Ugh! Broken LCD Screen.

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:25 am

Well, my laptop's screen is cracked. I couldn't tell you how it happened, only that it was some time when it was in my backpack.

Time for a better backpack. And possibly some nice squishy protection for my laptop. Ever since I got the bag it's been deteriorating into nothing.

Anyways, enough about cause.

I have a T61, 14.1" WXGA+ LCD (1440*900 pixels).

The crack is about two inches in from the right, just enough to reach the beginning of the battery meter. The laptop is still plenty usable (I'm using it right now), and the area of the crack is only about 10-20% ruined, in the form of colourful vertical lines, and a black line and splotch kind of like spilled ink where the crack is.

My questions:

1) I don't suppose this is covered by lenovo's basic 1 year warranty...eh?
2) Should I bother replacing it? Is there a way to just move the screen over two inches?
3) Is it possible/worthwhile to upgrade my warranty and then be all "whoops I broke it AFTER I got the warranty!" (Accidental Damage Warranty)
4) Is it worth it to instead buy a new LCD? It looks like it will run me about $200.

5) How do I prevent this from happening in the future? My bag is always 95-100% full of heavy things. I'm sure that's not what happened though. I'm pretty sure it was more of a knock on the side.

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:08 am

Kurt_ - so you're back again then!

5) Make a case out of MDF and foam pad it inside, that will take a lot of battering. Use 6mm MDF otherwise it will be too heavy.

Aguiluz · Post by **Aguiluz** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:40 pm

5) Use a different bag for your 'top.

APHawkes · Post by **APHawkes** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 2:28 pm

1. Not likely covered by warranty. Basically almost never unless it is a manufactured flaw.
2. It shouldn't be that bad to replace. Can you move the screen over? YES! Look up a utility called "Powerstrip".
3. LCDs breakage is generally never covered by any warranty. And this is a bit unethical, no?
4. New screen is $200 or used? You should be able to get a suitable replacement for a little less than that.
5. You need a hard case. MDF with foam isn't a bad idea. You may consider getting a bag that rolls around, and has a pocket for the laptop which isn't directly connected to the large heavy objects in the rest of the bag. The frequent travelers around the office use these things all the time.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 3:06 pm

The thing with foam, is it can only compress so far. As soon as its fully compressed, you might as well have a piece of paper protecting your laptop. I think that you need to have something solid (such as sheet metal) either directly on the top of the laptop or on the other side of the foam pocket in the bag (so foam is between laptop and metal, preventing scratches). Toughbooks don't have foam all around them, they have solid cases that don't flex. Foam is good for impacts, but solid is best for constant pressure. A combination of both would protect the laptop best.

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 3:37 pm

To be held really secure, you could vacuum form a plastic sheet to hold all the contents in place!

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:47 pm

I slapped together a crude case out of some sort of layered particleboard and some packing foam. And duct tape. It's really a pain to get in and out though, as I barely had room to begin with. Oh well!

Now, as I don't really feel like buying a new screen, how about shifting that monitor image over? I tried powerstrip, and it didn't have any feature like that in it. And, unfortunately, most results for shifting a monitor image is for fixing a shifted image. Kind of makes you think. I'm fixing it by doing what others would consider breaking.

APHawkes · Post by **APHawkes** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:22 am

Powerstrip isn't very well documented. You have to do a little searching to figure out how to get past the color correction stuff into the more useful resolution modifying goodness. Also, it doesn't support all video cards, so that might be limiting you as well. I know of HTPC people who use this all the time. You want to get to the "resolution-in-a-resolution" window. More help HERE

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:45 am

It's in "Advanced Timing Options" but it's non-clickable for me.

With my graphics card driver, I can set a lower horiztonal resolution with black bars on the sides, but that's on BOTH sides. That effectively cuts (literally) 40% of my screen away. Which is not acceptable.

timmeh87 · Post by **timmeh87** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:36 am

*facepalm*

whats your new record for longest time without breaking a laptop... 3 weeks?

You can actually get screens for $200? That sounds pretty cheap.

I foresee the crack spreading up the glass.

Seriously are you just shoving it in your bag with everything else? use a textbook against the screen! Get a bag like mine with a laptop pocket. You must be the unluckiest person alive, Ive been carrying thinkpads in my bag for 3 years without incident.

Did you close the screen on a hard object? Thats how Eric destroyed his.

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:00 pm

My bag ripped, and whatever small amount of padding there was on the bottom shifted to the side. So it was pretty much my laptop being continually put on the ground. And by put I mean dropped from half a foot onto tile.

HotDog-Cart · Post by **HotDog-Cart** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:08 am

Ahh, the 2 brothers are at it again.

Kurt, if it was going to be a laptop that JUST stays at up, I'd say rip the screen off and hook up an external monitor and use that as the screen.

:p

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 11:00 am

I was thinking that, but it's really not THAT bad once you get used to it. In fact, now that I look at it, I can say 100% that it has improved itself. Not to the point of perfection, but to the point where I can read everything on the side of the screen, and my scroll bar is no longer invisible.

I can at least hold out until Christmas break.

I might get a picture of it up soon, it's basically 20 or so 5-pixel-each vertical lines that go from the crack down, and above the crack they think out to around 2 or 3 pixels in width. All different colours! Pretty! No major spiderweb, it wasn't a whack to the screen, it looks like a hit on the side. Hairline crack, almost.