# Dropped Laptop Display weird



## irpooky (Oct 20, 2004)

My daughter dropped her laptop and now the display is messed up. The glass is not broken but it is all messed up now.
I have attached a picture of it. Can you tell me what I need to do to fix it?


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## beru (May 30, 2010)

I would bet that she damaged the LCD (stands for liquid crystal display). LCDs are very sensitive, and this often happens to laptops and phones.

The simplest options are:

1. Have the laptop's manufacturer replace the display. If you have special insurance or the laptop is pretty new, then this probably won't cost you much. If you have had it for awhile, then this will cost hundreds of dollars.

2. Buy a new laptop. If you want to salvage the data files saved on there, try connecting the laptop to an external display (like a TV or a desktop monitor). Then, you can move the files to an external hard drive. This is sometimes difficult if the laptop doesn't automatically reconfigure to an external monitor. Another option is to buy the same laptop again and just have the harddrive of the old laptop moved to the new laptop.

If those are too expensive, you can buy a cheap display online and install it yourself, but that can be pretty troublesome.

Here's an online guide that tells you where you might be able to buy a cheap display and how to replace it: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/how-to-replace-a-broken-laptop-or-notebook-display,review-649-2.html

I hope that helps!


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

moved to hardware forum


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

You need to change the screen, as already mentioned.
The cheapest way is to get hold of the service manual (some makers supply these on line) and take the lid apart to get at the display panel. These panels tend to be fairly generic so you can look at the back of the old one and get a make and model, You then look up a replacement panel, either an identical one or often a suitable replacement.
Panels tend to be a lot cheaper to buy than the maker's screen (even if they may be the same). 

If you are reasonably handy with a screwdriver (no soldering or anything like that needed) you can do it yourself.


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