ZT3000 Screen problem - Need advice

Video card issues are well known on this as well as the twin X1000 Compaq.. These warp and cause a bad connection on the Ball Grid Array.. (BGA) Mounted Video chip. Do NOT Buy a used one off E-bay. Get a new one from HP @ 169.00.. Just my opinion.. Weve repaired a ton of these piles as well..

LOL! Dont fret HP.. Theyre not in the business of being on top-o-the list as for as C.S. as far I can tell.(Too many pissed off customers sending us machines). Had an attorneys office contact a month or so ago regarding HP's Newer laptops and a lawsuit. (Asked if perhaps we'd be interested in being a consultant if needed).. The Video card issues are just one of the problems on their board and good luck buying one used? It may be ok for a while but it will eventually fail. (Trust me).. Best bet for these is buy a new card and sell the bone w/out a warranty of any kind.. Have a good 1!

Also.. Good luck on Pay-Krap-Pals Insurance.. (Weve been stuck here be4).. Need proof? I'll gladly forward the Auction numbers as we as the complaints w/proof of non-delivery of the goods.. They suck.....

Don't buy off of ebay,

3/4's or more sold on ebay are the same defective cards sold over and over.

A person with a dead machine buys one and tries it in their notebook and it does not work.

They then part out their machine then sell now TWO dead video cards.

And the game goes on and on and on.

I know this as I bought a dead video card from ebay with DOA gaurantee from a seller with 100% on 20+ feedbacks. He dropped off the face of the earth after that and would not refund. Paypal screwed with me by keeping making up new things I had to PROVE. I spent hours and hours with those idiots. Eventually I gave up as thats what they try to make you do.

If you buy anything like this on ebay, then buy only from a power seller (1000+ feedbacks with 98.5%+ positive) else the other party will care less and not refund.

This model notebook is a well known dud for this defect that HP refused to acknowledge. I can tell you from experience with three notebooks with this defect sent in under warranty repair that HP stated they replaced the motherboard, Had Hard drive software issues which they tried to charge for, and also said it was a fan problem, and on all three we confirmed they did indeed change the video card (once the idiots actually downgraded the card from a 64MB to 32 MB and when we called they first said we did not have a 64MB card when ordered but after proving we did they made it apparent they felt we were scamming them by swapping the card to get another one).

HP CS is really really really bad. Buying new from HP is good advise as they have a slight revision of using a red expoxy like glue to keep the video chip from moving on the video card (Ikenfixit says the chip pulls up and away from warpage, I can not confirm warpage as mine all appeared straight, but it definitely was something in or under the video chip from diagnosing, I will defer to his professional diagnosis though).

I would buy from HP, and recheck their prices as they change constantly. Also consider the cheaper 7500 card as its not only cheaper but for some reason I have seen only one complaint of it going bad (maybe thats because there are so few, or because it is not subject to the same defect).

There was one reputable dealer on ebay thats posted at the X1000forums that supposedly sells the new red goop cards for $79, though they are probably the only one currently recommended at that forum for a replacement video card.

I will ask though to confirm a bad video card have you done the "6-7-y" diagnosis or any other diagnosis technique before going that route?

Oh ya, the usual death occurs 14 days after warranty expires, not 12, there were two huge posts at the X1000forums with 14 day death/crash/whatever in the title.

GOOD LUCK!