known as LCD screen displays an
image generated by the laptop video card. The LCD
screen receives data signal from the video card
through the LCD cable.
Laptop screens come in many different sizes and
resolutions. In order to find the LCD screen size (in
inches), you’ll have to measure the screen between
the two diagonal corners.
Older laptops had mostly full screen LCD displays.
Newer laptops have mostly widescreen LCD displays.
A backlight lamp (also known as CCFL bulb) is the main
source of light in any LCD screen. The backlight lamp
powers up by the inverter board.

87. TYPICAL LCD SCREEN RELATED
FAILURES
On the following images you’ll see
some typical LCD screen related
failures.
1. You can see image only on a part of
the LCD screen. For example, only the
top side of the screen works properly.

91. BUYING A NEW REPLACEMENT SCREEN
The LCD screen is one of the most expensive parts in a
laptop computer. If your screen is damaged and you decide
to replace it yourself, you’ll have to make sure to purchase a
new screen compatible with your laptop. Hear are a few
things to consider before buying a new screen:
1. Screen size.
2. Some laptops come with full size LCDs. Some laptops
come with widescreen LCDs.
3. LCD screen could be matte or glossy.
4. Same size LCD screens may have different resolutions.
The best way to find a new replacement screen would be
using the manufacturer’s part number or LCD screen model.
Both could be found on the back side of the screen.

92. Screen inverter board

93. Laptop inverter boards (also know as LCD inverter, FL
inverter, screen inverter, backlight inverter) come in
different shapes and sizes. On the picture above you
see some typical looking inverter boards found in
laptop computers.
The inverter board works as a power supply for the
backlight lamp mounted inside the LCD screen. The
inverter board converts low voltage DC power (few
volts) supplied by the motherboard to high voltage AC
power (few hundred volts) needed for the backlight
lamp.

94. When the inverter board works properly, the
backlight lamp gets power and the LCD screen
lights up. As a result, the image on the screen is
bright.
HOW INVERTER CONNECTED TO LDC SCREEN
On the picture below you can see a typical laptop
display assembly which includes the LCD screen, video
cable and inverter board.
One side of the inverter board connects to the
backlight lamp and another side to the video cable
(LCD screen cable).

96. HOW INVERTER MOUNTED INSIDE
LAPTOP DISPLAY PANEL
In most laptops the inverter board is
mounted below the LCD screen as it shown
on the picture below. You can get an
access to the inverter board when you
remove the screen bezel – a plastic frame
around the LCD screen.

98. TYPICAL INVERTER FAILURE SYMPTOMS
Usually inverters fail in one of the following ways:
1. When you turn on the laptop, the screen lights up for a short period of
time and then goes dark. You still can see an image but it is very dark,
almost invisible and definitely not usable. When you restart the laptop, the
screen lights up and then goes dark again. The laptop works fine with an
external monitor.
2. Your laptop turns on but the screen remains dark all the time. You still
can see a very dim image outline. The laptop works fine with an external
monitor.
3. The laptop screen works fine for hours or even days, but sometimes it
goes very dark as it mentioned above. When you restart the laptop, the
screen works fine again.
Inverter failure symptoms are very similar to backlight lamp failure
symptoms and in most cases you cannot tell which one is causing the
problem until you replace either the inverter board or the backlight lamp.
From my personal experience, inverter boards fail more often than
backlight lamps. If you have to guess, replace the inverter first.

99. LCD screen cable

100. A laptop LCD cable also known as video cable, display cable or
screen cable. This cable transfers data signal from the
motherboard and video card to the LCD screen. Also, most video
cables supply high voltage DC power to the screen inverter.
On the picture you can see a typical laptop video cable. The
cable has three ends with three connectors. One end plugs into
the connector on the back of the LCD screen, the second end
plugs into the inverter board, the third end plugs into the
connector on the motherboard or video card.
The top part of the cable runs inside the laptop display panel
between the LCD screen and display cover.

102. The bottom part of the cable could be found either under the
keyboard or keyboard bezel.

103. In order to remove and replace the LCD cable, it will be
necessary to disassemble the whole laptop.
LCD CABLE RELATED PROBLEMS
1. The image on the screen appears normal until you move the
display up or down. When you move the display, the images on
the entire screen starts to flicker, disappear or change collors. As
soon as you stop moving the display, the image gets back to
normal.
2. The LCD screen lights up but there is no image at all. The
entire screen is blank. An external monitor connected to the
laptop VGA port works fine, there is no problems with the
external video output at all.
3. Image on the entire LCD screen is garbled. An external
monitor works fine.
In many cases the video cable failures are very similar to the LCD
screen failures.

104. Display hinges

105. HINGE RELATED PROBLEMS
1. The laptop display feels loose. It will stay in the up
position, but when you move the display it feels floppy.
First of all, try tightening screws securing both hinges
to the laptop base and display cover. If tightening
screws doesn’t help, apparently your hinges are worn
out and will have to be replaced soon.
2. The display will not stat in the up position. When you
open the display and leave it in the up position, it falls
back.
Most likely one or both hinges are broken and have to
be replaced. Even if only one hinge is broken, I would
recomment replacing both hinges because the second
one is worn out and could break too in the near future.

106. Display hinges connect two halves of a laptop – the
display panel and base assembly. All regular laptops
have two hinges located on the left and right sides of
the display panel. Tablet PCs have one hinge-swivel
located in the middle of the display.
The LCD screen mounts to the the screen mounting
brackets which are permanently attached to the display
hinges. There are two or more screws securing the LCD
screen to each mounting bracket.
The display hinges are not repairable. If the hinge is
broken or too loose to keep the display in an open
position, you have to replace it with a new one.

107. Screen backlight lamp

108. A backlight lamp (also know as backlight bulb, screen
backlight, CCFL tube or bulb) is the main and only
source of light in a laptop LCD screen. A typical laptop
LCD screen has only one backlight lamp installed. The
backlight lamp mounts inside the laptop screen in the
lower part of the screen as it outlined on the picture
above.
A pair of cables with one connector coming from the
screen plugs into the screen inverter board.
The backlight lamp receives high voltage AC power
from the screen inverter board which receives low
voltage DC power from the motherboard via the LCD
screen cable as it shown on the picture below

109. On the next picture you see a typical backlight lamp removed from a typical laptop LCD
screen. There are two cables soldered to both sides of the backlight lamp attached to one
connector.

110. BACKLIGHT LAMP REPLACEMENT
It is possible to replace a failed backlight lamp with a new one
but it’s not easy because the backlight lamp is buried deep inside
the LCD screen and it’s very easy to damage the screen during
the disassembly process. This repair should be performed only by
an experienced technician. You can find some home made
backlight replacement instructions if you do Google search. For
inexperienced people it would be much easier to replace the
whole LCD screen

111. BACKLIGHT LAMP FAILURE SYMPTOMS
1. The laptop screen lights up only for a short period of time or will
not light up at all. The image on the screen is so dim that you can
barely see it. At the same time, an external monitor attached to
the laptop works fine.
2. When you turn on the laptop, the screen works fine for a while,
then start flickering and the light turns off. Again, there is a very
faint image on the laptop screen and external video output works
fine.
3. The screen works but the image has a reddish/pink tone.
External video output works fine.
The backlight lamp failure symptoms are very similar to the
inverter board failure symptoms. If you have to guess which one is
causing the problem, try replacing the inverter board first.

112. Web camera also known as webcam

113. Most newer laptops come with a build-in web camera
also known as webcam. The web camera is located on
the top of the display panel. Some people think the
web camera is a part of the LCD screen but it’s not.
The web camera is a separate module which is
mounted inside the display panel above the LCD
screen.
On the picture below you see a laptop display with
removed bezel. The web camera module is glued to
the display cover. The web camera is connected to the
system board via a cable which plugs into the
connector on the right side of the web camera board.

115. The web camera board and LCD screen are two separate
modules and can be removed and replaced separately.
WEB CAMERA RELATED PROBLEMS.
Let’s say your web camera stopped working. You can see the
camera detected in the device manager, but it will not work.
What can you do? Try reinstalling the webcam driver and most
likely the problem will be fixes.
Here’s how you can reinstall the driver.
Go to the device manager and find the webcam. It might be
listed in USB devices. Right click on the webcam entry and
uninstall the driver. Now restart the laptop. When it boots, the
laptop will detect the webcam and install the driver. Does it
work for you?