Laptop Screen Crack...

[UP3985]

My laptop's screen has a crack in it, nt overly noticable, except for the large black spot and discoloration on the crack.

Anybody have any tips?
Lat thime this happened I tried to go through HP, but they were gonna charge me 300 bucks.

Then I found this site called screensurgeons.com that sells new screens, replacement kits, and has walkthrough videos, but it's all do it yourself and I'm not confident in my abilities

Any advice and help would be great!

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

Is it one of those high gloss screens? These are of real glass and irreparable.
Is it only the glass top layer or also the LCD's underneath?
Dark spot and discoloration mean that the actual LCD fluid is compressed by stresses induced through the crack.
No single dead pixels visible?

If you can live with the crack, keep the glass clean and free of fingerprints and moisture. It is bound to creep into the crack and make the display worse.

If it is only the glass, you can get that replaced, at a cost. DIY is possible, but you need to be brave and strong to pry open the lid, unstick the multilayered panel and have a steady hand and clean workspace. One speck of dust, splinter of glass, drop of sweat will ruin your effort.

If also the actual LCD is damaged, the whole panel needs to be replaced, at even higher cost. Probably not worth it, unless your laptop is a prime brand like Apple or Sony, etc.

Even with a broken display you can continue to make good use of the actual computing part of your laptop by hooking up an external display and keyboard and mouse. Keep the lid closed and reconfigure it to use the external display as its primary display. It should still be good enough for web surfing, home office amd such.
For gaming use I don't know, depends on the ventilation and heat and noise levels.

That's about the best advice I can give. Perhaps one of the resident techno geeks is able to tell you more.

[UP3985]

It's a 17.3 inch high gloss screen, and has the big black blot on the top right center, and the crack snakes down to the bottom right corner. I've lived with it up to this point (only a couple days) and want to get it repaired.

They show it as just unscrew some screws, snap off the bezel, detatch some wires, replace the screen, reverse and done. Looks easy, and for my model, it's around 80 bucks. IDK much about computer repair, that's what makes me nervous. But at the same time, it looks appealing because it looks so easy.

I want to just replace the whole LCD panel, and have no crack in the screen. Any tips, or places to go?

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

Well, if that video pertains the exactly the same model of laptop and you feel confident? Why not? 80 bucks is a lot less than an official repair by the makers or by one of those specialized commercial services. When your laptop is past its guarantee term (if damage to the screen is covered in the first place) it is the only way to save the repair fee.
If you fail and mess up, you can always send the remains in and ask for a repair qoute. You'd be surprised to see the state of some laptops people bring in for repairs.
Even when your honest and tell you've tried the repair yourself first, paying the full sum should let them get the repair done.

There are no bumps or indents in the lid? Some lids are of thin sheet metal, some are 100% plastic. No cracks in the lid in case it is metallized plastic?
Any indents should be removed, otherwise the display will still be under stress and remain discoloured.

The actual LCD panel is a little flexible, it should withstand some bending and strain thereoff.

The main part of the repair is to get the cracked glass off. I can think of a security film on the inside of the glass sheet, which is only like 2mm thick, to prevent it from splintering in case someone smashes it with his bare hands. Makers must go to great length to protect the user/customer, even if he/she misbehaves and punches the screen.
That security film should help you in getting the cracked glass off in one piece. if there is no glue whatsoever involved, you should simply drop the new glass in, put the bezel back in place and screw the lid back together. Absolue cleanness and dust free circumstances seem most important to me.

Anything that involves disassembling, disconnecting and replacing the actual LCD panel seems tricky to me. It is not like you'll have to connect thousands of very thin wires, usually a flat ribbon like connector is involved that fits a row of tiny gold plated contacts. Due to the limited space this can be quite tricky, but the whole is sufficiently robust to allow a 99% succes rate.

I am not from the USA, so I cannot recommend a particular service to you. Sorry. Wait a while longer until some helpful community member pops up with some names and numbers.

[dejoh]

I'll never understand how anyone can get the full enjoyment out of Railworks with a laptop.
Is it the fact that its portable? Do you like small screens? Is your micro speaker adequate for the heavey sounds to enjoy RW?
I'm very curious what the attraction of using a laptop to run RW is. I can't see it. Clue me in.

[thecanadianrail]

I'll never understand how anyone can get the full enjoyment out of Railworks with a laptop.
Is it the fact that its portable? Do you like small screens? Is your micro speaker adequate for the heavey sounds to enjoy RW?
I'm very curious what the attraction of using a laptop to run RW is. I can't see it. Clue me in.

i play on a labtop and i enjoy it just as much as i did on my desktop. i really enjoy the fact that on a road trip if im not driving i can go and play rw, and the screen isnt really that bad but yeah it is hard to get used to. my labtop also came with a mini subwoofer bult into it and it actualy resonates good for its size. but when i want a true feel i fire up the old rig and play with max sound with my 10' sub just shaking the house

[dejoh]

That makes sence. I'd hate to pack up my desktop and move it anywhere.
It would be a major task.

[arizonachris]

I would just replace the entire screen, don't try and seperate the glass layers. I've tried it before and was sorry. That glass will sliver and cut the heck out of your fingers.

If you buy a replacement screen, get a guarantee from who you buy it from, that way if UPS or whoever ships it breaks the replacement screen, you get it taken care of. I'm working on a Sony VAIO that the shipper has broken 2 screens now.

Like Kanawha said, as long as the video tutorial is for the same make and model of your laptop you should be fine. You will need small screwdrivers and take it slow. Small flat blade, small Phillips drivers, maybe a small hex driver, depends on the screws they use. You will at some point need to snap the screen's bezel apart. Laptops can at times just be a snap together affair. Other times it's just better to let a shop do it because that stupid bezel can be a total pain to get apart (like with an Apple, you need a heat gun)

I like to work on a clean desk, I put a big piece of white paper under my work, lay all the screws out, make a little diagram of what went where. Different length screws go different places (yeah, I know, that's a "Duh") Connectors and such as well. Ribbon cables can be a pain as well, just don't bend them or the contact ends. Just take your time, you should be fine as long as you have the basic skills.

In doubt? Take the laptop to a local shop. I don't deal with the "Big Corporate", I have a small local shop I have been going to for years that I trust, if I can't figure something out (or just don't want to mess with it)

[UP3985]

It's a 17.3 inch (not too small) screen

HP Pavillion dv7
Beats Audio technology(It's loud, and has a graphic equalizer to adjust the sound)
(while there are some things I wish I could improve, I'm overall very satisfied. My framerates aren't as high as they could be, but they're better than what I was running before)
I also don't have an internet connection at home and need to travel to get my internet. The majority of my posts here are either at school, or at our local youth center.

HP is gonna call me today, and tomorrow I will see if screensurgeons has emailed me yet. This option is looking really good.

I tore apart my dad's really old Acer with a hopelessly cracked screen last ight and it seemed simple enough. I might work up the courage to fix my laptop, but I might try to go through Geek Squad or something. Any US tech wizards have any recomendations?