LCD screen scrambled, stabilizes when touched on the 'hot spot' on frame.

[PJJ]

I have another one of those unusual events that appear out of nowhere.
After a broken screen hinge my laptop screen on a Toshiba Satellite A45-S250 suddenly either refused to stabilize or stayed scrambled upon boot up. At times it also suddenly scrambled itself while I was working on the computer.

Disassambled entire laptop to fix broken hinge; did not yet replace graphics card. But the problem does not appear to be with it. Reason:
If I touch the metal frame of the screen at just the right spot and put slight pressure on it, the screen suddenly spring into normal behavior. Releasing the touch either makes the screen go bad again or the pictures stays normal but the computer freezes up. Mouse not working, touch pad unresponsive, etc.
More pressure restores everything to working, normal condition.

I have resolved the problem temporarily by placing a plastic pin (cloth pin-style) on the hotspot. Doing that the computer works perfectly well. No problems with the screen either.

The hotspot is on the top of the screen on the metal frame just a little to the left of the center. On the backside of the screen is a white tape with dire warnings about not touching it.

The problem is NOT due to touching the tape.
I presume that something was bent or jolted out of place because of the broken left screen hinge.

I have two questions:

1. What is the purpose of the white plastic tape? It must make some electrical connections.

2. How can I fix the screen permanentl?

I have access to another Toshiba. I could possibly substitute its screen for the finicky one. But the erratic behavior could also be caused by some wiring problem.

Does anyone know how to tackle this issue, please?

[Rod J]

I replaced a Toshiba laptop screen a while back. It was badly damaged with a crack running across the screen. It wasn't as hard a job as I thought it might be to replace the screen ... quite straightforward actually. Just be careful with the electrical connections which are quite delicate.

The other screen you have might be suitable as a replacement if the models are similar. If you can remove both screens you can check the part numbers match or if not Google to see if they are compatible.

[PJJ]

Thank you for the suggestions. I have an identical Toshiba Satellite with two broken hinges. Everything else is working fine.
I bought both laptops from Goodwill "repair only" for 25 dollars. Both work fine for what I am doing. Dinosaurs or not.

Even the 'damaged' screen is working just fine - under certain conditions. I have to touch the metal frame that holds the screen in a certain spot. Then it works. I pretty much ruled out wiring issues, graphics card or the like.
It has to be a bad connection from the connector to the actual scree.

Do you know what is behind the white tape on the top of the screen? Big warning label not to touch.

[Rod J]

I've really no idea what the tape would be. Do you think it's related to the problem with the screen? Maybe somebody put it on there as a temporary fix for the problem you are having? At the top of the screen there shouldn't be any electrical connections (at least on the Toshiba model I was working on (Satellite Pro C650). The electrical contacts are on the bottom.

What I found a great help before I undertook to replace the screen was to watch a couple of YouTube videos. Search YouTube for "Toshiba laptop screen replacement". It's amazing what a help YouTube can be when fixing things!

[PJJ]

The white tape is factory. comes with factory warning 'not to touch' as well.
The connections are right there.

My screen is fine. Laptop works like a charm with the clothespin at the top of the screen.
Thank you again for your suggestions.

[Teunis]

A typical LCD screen problem.

There is a flexible strip of rubber and carbon around the edge of the screen to make the connections between the hard wired cables and the LCD.
Sometimes you get a bad or intermittent contact at this junction and squeezing it by just the right amount and place will restore the contact.

Opening it up for cleaning is possible, reinstalling it properly is tricky at best...