Member Avatar for seandarcy

Booting my toshiba laptop, lcd is completely black. No bios, no light, nothing.

I can connect to an external monitor, and that works. It boots. The machine works, but the lcd is black.

Any thoughts?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by JorgeM

Dani AI

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— building on the points raised by , and , here is a focused, non-redundant troubleshooting path that separates quick software/firmware checks from hardware diagnosis and repair choices.

Start with non-invasive checks: perform a power-reset (shutdown, remove AC and battery if possible, hold power button ~30s, then reconnect). With the external monitor disconnected, try the laptop’s display-toggle hotkey (Fn+display key) and attempt to enter the BIOS/UEFI to confirm the internal panel option isn’t disabled. Booting from a Live USB or Windows Safe Mode will help rule out driver/OS causes without opening the case.

Confirm the touchpad at the OS level before hardware work. In Windows, look in Device Manager for disabled or missing pointing devices and reinstall drivers. In Linux, check whether the kernel sees the device:

xinput list
dmesg | grep -i psmouse
cat /proc/bus/input/devices

Those commands show whether the touchpad is detected or blocked by software.

If software/firmware checks don’t help, the problem is likely hardware: the display’s flex/hinge wiring, the panel’s driver/inverter board, or an I/O/power rail on the motherboard. Simultaneous loss of LCD and touchpad can point to a shared cable, local sub-board, or a failed power rail. If comfortable with safe disassembly, visually inspect the hinge/flex for fraying, check connectors for power presence (avoid touching inverter HV), and consider replacing the LCD assembly or the small driver board. For anyone unsure or if the unit is under warranty, professional service is the safer and often more cost-effective route.

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Member Avatar for JorgeM

Has the laptop had any recent damage, falling, etc? There is generally a ribbon cable inside that plugs into the LCD display. I've seen them get loose over time, and damage due to crimping.

Member Avatar for rubberman

What JorgeM said, although it can also be a simple matter of the LCD backlight being defective. If it is the backlight, sometimes you can see very dim images if you look at the display from an oblique angle with a light shining on it (sometimes better if the light is shining from the side).

Member Avatar for seandarcy

No dim images. Just black.

And I've ealized the touchpad doesn't work. The cursor doesn't respond to the touchpad.

This is a dual boot machine. No error messages from either W7 or linux. Odd.

JorgeM: Where's the ribbon cable? Can a klutz access it?

Member Avatar for mjdodd

The ribbon cable is under the keyboard! Have to remove keyboard gently and check cable. With the external monitor have you checked the boot log and event logs as these may give indication as to where the fault lies?
Bol m

Member Avatar for JorgeM

Yeah, i would just be very carefull opening up the laptop. I've done it back in the day a few times. On one occassion, I was lucky as it was just loose at the connector for some reason. On another occassion, I needed to order a new ribbon cable.

Keep in mind that the cable is just one possibility. Sounds like there may be other issues going on now that you mention that the touchpad isnt working either.

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