LCD burning out?

There doesn't seem to be a computer hardware forum, so I'll post here.
I own a compaq presario 721 CL with a S3 Twister K video card. Over the last couple of days I've noticed a weird flickering in the title bar of my windows. I use Windows XP with the classic theme. The flickering is just to the right of the left side of the title bar. It's not doing it right now, but I think it would be under orums of the sciforums.com in the title bar also on the right end of the title bar about a third of the way. I think that what is happening is either a certain color of blue or a certain color of gray (most likely) is being replaced by a light, electric blue type color. Sometimes it flickers, sometimes its more steady. I tried updated drivers (though I haven't had a problem in two years, so doubt this is it.), and I also just reinstalled thinking it might be a weird virus or some other weird thing. It still does it sporadically. Is this a sign of either the LCD going out or the video chip going out? Overheating? I generally don't use the tabs under the computer to put an airspace under the computer. I will try this and see what happens, but it happened at immediate startup today, so it would be at its coolest right? I'll look other places for an answer too, but I hoped someone here might be able to help me. Searching in google is like the needle in a haystack sometimes. And compaq has extremely poor support, especially after HP bought them out.

Please, Please, Please!!! tell me I'm not going to have to replace hardware on my laptop. I've heard the costs for that are outrageous.

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Bummer. If it just happens here it is probably the sciforums gremlins. Otherwise, it sounds like an intermittent connection, oh boy. That is a laptop? Often the video card on those puppies is socketed or built in. If socketed, then explore where it is and try removing it then plugging it back in, in case it is just a problem with that connection. Maybe the ribbon cable (?) to the LCD has a break in which case you probably have to get it to someone who can quite dissasemble the unit and see if they can find the break and repair it. Oh boy.

 

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in the hour and a half since I posted earlier, I haven't seen it happen again. I've had it up on the stilts since then. Maybe it's overheating. It just started doing it, so it would be weird for it to start now, but maybe it's packed with dust and crap inside. I figure my next step will be to take it apart and see if I can clean anything, I'll check the connectors too. It happens in all title bars, I think it just singles out a specific shade of grey and weirds it out. When I go into a color palette, the whole grey areas weird, and blue must have a lot of greys in it, cuz it's affected too, here and there.

I was just hoping something had seen this effect before and give a possible cause.

although, if it were the connector, the most likely spot to wear would be the bend between screen and base. Moving the screen had no effect, so....

 

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I would suggest always using the stilts on a laptop due to that factor that they are there to stop overheating.

It's hard to guess what the fault is, but it could be overheating, it could be that you've got a High "Interlaced" resolution for the screen that should be lessened. (Say 1280x768 might be too oversized for your systems specifications to deal with.)

If you take it apart, be very careful. Make sure you don't overtighten anything as using a Tungsten or harder screwdriver can cause fragments of screw to breakoff and then you'll start having short-circuits which is not what you want.

 

it has become worse, video is corrupt almost all the time now. It is definitely a problem with a certain color of grey. I set the desktop color to grey, and the corruption fills the whole screen, it makes it almost the color as the default background blue. I haven't taken it apart yet, I got to go get a screwdriver to open it. My question is, Do you think it's the LCD screen itself or the cable? I've hooked up a seperate monitor with the s-video out and it shows no corruption, so I've eliminated the video card/chip as the problem. It's definitely between the card and the screen. It also looks like it's going to be a major pain in the ass to try and find a cable to replace it if that is the problem. I figure what I'll do is take it apart, and wiggle the cable to see if it causes the problem to intensify/deintensify. What are the normal symptoms of an LCD burning out? aarggh!

 

and just like that, it clears up, it'll be back though. I haven't moved the screen at all, movement seems to have no effect whatsoever. so depressed

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Well a Laptop I have has a remittant problem, where occasionally the whole screen goes white, the problem was just a cable and it's connection to the board. So when it whites out, pressing the cable down slightly fixes it.

You could check to see if the cable has shifted out of the socket slightly on the board, which it might do seeing how a laptop is usually wired.

 

Ok, I got a screwdriver, took it apart, and fiddled with it. The backlight wire had a frayed spot in the protective cloth tape they wrap around it, and it seemed to be pinched a bit where it goes into the lcd. I assume that was the backlight anyway as there are only 2 wires going into the screen. The other didn't seem to have any noticable pinches, or frays. I reseated all the connectors and fired it back up. It seems that so far so good. If anyone comes across this thread on a web search with a similar problem, the weird overlay static effect is caused by poor connections. Assume this to be the case unless I come back later with a post changing my assessment. *Fingers crossed* I don't wanna pay 600 bucks for a new lcd. Damn laptops!!!

 

Im haveing a very similar problem with my laptop. May I ask what kind of laptop you have?

 

Compaq Presario 721cl, I think all the 700 series are pretty similar.

 

Mine is a compaq presario as well. Im getting ready to take it back to Circuit City.

 

If I could I probably would, it's been 2 years though. You just bought yours and are having a problem? That's tough. You definitely don't want to take it apart yourself, that would void your warranty. Take it back. Compaq sux, IMO. No support whatsoever. No bios upgrades, no nothin. Start a thread taking advice on what laptop to buy for the price. I'm sure you could get an opinion or two in here.

 

I bought a 4 year warrenty from Circuit City. Cost me 400 bucks, but seems now that it is going to pay off.