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#1 2013-01-22 03:07:23

ngoonee
Forum Fellow
From: Between Thailand and Singapore
Registered: 2009-03-17
Posts: 7,354

Borked laptop graphics card, how to check if screen is okay?

Today morning my laptop booted to a blank screen, no bios. Some trial-and-error revealed I could login but the graphics card is shot.

Repairing the card would cost quite a bit, so before I do that I'd like to check if there's any way to verify that my screen isn't also broken (dropped the laptop today, not linked to gc issue). I can boot to an external monitor after removing the nvidia drivers but can't get anything on the built in screen except some random line patterns


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#2 2013-01-22 03:14:09

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,442
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Re: Borked laptop graphics card, how to check if screen is okay?

I'm really not to sure of this, but wouldn't running an external monitor be just as dependent on the video card as the internal monitor?  You just plug the external monitor into the VGA (or perhaps HDMI) output of the video card, right?

(edit: typo)

Last edited by Trilby (2013-01-22 03:14:32)


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#3 2013-01-22 03:20:24

ngoonee
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From: Between Thailand and Singapore
Registered: 2009-03-17
Posts: 7,354

Re: Borked laptop graphics card, how to check if screen is okay?

As far as I can tell, the internal video card works with vesa and not nvidia. Not sure how that goes internally


Allan-Volunteer on the (topic being discussed) mailn lists. You never get the people who matters attention on the forums.
jasonwryan-Installing Arch is a measure of your literacy. Maintaining Arch is a measure of your diligence. Contributing to Arch is a measure of your competence.
Griemak-Bleeding edge, not bleeding flat. Edge denotes falls will occur from time to time. Bring your own parachute.

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#4 2013-01-22 03:36:39

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,442
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Re: Borked laptop graphics card, how to check if screen is okay?

If that's true, then shouldn't you be able to test the internal screen with vesa as well?

If the internal screen isn't working, I'd have to suspect that either the screen did get damaged or that the cable from the screen to the video card may have been knocked lose.  Physical screen damage in lcds (in my admittedly limited experience) seems to lead to regions of "dead" screen (often along a crack-line), while other areas work fine.  No output, or scattered lines might be more likely for a lose connection.

Last edited by Trilby (2013-01-22 03:37:29)


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#5 2013-01-22 04:33:26

ewaller
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From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: Borked laptop graphics card, how to check if screen is okay?

Maybe you've a failed back light.  Look at the display from directly in front of it in a darkened room.  With a flashlight (torch) illuminate the display from a 30 to 60 degree angle  off to the side.  If you can see the display, you probably smoked an inverter.

Last edited by ewaller (2013-01-22 04:33:44)


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#6 2013-01-22 04:39:26

ngoonee
Forum Fellow
From: Between Thailand and Singapore
Registered: 2009-03-17
Posts: 7,354

Re: Borked laptop graphics card, how to check if screen is okay?

The backlight works (sometimes corrupt images appear with non correlation to what's actually on the screen). The only way I can access the machine now is through disabling nvidia and nouveau and using the external monitor.

How does the "nvidia half" for want of a better word break when something is still working for me to use the external monitor?


Allan-Volunteer on the (topic being discussed) mailn lists. You never get the people who matters attention on the forums.
jasonwryan-Installing Arch is a measure of your literacy. Maintaining Arch is a measure of your diligence. Contributing to Arch is a measure of your competence.
Griemak-Bleeding edge, not bleeding flat. Edge denotes falls will occur from time to time. Bring your own parachute.

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