I went out to the first job today and tried to fire up my laptop and the display didn't turn on. I could see the image if the angle was just right but there was no back-light. IBM ThinkPad type 2647. Anyone have any ideas?
Check the switch that shuts off video when you close the top. My HP did the same thing yesterday and the microswitch was stuck against the side of the cover. Toothpick fixed it.
Thanks for answering. When I press the switch the computer goes into the stand-by mode. When I press it again it comes out of stand-by mode. So the switch seems to be working. I can see the image if I shine a flashlight on the screen.
With flashlight in hand, go to control panel, power options, advanced. Halfway down that window under "when I close the lid of my portable computer" change to "none" (it is probably set to stand-by now). Do as RBF suggests and try closing/opening the lid a few times or a toothpick. It may be a DPDT switch that is dirty.
If no luck, when you restart the computer, do you see a flicker or does it stay dark? If it stays dark, it probably needs a backlight replacement. You can also try an external monitor just to rule out the video card.
Thanks for your help. I tried the power option thing with no luck. I did see a flicker when restart was done. I tried an external monitor and PRESTO! the backlight went back on. It is working ok. I don't know if I should trust this thing any more. Murphy will come along someday and mess with me.
I also own an IBM Thinkpad and I have had a dark display happen half a dozen times in it's life. It seems to happen when I do a start-up, all I do is restart and it works normal again. I very rarely shut it right down though, I normally just stand-by or hibernate it.
Might be a little glitch in the system. Thanks for your reply.
My screen has gone black and won't come back on no matter what I try. It does flicker on start up. It happened from hibernate on the final time.
Any thinkpad experts out there?
How old is a 2647. I have 4 2635 units that function and might be scavenged for parts.
RBF, a word of thanks! :toast:
Two days ago was one of those days from Hell with love, where you spend the entire day 30 minutes behind. In fact twice I think I past myself going the other way down I35.
Anyway, I was running REALLY late to get over to one of the lawfirms we maintain to add a device. I realized I forgot my laptop so I ran back in and grabbed the first laptop I could find. It was my 8 year old daughter's ThinkPad. So anyway I get onsite, bring it up from Suspend Mode to see that if I hold it JUST right, I can see Scooby Doo in the background, but no light on the screen. I was already flustered and didn't feel like troubleshooting it but remembered seeing this post while the board was running in FUBAR mode. So I went to a workstation and pulled up the thread.
After seeing your post about the button I went back and checked the laptop again. This time with a magnifying glass. Sure enough, a cracker crumb down deep where I couldn't see it. So, I pulled out my trusty Swiss Army Knife (Yes I really do carry one), pulled out the toothpick, worked it out and the light came right on.
Thanks a million.
Why is it when OUR stuff goes down we lose our basic troubleshooting abilities :rofl:
HEY TELMAN: On anohter note, I assume you've already tried the Fn F7 option to toggle the external/on board screen? IBM Support for ThinkPads has always been GREAT to us.
I found the problem. Under the keyboard is the connector that connects the screen to the system. While disecting the Thinkpad I found the left side of the connector up a little (not firmly in place). I pushed it down and seated it real good. That seems to have cured the problem.
It sits directly under the F7 and F8 key.
Thanks everyone,
:toast: