Member Avatar for ArthurDent

Background: My sony vaio laptop VGN-B100B fell down with a big impact and the LCD cracked - the screen was filled with dark black and solid white areas of various shapes. The Sony phone rep said the B series shipped in 2 configurations - XGA and SXGA+. Originally it had the XGA screen, but I bought the SXGA+ screen (LTD141EM1X) and installed it.

However, the Screen only has vertical lines, as in picture attached in next post.

The video works when connected to an external projector. (I am typing this on the laptop.)

The lines start when the PC is being booted, first very dim on a black background, then the background changes to white, and the lines get sharper until they reach full contrast shown. The lines do not change with pressure or movement, actually they do not change at all until the machine is powered cycled, and then a new set of lines shows up.

The Graphics controller is Intel 82852/82855 GM/GME with most recent Sony driver (version 6.14.10.3879).

Windows Device Manager lists two Monitors - "Plug and Play" and "Sony Notebook LCD (1024x768)".

When I disabled the LCD, rebooted and tried the Detect New Hardware wizard, it just re-enabled the 1024x768 LCD and did not see a 1400x1050 LCD. I booted into the BIOS (F2 at startup) but found nothing there.

I suspect the following:
(1) Cable problem -- which cables should I check, where? Do I need to replace anything?
(2) Driver issue - the video controller thinks it is driving a 1024x768 LCD but in reality a 1400x1050 LCD is plugged in. If so, how should I "tell" it the right LCD?

(LCD seller says they tested it prior to shipping.)

Help please!

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What you are seeing at power-on (vertical lines that randomize only after a full power cycle, while external video is fine) is classic of a panel/cable mismatch rather than a driver or GPU fault. XGA panels on this generation typically use single‑channel LVDS; SXGA+ needs dual‑channel with a different pinout and panel‑ID wiring. If the harness is for the lower‑res display, the GPU can light the backlight and clock the panel, but half the data never arrives, so you get crisp, stable stripes even before Windows loads. Device Manager labels do not prove what the internal panel really is; detection happens over the panel’s DDC/EDID lines and OEM strap wiring, not through the generic monitor name you see in Windows. ’s advice to match exact FRUs is right on.

If you are upgrading resolution, treat the LCD, the display harness, and (when CCFL is involved) the inverter as a matched set. Practical checks:

  • Confirm the exact panel model and order the matching harness for that resolution/config.
  • Inspect both board and panel connectors with magnification; reseat once, evenly, and lock ZIF/flip latches fully.
  • Route the cable exactly as the service manual shows; a misrouted hinge pinch can mimic data faults.
  • Test at BIOS/POST with the lid still open on the bench before full reassembly; if the pattern appears before Windows, it is not a driver problem.

For ’s FZ21Z: flickering colored boxes on the internal LCD plus no signal externally usually points to a failing GPU or motherboard, not the cable. Try VGA first (many laptops will not mirror BIOS/POST over HDMI). If both internal and VGA stay garbled/blank, the remedy is board repair/replacement; reflow tricks are temporary at best. Back up data by removing the drive or booting from USB on another machine.

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Member Avatar for ArthurDent

Attaching screenshot of "lines on screen".

The brightness and contrast are uniform from top to bottom. Patches show up on the picture due to uneven lighting with camera.

IMG_4006.jpg 501.79 KB
Member Avatar for dogbreath077

we have a policy with replacing electronic parts, and that is to use only the exact part # that the computer wa shipped with. However, if you know that the SXGA+ screen (LTD141EM1X) will work without any problems, then you have a bad LCD screen. If you are unsure about the interchange, then I would recommend (you gonna love me here) that you use the original part # and repost.

Member Avatar for ArthurDent

ok, I got the service manual and looked in it. Both screen resolutions use the same video card which is integrated into the chipset, but the part numbers are different for the video cable.

I am going to get that ASAP. Hopefully with the proper video cable, the screen will identify itself correctly!

Member Avatar for ArthurDent

Update: I bought the schematics from ebay and found out th epart numbers for all components that are different in the two models. Turned out to be the LCD screen and the video cable. Then I got an SXGA video cable and used it with the SXGA monitor and the screen works like a charm now!

The SXGA+ cable has 26 wires vs only 15 on the XGA cable. So there was some missing data when the wrong cable was connected.

Also at the end of the cable that hooks up into the video circuitry on the motherboard, a different pair of pins is "tied together" (electrically speaking) in the two cables -- this is how the system finds out which LCD was attached, even when no LCD is attached.

I also found out from the schematics that the laptop actually ships with 3 configurations -- 2 XGA and one SXGA+ and each has a different video cable!

Moral of story -- if changing LCD part number, even with the same resolution and definitely with a different resolution, change the video cable too!

Another thing I noticed was that there an enormous number of hidden screws (beneath the keyboard, behind the hard drive, behind the battery, on the side of the display etc.) and it takes a very steady hand to disconnect and reconnect everything, especially if one doesn't have a magnetic screw driver! There are a number of delicate cables on the motherboard too.

Member Avatar for sonyman

hello i hav a vaio fz21z wen i power it up it get nothing but sqaure boxes all diffrent colours and they keep flickering then after a few seconds they go all wierd n fuzzy all over the screen i can not even see my screen at all can not see boot up sreen or bios nothing but wierd colouring all over the lcd screen i did try too plug in to my tv via hdmi cable but couldnt get a signal can plsz any body help me thank u and god blessya..

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