Vertical lines on LCD?

[JTK]

I've got two very thin, maybe one pixel in width, vertical lines on the LCD display on my Acer Aspire series laptop. They cropped up out of the blue. This less than 2yr/old notebook is basically used as a desktop and has never left the desk! Is this a bad LCD?

Joel

 

[HardbodyLoyalist]

I've seen that happen once---on a laptop that had a Coke spilled on it. The LCD had to be replaced.

I'm not saying you spilled a Coke on yours, I'm just saying that I hope it's still under warranty.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Joel, yep, bad LCD. it needs to be replaced.

 

[JTK]

Quote:

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Joel, yep, bad LCD. it needs to be replaced.

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Awe bawlz!

I havent even owned it 2yrs, it's never had food around it, etc. Two days ago, one line showed up, yesterday another.. I'll have to ride it out until it gets unbearable. Any idea on a life expectancy? From the looks of it, an LCD replacement would be $200+

Dunno if it's worth it.

Joel

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

It's up to you if it's worth it. If you're happy with the computer's performance, it's surely cheaper than buying a new one.

Best Buy has had come good deals on HP laptops in the less than $800 recently *without* rebates, thank G0d.

 

[HardbodyLoyalist]

If this is a Pentium IV-class notebook, then I would venture that it's worth fixing.

See if you can't source an identical "parts" machine on eBay. Look for one that has a bad motherboard because it should sell fairly cheap. You can swap the LCDs and also have plenty of other spare parts for future repairs.

 

[JTK]

Just a follow up; Almost a year later and the display finally pooped out all together. Well, half of the screen did. The two vertical lines led to 4, then 10,20... It survived a long time that way. A few days ago, half of the display went totally white/grey !@#$%! I plugged the notebook into an old massive 17" CRT I had in the basement, but what a royal PITA that is. ~$250+ for a new display and that doesn't count the inverter, etc.. Long story short? A 17" refurbed Acer Aspire 7720 notebook is on it's way to the house. $594 shipped. Tigerdirect.com. Hopefully I get more than 2.5yrs out of this one.

Joel

 

[Iain]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Just a follow up; Almost a year later and the display finally pooped out all together. Well, half of the screen did. The two vertical lines led to 4, then 10,20... It survived a long time that way. A few days ago, half of the display went totally white/grey !@#$%! I plugged the notebook into an old massive 17" CRT I had in the basement, but what a royal PITA that is. ~$250+ for a new display and that doesn't count the inverter, etc.. Long story short? A 17" refurbed Acer Aspire 7720 notebook is on it's way to the house. $594 shipped. Tigerdirect.com. Hopefully I get more than 2.5yrs out of this one.

Joel

LCD displays are generally quite reliable. I've an old Sharp laptop c. 1996; LCD display on that is as good as the day I bought it in Sept. 1996. Only problem with it is it's slow as Redline 20W-50 in Winnipeg in January.

Hope display on new Tosh laptop last as long.

 

[ConfederateTyrant]

LCD screens used to have an average life of 5 years, and this was stated back in 2003 or so. I've seen a lot of 1-2 year old computers have to have their screens replaced, but keep in mind a small percentage of those come from people who don't take care of their s***.

 

[JTK]

The worst part about this whole ordeal was, this notebook was only used as as a desktop. The 'hardest' service it ever saw was closing/opening the top (not all the time) and dusting it off from time to time. Other than that, it was a flawless laptop for us. Fast, quick boots, never a blue-screen, never any quirks, etc... That's basically why I decided on another Acer Aspire. Well.. that and the price! I know I wont spend more than $400-600 on one again.

Joel

 

[ConfederateTyrant]

Quote:
Well.. that and the price! I know I wont spend more than $400-600 on one again.

Great idea, there is no need to spend more than $600 on a laptop (not including personal upgrades) because of how cheap technology is becoming. Before long, getting 1 year out of a laptop will be enough to pay for itself.