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ThinkPad T40 Screen Blanks/Fuzzes Out

post #1 of 18
Thread Starter 
Hi there, this is my first post and hopefully one of you guys can help me out here...

Ok, I have searched for similar problems on the internet, tried those solutions, but no luck. I'm now thinking that this is some sort of defective hardware problem, but I'm not sure which part. So, here goes:

Specs:

IBM thinkpad t40
40gb hd
intel centrino 1500mhz
256mb ram
cd/rw drive
made in 2003 sometime

As of late, the screen has randomly begun t o blank out. This mostly happens when its on your lap or you pick it up to move it. The slighest bit of motion to it can cause a few problems: the screen will go black, the screen will be 'scrambled' such that the colors and icons are messed, pixelation occurs (bits of red/green tiny pixels will cover the screen) and blank/white horizontal lines. SOMETIMES this can be fixed by gently holding the top of the lcd, then lightly shaking the entire machine gently. Sometimes it comes back to normal, but most times the mouse will then be a 'white block' and there will be slight pixelation. Then after some use it'll all come back to normal somehow like nothing ever happened. If we keep it in a stationary position like on a table, nothing happens. Its when we move it or use it on our laps then change position, thats when it goes haywire.

The solutions I've tried were to disassemble it, then reconnect the video card and the lcd connection. I took the entire thing apart, connected all connections securely, cleaned it out...this worked for like 20mins, then any slight movement would put it out again. I think its gotten worse, as the lightest touch sometimes puts it out. Half the time the machine has to be rebooted and then shaken to get it working.

If you need anymore help just ask. This is kind of hard to describe, so I'm doing my best. I personally think that its either the video card or lcd screen and that I need to replace one of them and would like to know if anyone knows which is probably the problem. This is my mom's laptop and she really only uses it for email and web surfing, word processing etc. We don't really have money to buy a new one, ad I'm certain that if I can find the problem, I can buy the part and replace it for a good cost. Thanks for readin it and any help woul dbe great.
post #2 of 18
. hook it to an external monitor
. shake (&Bake) the laptop as u used to lose the display
. if external shows no issue then u might want to look at either the inverter first before replacing the lcd

cheers ...
post #3 of 18
Thread Starter 
thanks for the reply qhn. i tried that and it seemed to output fine even with a slight shake. for some reason, nothing happens now if i rattle it, shake it lightly or move it in the same manner that if i had done before, it'd mess the screen up. i'm at a complete loss as to why it'd randomly stop doing this.
post #4 of 18
take the frame apart - it could be a simple thing as loose cable/connector
reference for removal:
http://www.lcds4less.com/laptop-lcd-...ructions.shtml

cheers ...
post #5 of 18
Thread Starter 
oh wow thanks a bunch of diggin that up for me. much appreciated, hopefully this solves the problem.
post #6 of 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by landonh View Post
Hi there, this is my first post and hopefully one of you guys can help me out here...

Ok, I have searched for similar problems on the internet, tried those solutions, but no luck. I'm now thinking that this is some sort of defective hardware problem, but I'm not sure which part. So, here goes:

Specs:

IBM thinkpad t40
40gb hd
intel centrino 1500mhz
256mb ram
cd/rw drive
made in 2003 sometime

As of late, the screen has randomly begun t o blank out. This mostly happens when its on your lap or you pick it up to move it. The slighest bit of motion to it can cause a few problems: the screen will go black, the screen will be 'scrambled' such that the colors and icons are messed, pixelation occurs (bits of red/green tiny pixels will cover the screen) and blank/white horizontal lines. SOMETIMES this can be fixed by gently holding the top of the lcd, then lightly shaking the entire machine gently. Sometimes it comes back to normal, but most times the mouse will then be a 'white block' and there will be slight pixelation. Then after some use it'll all come back to normal somehow like nothing ever happened. If we keep it in a stationary position like on a table, nothing happens. Its when we move it or use it on our laps then change position, thats when it goes haywire.

The solutions I've tried were to disassemble it, then reconnect the video card and the lcd connection. I took the entire thing apart, connected all connections securely, cleaned it out...this worked for like 20mins, then any slight movement would put it out again. I think its gotten worse, as the lightest touch sometimes puts it out. Half the time the machine has to be rebooted and then shaken to get it working.

If you need anymore help just ask. This is kind of hard to describe, so I'm doing my best. I personally think that its either the video card or lcd screen and that I need to replace one of them and would like to know if anyone knows which is probably the problem. This is my mom's laptop and she really only uses it for email and web surfing, word processing etc. We don't really have money to buy a new one, ad I'm certain that if I can find the problem, I can buy the part and replace it for a good cost. Thanks for readin it and any help woul dbe great.
Hey, landonh, did you ever figure this problem out? My wife's T40 has the same problem. Like you, I disassembled the whole thing and it still has the issue. I'd love to hear what you did to resolve it. Thanks!

John
post #7 of 18
just being curious, while waiting for landonh, what did u do after u dissassembled the lcd (i took it that is what u meant by the whole thing?)

cheers ...
post #8 of 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by qhn View Post
just being curious, while waiting for landonh, what did u do after u dissassembled the lcd (i took it that is what u meant by the whole thing?)

cheers ...
I didn't remove the bezel around the LCD at all. I removed the keyboard and handrest, then reseated all the mainboard connections.
post #9 of 18
Thread Starter 
ok, well i disassembled it all. like i took apart all the inner hardware...as for the lcd, we decided to take it in just for speed's sake and for convience...plus it was only $30 for it to get an assessment, so you can't lose. so i didnt end up touching the lcd. but i DID hook it to an external monitor and no dice - i got no signal on that either, so that would explain what was wrong - it ended up being a faulty motherboard. the guy said he's never see an ibm with a faulty motherboard...but the reasons for it are probably because it was used by my mom and by our family quite a bit (theres 4 of us kids), so there was some abuse for sure heh. plus it was fairly old, a good six years i think. but yeah, it ended up being a faulty motherboard. to buy a brand new one, i think he quoted at like $400 or so online...but I know i found a few on ebay for like 150-250, though its ebay, so its a bit risky sometimes when it comes to old (and used) computer parts. we just decided to buy a new computer, cause we needed an upgrade anyhow....
post #10 of 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by landonh View Post
ok, well i disassembled it all. like i took apart all the inner hardware...as for the lcd, we decided to take it in just for speed's sake and for convience...plus it was only $30 for it to get an assessment, so you can't lose. so i didnt end up touching the lcd. but i DID hook it to an external monitor and no dice - i got no signal on that either, so that would explain what was wrong - it ended up being a faulty motherboard. the guy said he's never see an ibm with a faulty motherboard...but the reasons for it are probably because it was used by my mom and by our family quite a bit (theres 4 of us kids), so there was some abuse for sure heh. plus it was fairly old, a good six years i think. but yeah, it ended up being a faulty motherboard. to buy a brand new one, i think he quoted at like $400 or so online...but I know i found a few on ebay for like 150-250, though its ebay, so its a bit risky sometimes when it comes to old (and used) computer parts. we just decided to buy a new computer, cause we needed an upgrade anyhow....
Thanks for taking the time to answer me. I had a feeling you were going to say it was a faulty motherboard. I've been able to easily duplicate the problem if I hold the computer by the base. I think the motherboard is flexing from the weight of the computer and LCD, causing a short somewhere. I'm going to consider another notebook, too, in short time I suppose, but that clearly depends on how much I can find the mainboard for. I appreciate your insights!

John
post #11 of 18
Thread Starter 
yep, thats exactly what would happen to me, if i held my computer by the bottom or moved it and the motherboard was jarred the slightest bit. and i believe it was a short somewhere...so yeah, you can either try to get one on ebay or somewhere online and replace it yourself (which wouldnt be all too difficult), or just buy a new one. no problem, glad i could help...i scoured the internet for days tryin to find someone with this problem, but i couldnt...hence why i started this thread. glad i could help ya. hope it goes well for you.
post #12 of 18
As a quick follow-up, I thought I'd pass along this information to anyone having the same issue that may be interested in solving the problem rather than having to throw out their old T4X they know and love. I found the following on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Thinkpad-T40...QQcmdZViewItem

The shop was relatively close to where I live, so I dropped my wife's notebook off with the gentleman. He and I spoke for awhile and he talked to me about his background. He worked for Tellabs until their much-publicized downsizing and decided to go into motherboard repairs as his own business. For $50, he did a fantastic job on my wife's computer. He repairs them and then performs x-ray analysis to determine whether or not there are other problems. On top of that, there was free return shipping via USPS. It's nice to support the regular guy while getting an issue resolved. I highly recommend him! I hope this helps out.
post #13 of 18
I have exactly the same problem. Suprisingly, removing battery stopped the strange behavior you described. I suppose there must be some problem with the notebook's power module or the battery connector.
post #14 of 18

fixed

I have been having the same problem with my t40, and it dose seem to be a motherboard problem. My simple fix for it was to open the case and stick small piece of rubber under the bottom left hand corner of the mother board... it still fritzes out every now and then and makes the hand rest a little uneven but minior inconvenences for a short term fix.


check next page for more info...
post #15 of 18
Wow, wishing that you would/could post some pics along with it

cheers ...
post #16 of 18
please do this at your own risk...

i will try to get some picures out but all you need to do is take all the screws out of the bottom of the laptop this will include the screws that hold the touchpad on (they have covers glued on them) once you do this the keybord concole and touchpad concole come off just disconnect the ribbon cables. once this is accomplished pry up the motherboard in the bottom left hand corner just so you can put somthing under it (i used a littile peice of rubber i had laying on my desk. this will put reverse pressure on the motherbord that was caused by warping. i had to break off the door to my card bus so that i could still acess it. after it is proped up turn it on and see what happens you may need to try diffrent things to get enough levitation. then put the thing back together. like i said this will warp the shape of the handrest and make it look funny. ive had it working for 3 days now and have only had the problem a coupple of times... it works much better if left on a flat surface. But it works and is defintaly worth the troubble. i will be checking the tread every now and then so please dont be afraid to ask questions and i will help as much as possible.
post #17 of 18
I had a same problem with my T40 few years ago. Mine was a internal motherboard defect. your might be the same.
Actually, try removing your ram sticks and replacing it with different ones. It might solve the problem
post #18 of 18
I can guarantee it is NOT caused but mother board warping I am an IT computer specialist and I have fixed many of these for good all I did was I had a couple brass screws laying around that happened to be the same size of the screws holding the lcd screen plug into the mother board and the same thread design (fine) and I put a plastic washer between it and the chip to eliminate arching of electricity and torqued those screws down until I coulnt any more and it fixed the problem for good I spen a good week going over all the wires for breakage in the hing area and there was no such break and I also put the mother board on a machine that had lasers on it and the mother boards were fine on every one of the boards I got into my shop so maybe the other guy had some freek accident where his heatsink didn't do its job but I would try that before throwning it was and also check the screws holding th bracket in that goes over the S video plugs and usb (e.t.c.) it should be a smoky black color and go onr ur hetsink and under ur card slot ending up in ur speaker assembly that bracket holds your threads in place for that plug and I trqued all those things down and havnt had a complaint on the fix in over a year just try it u may be surprised if u don't believe just put some rubber gloves on and push ur finger onto that plaug it should be right above ur modem and under your power pleg insurt and the move the screen or hit the computer I bet it wont balck out or fuzz out. Good luck hope I helped if u have any other questions about computer repairs shoot me an email at l8tr1129@gmail.com
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