Member Avatar for mickflan

Hi all,
Please forgive me if this thread is inn the wrong place im a newbie(lol), My problem is that i have a toshiba sattelite p30 the screen has all of a sudden gone blank i can use it by connecting to a external vga monitor i was wondering if the invertor has gone or will i need to replace the whole screen any advice would be welcome.
Mick.

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A short, practical diagnostic path to decide whether to replace the inverter or the whole panel.

As suggested, the usual software/display-switch checks come first. After those are exhausted, the next steps are hardware-focused and inexpensive to try.

  • Flashlight check: in a dark room, power the machine and shine a bright torch along the screen at an angle. If you can make out a faint desktop or icons, the LCD is still receiving video data and the backlight (CCFL) or inverter is the likely fault. If nothing is visible at all, the LVDS cable or the panel itself may be damaged.

  • Reseat and inspect cables: power down, remove battery and AC, then gently remove the plastic bezel and check the LVDS ribbon and the inverter connectors at both ends (panel and motherboard). Look for frayed wiring at the hinge and clean, straight pins. Reseating can fix intermittent or hinge-damaged cables.

  • Inverter vs lamp: if the flashlight test suggests a bad backlight, replace the inverter first — it is cheap and commonly fails. If replacing the inverter does not bring the backlight back, the CCFL lamp inside the panel may have failed and the entire LCD will need replacement.

  • Safety and practical notes: do not work on the inverter while the screen is powered — it produces high voltage. If unsure, use a known-good inverter or panel for a swap test before buying parts. Panel and inverter part numbers are on stickers under the bezel; match them before ordering.

If the panel still shows nothing after these checks, the LVDS cable or the LCD matrix is likely dead and replacing the screen is the next step. If opening the lid or handling tiny connectors is unfamiliar, a local repair shop can diagnose and swap parts quickly.

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Member Avatar for khess

Have you tried using the Function key and pressing the Monitor button on the keyboard...you may have inadvertently switch to external monitor only.
The function key is down near the left Ctrl key (usually blue letters) and the Monitor switch key is on the Function Keys (F1-F12) above the number keys. Hold the function key down while pressing the appropriate one of the FX keys. There are little icons on the FX keys ...use the Monitor one.

Member Avatar for mickflan

Hi Ken,
Thanks for the reply. Yes i have tried the function key and still a blank screen it was working fine then i did some updates for windows and shut the lappy down when it rebooted the screen was blank. Thought it might have been a change of graphics setings thats why i hooked up to a pc monitor but its still blank.

Member Avatar for mickflan

all i need to know is should i try the invertor or just buy a new screen .
mick

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