Member Avatar for justgran

I have a Toshiba p205d that is over 3 years old. My computer went into hibernation overnight and when I tried to "wake it up" the screen remained black. I turned it off and back on got a quick flash showing the toshiba start up page and then black. I removed the battery and held the power button down for 60 seconds and that did not work. When I restart the computer, it will quickly flash with part of the screen showing for about 1 second and then it goes to black. If I look closely, i can see some images on the screen but very very dim. I am running Vista home version (if that helps). All of the lights are on at the front of the laptop and I can hear the hard drive going and the fan but the screen remains black. From the little online research I have done it sounds like it might be a lcd inverter issue. Am I on the right track??? Any help would be appreciated as I need my laptop for work and really cannot afford to buy a new one right now. Thanks in advance.

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A compact diagnostic + safe-repair checklist to complement and 's exchange. The posts show a faint-on-boot, then-black symptom; the notes below explain quick tests to confirm the fault, safe handling steps, and what to try if a simple board swap does not cure the problem.

  • External display: connect VGA/HDMI during power-up. If the external shows BIOS/desktop, the GPU and mainboard are likely fine and the issue is confined to the screen assembly.
  • Brightness/flashlight check: with the machine powered on, shine a strong flashlight at the display at an angle. A faint image indicates the panel is still generating the picture but the backlight/driver is not illuminating it.
  • Identify backlight type: peel back the bezel (or read the sticker on the panel) to get the LCD part number. CCFL-backlit panels use an inverter/driver board; LED-backlit panels do not—replacements differ.
  • Inspect the video/inverter cable at the hinge for kinks, broken wires, or loose connectors; intermittent contact can cause brief flashes.

Safe-repair tips and workflow: always remove AC power and the main battery, use a non-conductive pry tool and small Phillips driver, and keep screws organized. When a replacement board arrives, test it before full reassembly by temporarily reconnecting and powering up the laptop. Avoid forcing ribbon connectors; they are easily damaged. Use the exact part number for compatibility.

If the new board does not restore the backlight, suspect the LCD panel itself, a damaged LVDS cable, or a board-level fault on the motherboard. For those without experience, a local repair shop is often faster and avoids accidental panel damage. ’s hands-on experience and ’s follow-up confirm that the targeted board swap is a common, cost-effective fix when the diagnostics above point to the display assembly.

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Member Avatar for Rik_

That will be your backlight driver board! The fact that you can see something very dim tells me this. You can get a replacement easily enough from the likes of ebay. Just make sure it's for your exact model. In order to replace it you will need to take the screen apart if you feel you can do this! Otherwise, it will be a professional repair job needed!

Member Avatar for justgran

Is the backlight driver board the same as the lcd inverter? Sorry don't know much about hardware. Thanks for your response.

Member Avatar for Rik_

Yup, same thing!

Member Avatar for justgran

I have ordered a lcd inverter so will let you know what happens after it gets here and I install it (if you would like to know). Thanks again for your quick responses.

Member Avatar for Rik_

I'd love to know how you get on! :) Any problems, post 'em, ive changed well over 50 inverters myself!

Member Avatar for justgran

Rik, just wanted to follow up and let you know that I received and installed a new lcd inverter. Thanks for all of your help, my computer is up and running so it seems that was the culprit!! Thanks again for your advice.

Member Avatar for Rik_

That's great news! :) Glad I could help!

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