Does this sound familiar?
- The screen has a crack or black splotches that spread across it
- The picture flickers or goes out when you move the lid
- You see vertical or horizontal colored lines
- The screen is black, but you can hear the laptop running
- The touch screen stopped responding
Why laptop screens crack
Laptop lids aren't as stiff as they look. The most common crack happens when something gets closed inside the laptop, like a pen, a pair of earbuds or a phone charger. Pressure in a packed backpack can do the same thing, and so can a laptop sliding off the arm of the couch. If you have a student in the house, you probably already know this.
Flicker isn't always the screen
If your picture flickers or disappears only when you move the lid, the problem might be the thin cable running through the hinge, not the display itself. That's a smaller repair, so we check it first. We'll also take a look at the hinges, because a stiff or broken hinge is often the reason the screen got damaged in the first place, and it could break the new one too.
MacBooks and touch screens
On most laptops, the screen is a separate panel that swaps out from the lid. On MacBooks and many thin laptops and touch-screen models, the display is one sealed assembly with the glass or lid, and this makes the job bigger. It's one of the first things we'll tell you when you come in, so there aren't any surprises.
Once it's installed, we test for dead pixels and flicker, and we check the webcam and microphone that sit near the display.
Fast, friendly great service. Pleasant to work with, knowledgeable and efficient.
Questions we get a lot
How can I tell if it's the screen or something else?
Connect the laptop to a TV or an external monitor with an HDMI cable. If the picture shows up there, the laptop itself is alive, and the screen or its cable is the likely problem. If there's nothing on either one, it could be a deeper issue.
Can I keep using my laptop until I bring it in?
With care, yes, but avoid pressing on the lid or carrying it in a tight bag, since cracks usually spread. If it's the only computer in the house, hooking it up to a TV is a good temporary solution.
Do you have my screen in stock?
There are a huge number of laptop screens out there, so we often order the exact one. Bring it in or call with the model number from the sticker on the bottom, and we'll tell you how soon it can be here.
Will my files be affected?
No. A screen replacement doesn't touch your storage. It's still a good idea to back up what you can whenever a computer is going in for repair.