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Laptop video problem

8 years ago

The display on my aging Sony VAIO laptop has given up the ghost in that a multitude of lines appear on it. I was using it as the source for a projected display when I noticed this problem. It's probably a hardware issue. I'm willing to bypass that display, by using an external monitor, but the option to select another monitor doesn't seem to work (Fn-F7) without logging on, and I can't because the part of the screen where the log on information is entered is covered up! I remember that if you boot up a laptop with an external display connected, it would work but perhaps not until you log on.

Any suggestions? I thought if I could create an external boot CD or flash drive, maybe I could bypass this problem. It is running Windows 6 (Vista).

Featured Answer

Steve J

8 years ago

Great, this confirms that your lcd is bad. You can get the replaced for as little as $100 if you do this yourself, or more if you pay someone. Deleting the 2nd account will likely go back to auto login. Be careful on deleting accounts, if your data is stored in that user profile, that will be gone if you delete it.

I would perform a hard drive test on that computer. Slow bootup can sometimes lead to a failing drive and knowing its going bad gives you time to replace it while you can still access your data.

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Comments (10)

mikie_gw
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Might look in your bios setup to see if it has setting for external display only. Lenovo ThinkPad here does have settings for which display to connect at boot - internal, external or both.
mtvhike
Original Author
8 years ago
Except that I cannot see the bios setup because of the bad screen!
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mikie_gw
8 years ago
Maybe you can type in your pin or password when you think its on the login screen, give windows time to load then press your Fn combo ? I did that with busted screen before. Big heavy Sony CRT must be close to 20 yrs old.

I'm an expert at falling asleep and dumping my laptop onto the floor. Last display I splurged for a $66 1080p LED, for my beloved $59 ebay thinkpad :)
kudzu9
8 years ago
Can you get into the Control Panel to change the size of the display? That might make what you want to see move into an area of the screen that's visible.
Steve J
8 years ago
Plug in an external kb and mouse, and your external monitor. Close the lid and power on. The display Should default to the external display. If that works, the problem is likely the lcd. Otherwise its likely a video card hardware or driver issue.
PRO
Java Painting & Restoration
8 years ago
options:

1.-video display cable moved or broken 60%

2.-display broken 40%

open you laptop and try this before anything
mtvhike
Original Author
8 years ago
Steve: Does it matter what kind of external monitor (VGA or HDMI)? Java P&R: Try what? What Steve said?
PRO
Java Painting & Restoration
8 years ago
lines normally is hardware problem ,turn on you laptop and press ( windows key + p ) on any windows and select projector only or try this combination few times and wait 3 sec every time

open you laptop and check all cables specially lcd cables somethins like this

http://www.laptopparts101.com/lcd-screen-video-cable/
mtvhike
Original Author
8 years ago
OK, Steve, it worked! External keyboard, mouse, and HDMI monitor. It took a long time to boot, but I got the logon screen and was able to connect. Now, this computer have two accounts, one of which is obsolete. After I remove that account, is there a way I can eliminate the logon screen so that it boots directly unto the regular account?

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