My laptop screen won't display anything

cooledwhip

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Jun 25, 2014
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I got this fairly new laptop from a friend which he said was broken. It had a hard drive crash. I replaced it and got it working again.

I don't have room on my desk for a giant laptop so I opened up the laptop and thought it would be smart to separate the screen from the actual laptop. I did, left all the wires the same length and stuff. (I know it sounds stupid haha) I was going to make a stand for it and put the actual laptop on the bottom of my desk with the monitor on a stand ON my desk. Basically I put it all back together and the screen wouldn't work. All the wires were plugged in. Everything was running except for the screen, I heard and saw the lights and sounds of the actual computer. I took it apart again today to look at it and the monitor had a giant mark on it. It looked discolored but not something visible like a crack or sharpie mark. I have another laptop that works but it has so many viruses. Could I fix the broken laptop at the moment? Would it be worth it to transfer the hardware to the laptop with viruses and get it hopefully working? Thanks

PS the laptop is a toshiba L775d or something
 

sewalk

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Sep 21, 2010
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When dismantling a laptop, it is quite easy to damage connectors on the mainboard. Considering your lack of experience, this is probably what happened, assuming you managed to get it back together correctly in the first place. If this laptop can be economically salvaged, you're going to need some skilled help to do it. You've already demonstrated that your current skill level is inadequate.
 

cooledwhip

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Jun 25, 2014
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I have installed SSD's in over 5 computers, co helped in building one, and like I stated, got this laptop working. I don't know if that is "Inadequate". Maybe every laptop is just a lot more complicated than every other computer right?

What if I try to take a screen from a different laptop and put it onto that laptop? If you read the question correctly, everything is working except the screen.
 

sewalk

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Sep 21, 2010
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You can double-check the part number from the panel in another laptop but your best bet is to find a replacement LCD assembly.

Installing drives in a laptop is a _very_ basic task. The only thing easier to replace is the battery. Removing the LCD is a whole different ball of wax. Many of the connectors on the mainboard are very fragile and easy to break without realizing you've done it. To remove the panel, you often have to remove almost everything else. The LCD panels can also be very fragile and prone to damage from mishandling.

And yes, any laptop is far more fragile and complicated to service than any desktop PC though some of the new nano-desktops are constructed quite similarly to laptops. When working on them, it is critical to have reference manuals, go slowly, and take plenty of photographs if you're not familiar with that particular model. Desktop PCs normally use just two different sizes of screws. With laptops, 6-8 different sizes is not unusual. Remembering which screws go where isn't always easy so a service manual is almost mandatory. Using the wrong screw in the wrong hole can short out a component or put undue pressure on a part and break it.
 

cooledwhip

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Jun 25, 2014
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Dang. I really need a working laptop, can I scrap some parts possibly? I will be much more careful, I have 2 other laptops, HP's and I just really need a working laptop.
 

sewalk

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Sep 21, 2010
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You're in luck. HP/Compaq laptops are the easiest of all to work on. It's easy to find the service manual under each model's specification summary on HP's support site and that manual includes an illustrated parts catalog. Most parts are easy to find on eBay if you have the correct part number. You can also use partsurfer.hp.com to find out if a part has been superseded by a new version so you can add that new part number to your eBay search.