If you are having a problem with the display of your laptop, don’t immediately assume it is a bad screen, it is possible that it is simply the inverter board that is going bad and would be a much cheaper fix than replacing the whole LCD Screen.  If the problems with your display include any of the following symptoms, it is possible that your inverter board is the problem and needs to be replaced or reconnected.

1. If the video on your screen is faint/dim or blank it is most likely that your inverter board is going bad and needs replacing.
2. If there is unusually high amounts of excessive heat coming from the bottom area of your LCD screen it is possible that your inverter board has a bad or loose connection and may just need to be replugged in.

What is an Inverter Board?
Need a new Inverter Board?

If you’re DVD drive is having problems, here are a few symptoms that can help you to narrow it down to being a bad drive.  If your drive has any of the following symptoms, we have found that it is most likely a bad drive:

1. Your DVD drive reads or writes CD’s but not DVD’s, be sure to check multiple discs as it could just be a bad disc.
2. Your DVD drive does not read any discs, be sure to check multiple discs as it could just be a bad disc.
3. Your drive spins up, but does not boot off any discs.
4. Your drive makes grinding noises and error messages appear on your screen while using.
5. Your drive does not eject.

What is a DVD drive?
Need a new DVD drive for your laptop?

The laptop or notebook computer has many parts that contribute to its functionality.   A laptop can be broken up into two main sections, the display or LCD casing and the bottom casing or base.  In this way, a laptop is setup somewhat similar to a desktop computer in that the LCD casing section is mainly made up of the parts that would be included in a desktop monitor and the bottom casing includes the main computer components that would be included inside the desktop computer itself.

The display section or LCD casing of the laptop includes the parts necessary to make the LCD screen work.  The parts included in this section are as follows:

LCD Casing

Internal (unseen) Required Parts

• Inverter Board
• LCD Cable
• Hinges and/or Brackets

External (visible) Required Parts

• LCD Screen
• Thumb Knob and Latch
• Display Bezel
• LCD Casing

Internal (unseen) Optional Parts

• Wireless Antenna
• Microphone

External (visible) Optional Parts

• Web Cam

The bottom casing houses the main components of the computer.  Parts included in the bottom casing are as follows:

Bottom Casing

Internal (unseen) Required Parts

• CPU
• Memory (RAM)
• Video Card
• Audio Board
• Hard Drive
• Motherboard
• Power Board
• LED Board
• Cable Clips
• Heat Sinks
• CMOS Battery

External (visible) Required Parts

• Keyboard
• Touch Mouse Pad
• Cooling Fans
• Battery
• Palm Rest
• DC Power Jack
• Cover Doors

Internal (unseen) Optional Parts

• Bluetooth Card
• Modem
• NIC
• Wireless Card

External (visible) Optional Parts

• Optical Drive (CD/DVD/Blu-Ray)
• Memory Card Reader
• PCMCIA slot
• Speakers
• Fingerprint Reader Board
• USB Board
• A/V Port Board
• Floppy Drive

Laptop Heatsink & Fan

Fans and heat sinks help in cooling down your laptop to prevent overheating. The heat sink is a device often made of copper or aluminum that sits on top of high heat generating chips such as the CPU and draws the heat away from the chip into the fins of the heat sink. A fan is generally installed on top of the heat sink to dissipate the heat that the heat sink draws from the chip. Fans are also placed on the sides or bottom of the laptop casing to help improve air flow throughout the laptop which also helps prevent overheating.

Need a laptop cooling device?

CMOS Battery

The CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) battery provides power to the CMOS chip when the laptop is not powered on. The CMOS memory stores the date, time, and system setup parameters. Without the CMOS Battery, the CMOS would not be able to continuously keep track of the date and time while your computer is off.

Need a laptop CMOS battery?

Laptop Battery

The laptop battery powers your laptop when it is not plugged into a wall outlet via an AC adapter. Most laptop batteries need to replaced every 3 to 5 years depending on how often you use the laptop with only battery power. The typical length of time that you are able to run your laptop on battery power depends on what tasks you are doing, but it should last around 2 to 5 hours with general use. A laptop will mostly likely have a lithium ion battery in older laptops or a lithium polymer battery in newer laptops.

Need a laptop battery?

AC Adapter

The AC adapter for a laptop connects to a power outlet to both provide electricity for your laptop and to charge your battery. The adapter converts AC (Alternating Current) to DC (Direct Current).

Need a laptop AC adapter?

Touchpad

The touchpad on a laptop is an alternative to using a mouse. By sliding your finger along the smooth, flat, touch sensitive surface of the pad, you control the movement of the cursor on the screen. Often, double tapping the touchpad with your finger simulates a click of the button on a mouse.

Need a laptop touchpad?

Keyboard

A keyboard is a set of keys arranged into rows and used to input text and numbers or give commands to the laptop. Laptops may not have a full keyboard depending on the size of the laptop, they may not have a numeric keypad.

Need a laptop keyboard?

LCD Cable

The LCD cable connects the motherboard to the LCD screen, so data can be transferred from the motherboard and video card to the screen. Most LCD cables also connect to and provide high voltage DC power to the inverter board.

Need a laptop LCD cable?