How hard is it to replace the screen on a laptop?

[Trafalgar]

So my laptop screen has started to show lines at startup. These lines clear up after a few minutes but it seems to be getting worse. My research online says that the screen is likely going. I have found a replacement screen online for about $150. I called a repairshop and they said it would likely be $450 including labor.

I bought the laptop in 2015 and use it primarily for work. I really just need it tor Microsoft Office and email. In the past I have replaced the battery and upped the RAM with no difficulty. It has a solid state hard drive so I don't anticipate any problems.

Do you think I should try to replace the screen or just purchase a new laptop? I have no problem with most computer issues but I have to admit that screen replacement intimidates me.

Has anyone done a laptop screen replacement? I doesn't look impossible.

[snowblizz]

Screens are one of those annoying things that are really really hard to fix on a laptop. It can be soldered connections into place and all that jazz (though it doesn't have to be). They don't really expect a laptop to live long enough to it to be a thing. You really will have to gut the laptop quite thoroughly I suspect too. discs and RAM are designed to be easily added/replaced, the screen not so much. I forget what I was doing to one once, but just to clean the fancasing required me to disassemble the laptop, including detaching the heatsink from the cpu and then clean and replace thermal paste. Was insane amount of work to just clean out dust from a fan. It all comes down to how the laptop was designed though,m hard to tell, other than it can be really really fiddly and its' unlikely they've made it easy.

You could try and search for "teardown XXXX" where you put model number of laptop, you might get lucky and someone has picked one apart and you can see it's guts if it's doable or not.

[halfeye]

I wouldn't think about attempting it, but my Laptop was moderately cheap.

Laptops have improved a lot in the last few years, unless yours was absolutely wonderful when you bought it, buying a replacement is probably the way to go. It's not a pet, it's a machine (as I keep trying to convince myself).

[OracleofWuffing]

It depends heavily on the laptop model. Some are not so much difficult but tedious. Some require proficiency with a spudger. A few will knock out functionality with other components for various reasons. Some are glued in.

I guess the good news is- as a blanket statement- the older, the less problematic. Exceptions apply.

[tyckspoon]

It's doable, but probably involves the most time and careful manipulations of tiny connections you could need to do with a laptop (the video/power connectors to the screen are often very small ribbon cables with equally tiny connectors, and likely where you could accidentally do additional damage while trying to perform the repair yourself), will likely involve disassembling almost all of the rest of the device to do, and depending on how your laptop was assembled might involve melting/scraping off glue to remove the old screen and then reapplying some fairly nasty glue to secure the new screen in place. Considering the age of your system and that your use case is basically an internet appliance I wouldn't consider it worth the time and money to do compared to spending $4, $500 on a mid tier business sort of laptop.

[Rynjin]

Yep. Same cost to repair the old laptop as it would be to upgrade to a better one, seems like a no-brainer to me.

Same as any mechanical failure on something, really. If you're looking at a $3000 repair bill for a 20 year old car, you'd also be seriously considering whether you'd be better off spending that $3k to buy a 10 year old car instead.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I bought the laptop in 2015 and use it primarily for work. I really just need it tor Microsoft Office and email. In the past I have replaced the battery and upped the RAM with no difficulty. It has a solid state hard drive so I don't anticipate any problems.

Do you think I should try to replace the screen or just purchase a new laptop? I have no problem with most computer issues but I have to admit that screen replacement intimidates me.

How much travelling do you so with the laptop? Do you necessarly need the screen all the time? Most of the time I use the three I have for work (and the home one) connected to an external monitor (or in the current setup, a TV with a VGA and HDMI socket) - I also use an external keyboard and mouse.

If you have a suitable TV and connecting cable, an external keyboard and mouse is quite cheap to get hold of (and a wireless one gives you a lot of freedom). Splashing out for a monitor may be a bit more expensive unless you go second hand.

[crayzz]

Look up the model on iFixit or similar, they usually have a breakdown of how to do it and where to order the parts, what tools you need, etc.

I've replaced the screen on an asus, it was fairly straightforward. I cannot speak for all models but I'd be very hesitant to cough up 300 dollars for it.

[llama-hedge]

It's not a pet, it's a machine

Screw that. My Lenovo is the noble steed that I ride into battle against the forces of poverty and ignorance.

As to the original question, depends heavily on the model.

[Trafalgar]

So I found a replacement screen on line for about $150 and a youtube video for the specific computer model. So I think I will give it a try. Worst case scenario I am out $150.

I am trying to be better about fixing stuff instead of just automatically replacing it. This seems pretty straightforward with no using a heatgun to melt glue or soldering. Let me know what you think.

[Whoracle]

So I found a replacement screen on line for about $150 and a youtube video for the specific computer model. So I think I will give it a try. Worst case scenario I am out $150.

I am trying to be better about fixing stuff instead of just automatically replacing it. This seems pretty straightforward with no using a heatgun to melt glue or soldering. Let me know what you think.

Your money, but if it was me, I'd give it a shot. Every piece of trash that can be avoided with at least reasonable expense is good in my books.

[tyckspoon]

So I found a replacement screen on line for about $150 and a youtube video for the specific computer model. So I think I will give it a try. Worst case scenario I am out $150.

I am trying to be better about fixing stuff instead of just automatically replacing it. This seems pretty straightforward with no using a heatgun to melt glue or soldering. Let me know what you think.

Yeah, that doesn't look terrible - mostly clips and relatively humanly sized connectors. Still possible your issue is not the screen itself (could be coming from one of those assorted other random little circuit boards, a connecting cable, the video chip on the motherboard, etc) but if you can afford the screen and want the learning experience it's probably worth doing.

[Wintermoot]

As others have stated, it depends on the model.

Several years ago, I worked in an I.T. department and replacing monitors on laptops was one of my jobs. For the models of laptops we had, it was a matter of popping off the plastic bevel frame using some kind of thin bladed screwdriver, taking out three screws, removing the old screen while unplugging three very strange flattened ribbon cables, putting in the new one and reconnecting the ribbons, replacing the screws, then popping the bevel frame back on.

I did so many of them that its at least 15 years later and just talking about it, my muscle memory it twitching to do it.

But that was specific to those laptops. (lenovos and ibm thinkpads) I've never had to do one that required soldering or involved glue.

[gbaji]

Yeah. Laptops, unlike Desktops, are really not designed for opening them and replacing parts. You can get to some stuff in there, but boy is it not fun, nor easy. And replacement parts are going to be very very specific to the vendor/model of laptop. Not only is the form factor custom, but often the parts inside are as well.

I would recommend that if you are going to do this, that you make sure you are following some very specific/diligent proceedures for taking it apart. One of the things you learn to do when pulling stuff like this apart is to develop methods for where you place the things you take out, so you can put them back in, in the correct order and in the correct place. This is *really* important for laptops, because they've got a zillion little clips and screws and bevels, and they only really go back together one way.

There is absolutely nothing worse than having someone take something to you, after they've taken it apart and *not* paid attention to what they were doing, and saying "can you put this back together?". And yeah, this is the kind of stuff I get roped into by friends and family members after they attempt (and fail) to do something like this. No bitterness here at all though. Not one bit!

[Trafalgar]

Yeah, that doesn't look terrible - mostly clips and relatively humanly sized connectors. Still possible your issue is not the screen itself (could be coming from one of those assorted other random little circuit boards, a connecting cable, the video chip on the motherboard, etc) but if you can afford the screen and want the learning experience it's probably worth doing.

I have connected the laptop to a monitor and everything works fine, so I don't think its a video card issue.

[Deepbluediver]

I bought the laptop in 2015 and use it primarily for work. I really just need it tor Microsoft Office and email. In the past I have replaced the battery and upped the RAM with no difficulty. It has a solid state hard drive so I don't anticipate any problems.

If the laptop is 8+ years old at this point I think you've gotten all the expected useable lifespan out of it that it's worth.

For almost the cost of replacing the screen, you can probably get a much better, more up-to-date laptop or desktop. Computing hardware has a very limited lifespan, and as much as I loathe to throw out anything that's still functioning, I will admit this is one of those situations where you really need to weigh the cost of repair vs the utility of replacement.
Today it's the screen, but on a laptop that old then tomorrow it could very well be something more vital (and more expen$ive).

[Trafalgar]

Success!!!

I replaced the screen yesterday. I went really slow so it took about 1.5 hours. It all went smoothly except some difficulty taking it apart due to some double sided tape. This video by "Its Binh Repaired" wlaked me through it step by step.