Member Avatar for mlatterner

Hi, I have a Toshiba SP10-554 with German Windows XP and a European AC adapter. I have a problem in that something has happened to my laptop while I was moving apartments - it was safe in a backpack that wasn't dropped or anything, but now the LCD won't light up! The power light is on, as is the battery charging light, and the hard drive and fans are working, but the screen is blank.
I have tried all possible combinations of turning it on without battery, without AC, pressing Fn-f5 (???).
Any ideas?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by lee27

Dani AI

Generated

Quick, focused diagnostic notes tied to the replies here (no repeat of earlier basics): start by deciding whether the machine is actually completing POST/BIOS or if the display subsystem alone is failing. The cleanest, low-risk checks you can run next are below — work in a dim room and be gentle with the lid/hinges.

  1. Do a full power drain (hard reset): unplug AC, remove any removable battery, then hold the power button 30–60 seconds before restarting. This clears residual charge and can resolve stuck power states. (ifixit.com)

  2. Flashlight test: with the laptop on, shine a bright flashlight at the screen very close and look for a faint image. If you can see the desktop or BIOS text faintly, the panel is receiving image data but the backlight/inverter/LED driver is dead. (lifewire.com)

  3. External-display check (as suggested): connect a monitor/TV via VGA/HDMI. If the external shows BIOS/OS, GPU/motherboard is likely OK and the fault is the internal display assembly, cable, or backlight. If the external is also blank, suspect POST/motherboard/graphics faults. (lifewire.com)

  4. Lid/hinge wiggle: while powered, very gently move the lid through its range and watch for flicker. Intermittent image or flicker usually points to a damaged or loose LVDS/eDP cable at the hinge. If you get intermittent image with movement, that’s a strong indicator the cable or connector is the culprit. (ifixit.com)

If diagnostics point to the panel/cable/backlight, options are: replace the LCD assembly or cable, or have a tech check the backlight fuse/LED driver (board-level repair). Those last steps require tools and ESD caution and can involve high voltages on older CCFL inverters. If data safety is a priority, remove the drive first or have a shop image it before parts work. For the practical note about using another laptop as a display: you generally cannot feed a laptop’s native video input to another laptop directly; wireless projection or screen‑sharing requires both machines to boot and run software. (ifixit.com)

If any step is unclear or any test produces a specific result (faint image, external works, loud beeps, repeated restarts like ), those exact symptoms narrow the advice — provide that detail when ready.

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All 7 Replies

Member Avatar for Suspishio

I would connect an external screen to the laptop to see what's happening in case it is the LCD side that's broken.

Can you do this or have you done this?

Member Avatar for mlatterner

I would connect an external screen to the laptop to see what's happening in case it is the LCD side that's broken.

Can you do this or have you done this?

I don't have a monitor to do this with, but I could use another laptop. Is this possible?

Member Avatar for Suspishio

It's theoretically possible - but you have to get your first laptop working to set it up!

Can you borrow a screen off a neighbour? You've got to get into a controlled situation somehow to know what to do.

mfg

Member Avatar for cguan_77

when you power on does K/B led's flash, if it flash then your system can initialize..try powering on with PSU, M/B, and your memory stick, try taking out the processor and putting it back to its place..check if you can get a display..if you tried and still it doesn't work then it could be a hardware problem..but quite hard to know which is which...

Member Avatar for Suspishio

when you power on does K/B led's flash, if it flash then your system can initialize..try powering on with PSU, M/B, and your memory stick, try taking out the processor and putting it back to its place..check if you can get a display..if you tried and still it doesn't work then it could be a hardware problem..but quite hard to know which is which...

I'm not sure that this canned reply (see yours to Monica22) applies in this case. it's a laptop and messing with the CPU isn't straightforward let alone likely to be fruitful.

Member Avatar for mlatterner

Thanks, I'll try these suggestions. Appreciate the help!

Member Avatar for lee27

i have a Toshiba Satellite A300 1J1 laptop when i press the power botton it turns on all lights come on fan hd and dvd drive works but dont get any disply at all then restarts after about 15secs then just keeps restarting .. any clues ??

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