Member Avatar for mikeammar

My toshiba P30 won't boot at all. The power light goes on, fan works, dvd work fine, harddrive doesn't spin though. Total black screen. I tried an external monitor, same result. The harddrive LED doesn't flicker as it does usually when the harddrive is accessed. This problem started last night.

Here's more info... Few months ago, my computer was overheating, I opened it up and cleaned the heatsink, it was badly cluged. I put it back together, but I still had a little problem with the screen where most of the times it's normal, but sometimes you get different coloring as if some filter was applied. Anyway, as I was playing around with it to figure out the problem, I figured if I touch or apply some pressure onto the video connector on the motherboard, it works again. Last night, I was doing that and then screen became distorted then eventually it just shot off... Initially I thought it's the screen. I tried it with an external monitor as I mentioned, but that didn't work.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Mike

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Dani AI

Generated

A laptop that shows power (LEDs, fan, drive activity) but produces a total black screen — especially when the image briefly appears or changes color if the lid or video connector is pressed — most often points to a failure in the video path (display cable, connector, backlight/inverter, or a board-level GPU/video solder joint). 's suggestion that the problem was video-related aligns with common symptom patterns; later reported that repairing the video connection restored the machine, which confirms that mechanical/video-path faults should be high on the checklist.

Common troubleshooting checklist (in practical order):

  • Power-reset: remove AC and battery, hold the power button ~15–30 seconds to drain residual power, then try booting with AC only.
  • POST/beep checks and RAM: listen for POST beeps; reseat memory modules and try one module at a time to rule out RAM faults that can leave the screen blank.
  • External monitor vs. internal display: toggle external-display output (model-specific function key). If the external works while the internal stays black, the problem is usually the screen assembly or its cable; if both are black, the board/GPU is suspect.
  • Backlight test: with the machine powered, shine a strong flashlight at an angle across the LCD to look for a very faint image — a faint picture indicates a backlight or inverter/LED driver fault rather than a complete video signal loss.
  • Physical inspection: check the LVDS/flat flex cable, connector latch, and cable routing for broken pins, torn tape, or corrosion. Reseating the cable can be diagnostic.
  • Data preservation: remove the hard drive and attach it to a USB adapter/enclosure before invasive repair to secure data.

Repair and safety notes: pressing a connector can be a temporary workaround but risks further damage. Micro-soldering or connector replacement is often required for permanent repair; those procedures need ESD precautions and either skill or a qualified technician. If the laptop is under warranty, avoid opening it. The thread shows that a video-path repair can be a quick win, so prioritize visual inspection and safe reseating before assuming full motherboard replacement.

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Member Avatar for mikeammar

HI, it's me again. I wanted to update my previous post. The harddrive does spin as well.
So could it be the CPU?

Mike

Member Avatar for Chaky

Most likely your VGA got toasted. Those color distortions you described indicate that a connection between display and VGA was faulty (maybe even shorted) which can cause VGA to fry (remeber, VGA memory is the easiest thing to burn). Only thing missing here is POST beeping (which is not a "must be"). So, if external monitor is not getting any signal from your VGA means that VGA is not emitting any.
And, with laptops, toasted VGA means toasted motherboard means take out what you can and dich the rest.
:cry:

Member Avatar for mikeammar

Most likely your VGA got toasted. Those color distortions you described indicate that a connection between display and VGA was faulty (maybe even shorted) which can cause VGA to fry (remeber, VGA memory is the easiest thing to burn). Only thing missing here is POST beeping (which is not a "must be"). So, if external monitor is not getting any signal from your VGA means that VGA is not emitting any.
And, with laptops, toasted VGA means toasted motherboard means take out what you can and dich the rest.
:cry:

Hi,
thanx for the reply. I finally was able to resolve the problem :)
Actually the IT Manager at work did for me hehehe. There was a conductor slipped out of place. He soldered it for me and voila... everything worked again. As for the color distoration, he also soldered the connections between the montior connector cable and the motherboard to make sure they work fine. That indeed fixed the color distoration. So few days ago I was thinking of selling it for parts, now it's back new :cheesy:

I hope that helps anyone that comes across a similar issue.

Member Avatar for Chaky

Allright!

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