Can I remove laptop screen and just use external monitor?

[scary_diesel_van]

Hi, I was wondering if it is possible to disconnect my broken laptop screen and just use an external monitor or will my motherboard get mad that its missing the connections to the screen? Any help is appreciated!

 

[cheaptofix]

yeah sure go ahead

 

[Guest]

I have done so already, but now I would like to disconnect the screen part of my laptop in order to create more space on my desk. Anyone have any links or guidelines?

I googled a lot, but only found instructions for LCD removals.

Thanks!

 

[frozenlead]

Just disassemble your notebook. It may have a service manual, but few notebooks do. You'll need to access the bottom part of your screen hinges to detatch the screen.

You should know, though, that if you've a wireless card (and are using it) the antennae are generally installed inside of your screen - you'll need to remove and reroute them.

 

[geoff_07]

Just disassemble your notebook. It may have a service manual, but few notebooks do. You'll need to access the bottom part of your screen hinges to detatch the screen.

You should know, though, that if you've a wireless card (and are using it) the antennae are generally installed inside of your screen - you'll need to remove and reroute them.

how do i identify the antennae and reroute them? thanks.

 

[jsrudd]

I just replaced an LCD screen in a laptop. Getting to the hinges required removing the motherboard, heat sink, etc. Just be sure that you're prepared for how much work this is. It might be easier just to buy an external keyboard and mouse and keep the laptop closed.

 

[Kretek]

Hi, I was wondering if it is possible to disconnect my broken laptop screen and just use an external monitor or will my motherboard get mad that its missing the connections to the screen? Any help is appreciated!

Depends really. I think unless you do serious damage or have "issues" pulling it out, you'll be fine by removing it. First, you need the keyboard out. Typically a laptop has three screws in the bottom under the paneling. Remove the screws located on any of the bays (or possibly under your battery) which almost always have a symbol indicating a keyboard screw. Remove only these screws or other screws which may be holding down the plate protecting the base of the hinge. Carefully (VERY CAREFULLY) remove the keys using a pulling up motion.

Don't get angry and try to rip the bitch out because there is a ribbon attached to the bottom of it that sends your keystrokes to the mobo. Detach the ribbon, remove the keyboard and remove any paneling. Every inch of this process should be done slowly. There should be two sets of wires if it's a modern laptop. One for both the webcam and wifi antenna and another for the monitor. After disconnecting these wires from the motherboard/onboard graphics cards (slowly, mind you) you should find that at this point you can either:
A. Take apart the over-complex LCD framing and retrieve the wiring (in case you ever want to replace the screen) and/or wifi antenna and stuff the thing back in.
B. Throw it away and patch up the computer.
or C. Drink too much and go out with friends to smash it.

Patch the laptop back up and make sure to use the right size screws. Dont drill through the board on the way back in. Good luck.

 

[haunteddevil619]

Yes... This is absolutely possible. I infact did this with two of my laptops that had hinges broken. Of course, I had to give up the in built wireless functionality, webcam and internal mic.

My first laptop was an MSI A6005. Removing the hinges was quite easy. Removed the LVDS cables, wifi card and antennae and webcam connector from the mobo. Screwed everything together and connected it to VGA and voila! I see the POST screen and windows booting on my external monitor.

The second and most recent one (last week) was an HP laptop. This was a tricky business. I've opened HP laptops in past and I'm not a huge fan of it. After removing the screen and screwing it back up, it did not start for sometimes. I re-opened it, checked the connections and tried to boot and I see lights come up and fan start up, and immediately stop. Lights still on and hard drive still spinning. I attach an external monitor and don't see anything either. I had to open it again and connect the display and power it on while open to see if it reports anything to the screen. Turns out, I need to press enter key during POST to get past a missing wireless card warning message. After that, it continues windows boot and once it boots windows correctly, it identifies a secondary monitor and sends signal to it. So after screwing it back together, I started it, pressed enter while it was connected to external monitor. It still refused to show anything until windows booted. This could be programmed in the HP firmware.

But in short, it is absolutely possible, but you may have different results depending on your laptop manufacturer. My MSI allows me to change BIOS and see POST messages on external monitor by default. HP on the other hand does not show anything on external monitor unless it boots into windows.