Gateway M320 Broken Screen

Hi folks, I have an old Gateway M320 with a line through the screen.
Here are a picture of the line - obviously I need to replace the screen.
http://www.imagebam.com/image/ad322960885145
I know its not the video drivers since the line is there before the OS
loads.

My first question is, what part number do I need to replace the screen?
I searched eBay for M320 LCD and I get some results with and without
the external plastic trim.

Then there is the broken plastic on the rear of the hinges - thanks to
somebody picking up the machine by the screen. Several times here are
the pictures of each hinge.
What do I need to replace that?
http://www.imagebam.com/image/bd140260885151
and
http://www.imagebam.com/image/3c46c160885152

Should I get the entire LCD screen plus the plastic trim to fix the line
and broken hinge? Kill two birds with one bullet?

In article <hgsdem$g46$>,
Justin <> wrote:
>
>Should I get the entire LCD screen plus the plastic trim to fix the line
>and broken hinge? Kill two birds with one bullet?
>
Laptops almost always decompose into a top unit consisting of the
lcd screen and related components and the bottom unit consisting of everything
else :-) You can usually buy one or the other on the used market. Replacing
the entire unit at once is much easier than taking either one apart and
replacing a sub-assembly, so try to buy an entire top lid, plastic, LCD,
and all.

the wharf rat wrote:
> In article <hgsdem$g46$>,
> Justin <> wrote:
>> Should I get the entire LCD screen plus the plastic trim to fix the line
>> and broken hinge? Kill two birds with one bullet?
>>
> Laptops almost always decompose into a top unit consisting of the
> lcd screen and related components and the bottom unit consisting of everything
> else :-) You can usually buy one or the other on the used market. Replacing
> the entire unit at once is much easier than taking either one apart and
> replacing a sub-assembly, so try to buy an entire top lid, plastic, LCD,
> and all.
>
>

Agreed. Taking apart a laptop LCD screen is a tedious and
time-consuming effort. And then there is getting it back together.

The line is possibly caused by a kink in one of the cables going to the
screen... Ben Myers

In news:hgsdem$g46$,
Justin typed on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:30:43 -0500:
> Hi folks, I have an old Gateway M320 with a line through the screen.
> Here are a picture of the line - obviously I need to replace the
> screen. http://www.imagebam.com/image/ad322960885145
> I know its not the video drivers since the line is there before the OS
> loads.
>
> My first question is, what part number do I need to replace the
> screen? I searched eBay for M320 LCD and I get some results with and
> without the external plastic trim.

Hi Justin! Well that could be the LCD, video cable, or video card on the
motherboard. Does it look okay on an external monitor? If so, it there
is a good chance that another LCD will take care of it. But no
guarantees.

> Then there is the broken plastic on the rear of the hinges - thanks to
> somebody picking up the machine by the screen. Several times here are
> the pictures of each hinge.
> What do I need to replace that?
> http://www.imagebam.com/image/bd140260885151
> and
> http://www.imagebam.com/image/3c46c160885152
>
> Should I get the entire LCD screen plus the plastic trim to fix the
> line and broken hinge? Kill two birds with one bullet?

Yes most definitely. I've never seen the Gateway hinges break there. You
lucked out. As usually they break off from the bottom clamshell. And it
is usually only the left one. And the old fix was to replace the whole
bottom case. And used prices were outrages. Although the prices has
dropped a lot since one bright guy has manufactured an aluminum block
that screws into the video port socket. Like this one, eBay #
320466252183.

Speaking about lifting up a machine by the screen, which is usually a
bad thing to do. But I noticed these Asus EeePC 700 series netbooks,
this practice is just fine. As the lid and the hinges can support the
weight many times over the weight of the netbook itself.

--
Bill
Gateway MX6124 ('06 era) - Windows XP SP2

In news:hgtcp7$kev$,
Ben Myers typed on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:25:27 -0500:
> the wharf rat wrote:
>> In article <hgsdem$g46$>,
>> Justin <> wrote:
>>> Should I get the entire LCD screen plus the plastic trim to fix the
>>> line and broken hinge? Kill two birds with one bullet?
>>>
>> Laptops almost always decompose into a top unit consisting of the
>> lcd screen and related components and the bottom unit consisting of
>> everything else :-) You can usually buy one or the other on the
>> used market. Replacing the entire unit at once is much easier than
>> taking either one apart and replacing a sub-assembly, so try to buy
>> an entire top lid, plastic, LCD, and all.
>
> Agreed. Taking apart a laptop LCD screen is a tedious and
> time-consuming effort. And then there is getting it back together.

I guess it is all relative. If you are replacing LCDs all of the time,
it seems pretty easy. Although I guess your mind is running in that auto
pilot mode and you don't notice it being so tedious anymore. <grin>

> The line is possibly caused by a kink in one of the cables going to
> the screen... Ben Myers

Yes and since the hinges are broken, that cable probably gets pulled on
a lot too.

--
Bill
Gateway MX6124 ('06 era) - Windows XP SP2

Bull. In most cases, it's 2 screws or 4 screws, remove the bezel, and
then remove the LCD panel from the lid with another 4 screws. It is
usually no big deal; less of a deal than removing the lid from the base,
although in this instance the guy has bad hinges as well.

And this defect is in the panel itself. It is not a cable, at least not
one that you can do anything about. Normally it's one of the bonded
connections between the actual LCD glass and the driver board.


Ben Myers wrote:

>
> Agreed. Taking apart a laptop LCD screen is a tedious and
> time-consuming effort. And then there is getting it back together.
>
> The line is possibly caused by a kink in one of the cables going to the
> screen... Ben Myers

In news:hgtjc1$fuj$,
Barry Watzman typed on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:17:47 -0500:
> Bull. In most cases, it's 2 screws or 4 screws, remove the bezel, and
> then remove the LCD panel from the lid with another 4 screws. It is
> usually no big deal; less of a deal than removing the lid from the
> base, although in this instance the guy has bad hinges as well.

I agree, but it is a bit more screws than that. The Gateway MX6000
series for example, has 6 bezel screws, two bottom ones are longer
screws. Although I think the LCD does have 4 screws, but I believe part
of the hinge needs some of the screws removed too.

Removing the whole top lid is a just a few less screws. First open the
bottom trap door for the WiFi and remove the two antenna connectors and
push them through the hole. Then remove the two for the top keyboard
panel (found on the backside of the hinge) and it then just pops off.
Now lift the keyboard and unplug the video cable and make sure the
antenna wires are free. Now you have four screws (two on each hinge) to
remove and you are good to go.

One big warning: Try to *not* flex the hinge while the top keyboard
cover is removed. As it also adds support for the hinges and especially
the left hinge base. As if you try to move the top lid, this can easily
snap off the hinge mount from the bottom base. As now you need to
replace the whole bottom shell which cost a lot of money ($50 to $120
used) for a piece of plastic. Or buy that hinge repair from that guy on
eBay for about $46.

--
Bill
Gateway MX6124 ('06 era) - Windows XP SP2

On 12/23/2009 10:35 AM, BillW50 wrote:
> In news:hgsdem$g46$,
> Justin typed on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:30:43 -0500:
>> Hi folks, I have an old Gateway M320 with a line through the screen.
>> Here are a picture of the line - obviously I need to replace the
>> screen. http://www.imagebam.com/image/ad322960885145
>> I know its not the video drivers since the line is there before the OS
>> loads.
>>
>> My first question is, what part number do I need to replace the
>> screen? I searched eBay for M320 LCD and I get some results with and
>> without the external plastic trim.
>
> Hi Justin! Well that could be the LCD, video cable, or video card on the
> motherboard. Does it look okay on an external monitor? If so, it there
> is a good chance that another LCD will take care of it. But no
> guarantees.

Yes, it looks fine on an external monitor.
Should I replace the cable first? Can I check just the cable? I should
probably download a service manual.

>
>> Then there is the broken plastic on the rear of the hinges - thanks to
>> somebody picking up the machine by the screen. Several times here are
>> the pictures of each hinge.
>> What do I need to replace that?
>> http://www.imagebam.com/image/bd140260885151
>> and
>> http://www.imagebam.com/image/3c46c160885152
>>
>> Should I get the entire LCD screen plus the plastic trim to fix the
>> line and broken hinge? Kill two birds with one bullet?
>
> Yes most definitely. I've never seen the Gateway hinges break there. You
> lucked out. As usually they break off from the bottom clamshell. And it
> is usually only the left one. And the old fix was to replace the whole
> bottom case. And used prices were outrages. Although the prices has
> dropped a lot since one bright guy has manufactured an aluminum block
> that screws into the video port socket. Like this one, eBay #
> 320466252183.

They didn't break. They were broken. I have a Macbook Pro now and the
person who broke the damn thing by picking it up by the screen isn't
allowed near my machines anymore.
Problem solved.

>
> Speaking about lifting up a machine by the screen, which is usually a
> bad thing to do. But I noticed these Asus EeePC 700 series netbooks,
> this practice is just fine. As the lid and the hinges can support the
> weight many times over the weight of the netbook itself.
>

Those Netbooks are lightweight enough that its probably OK to do that.
My plan is to get it into somewhat decent shape and eBay it - or use it
as a Linux machine. I wouldn't mind having a POS laptop that I can take
somewhere and not care about.
The hard drive went bac on this thing two years ago, and I'm int he
process of getting another one. I also repalced the keyboard for a
whole $7.00.

So in summary, I should look for a cheap LCD assembly off eBay. The
cheapest one I found was $86 off eBay. I tried to make an offer but he
declined. $86 is more than half the value of the entire machine.
I'll wait a bit and keep looking, maybe somethign will turn up after
Christmas.

In news:hgtqiv$6jn$,
Justin typed on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:20:58 -0500:
> On 12/23/2009 10:35 AM, BillW50 wrote:
>> In news:hgsdem$g46$,
>> Justin typed on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:30:43 -0500:
>>> Hi folks, I have an old Gateway M320 with a line through the screen.
>>> Here are a picture of the line - obviously I need to replace the
>>> screen. http://www.imagebam.com/image/ad322960885145
>>> I know its not the video drivers since the line is there before the
>>> OS loads.
>>>
>>> My first question is, what part number do I need to replace the
>>> screen? I searched eBay for M320 LCD and I get some results with
>>> and without the external plastic trim.
>>
>> Hi Justin! Well that could be the LCD, video cable, or video card on
>> the motherboard. Does it look okay on an external monitor? If so, it
>> there is a good chance that another LCD will take care of it. But no
>> guarantees.
>
> Yes, it looks fine on an external monitor.
> Should I replace the cable first? Can I check just the cable? I
> should probably download a service manual.

I believe the cable is part of the LCD anyway on that one. And I don't
think the Gateway service manuals are available online anymore. Oh wait,
some are still there. And the ones that are not, I believe you can
request them through email. And yes, that would be a good idea.

>>> Then there is the broken plastic on the rear of the hinges - thanks
>>> to somebody picking up the machine by the screen. Several times
>>> here are the pictures of each hinge.
>>> What do I need to replace that?
>>> http://www.imagebam.com/image/bd140260885151
>>> and
>>> http://www.imagebam.com/image/3c46c160885152
>>>
>>> Should I get the entire LCD screen plus the plastic trim to fix the
>>> line and broken hinge? Kill two birds with one bullet?
>>
>> Yes most definitely. I've never seen the Gateway hinges break there.
>> You lucked out. As usually they break off from the bottom clamshell.
>> And it is usually only the left one. And the old fix was to replace
>> the whole bottom case. And used prices were outrages. Although the
>> prices has dropped a lot since one bright guy has manufactured an
>> aluminum block that screws into the video port socket. Like this
>> one, eBay # 320466252183.
>
> They didn't break. They were broken. I have a Macbook Pro now and
> the person who broke the damn thing by picking it up by the screen
> isn't allowed near my machines anymore.
> Problem solved.

Lol That was a smart idea. ;-)

>> Speaking about lifting up a machine by the screen, which is usually a
>> bad thing to do. But I noticed these Asus EeePC 700 series netbooks,
>> this practice is just fine. As the lid and the hinges can support the
>> weight many times over the weight of the netbook itself.
>
> Those Netbooks are lightweight enough that its probably OK to do that.

I don't know about the other ones with larger screens than the 7 inch
displays. But those 7 inch are much smaller than the lid and have the
speakers on both sides of the screen. And 7 inch LCDs are so much
lighter too.

> My plan is to get it into somewhat decent shape and eBay it

Careful! Whatever you spend on it in parts, you may not get back in
reselling it. I noticed just in the last year, used laptop prices have
really dropped. Although the parts, no so much. I guess all of those
newer laptops prices are getting cheaper and cheaper is causing this.

> - or use it as a Linux machine. I wouldn't mind having a POS laptop
> that I can take somewhere and not care about.

That would be a good idea too. ;-)

> The hard drive went bac on this thing two years ago, and I'm int he
> process of getting another one. I also repalced the keyboard for a
> whole $7.00.

That is a great price for a keyboard. And if you don't move laptops and
use them like a desktop. The hard drives seems to last forever. Although
using them as portable devices, their life really varies. One of the
pluses when installing a SSD drive as the moving around doesn't effect
them.

> So in summary, I should look for a cheap LCD assembly off eBay. The
> cheapest one I found was $86 off eBay. I tried to make an offer but
> he declined. $86 is more than half the value of the entire machine.
> I'll wait a bit and keep looking, maybe somethign will turn up after
> Christmas.

Well if you are patient long enough, you might find one around 50 bucks.
But that doesn't happen too often.

--
Bill
Gateway MX6124 ('06 era) - Windows XP SP2

BillW50 wrote:
> In news:hgtcp7$kev$,
> Ben Myers typed on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:25:27 -0500:
>> the wharf rat wrote:
>>> In article <hgsdem$g46$>,
>>> Justin <> wrote:
>>>> Should I get the entire LCD screen plus the plastic trim to fix the
>>>> line and broken hinge? Kill two birds with one bullet?
>>>>
>>> Laptops almost always decompose into a top unit consisting of the
>>> lcd screen and related components and the bottom unit consisting of
>>> everything else :-) You can usually buy one or the other on the
>>> used market. Replacing the entire unit at once is much easier than
>>> taking either one apart and replacing a sub-assembly, so try to buy
>>> an entire top lid, plastic, LCD, and all.
>> Agreed. Taking apart a laptop LCD screen is a tedious and
>> time-consuming effort. And then there is getting it back together.
>
> I guess it is all relative. If you are replacing LCDs all of the time,
> it seems pretty easy. Although I guess your mind is running in that auto
> pilot mode and you don't notice it being so tedious anymore. <grin>
>
>> The line is possibly caused by a kink in one of the cables going to
>> the screen... Ben Myers
>
> Yes and since the hinges are broken, that cable probably gets pulled on
> a lot too.
>

No! I am right on the money. Disassembly of most any laptop screen is
tedious because one has to remove teeny-tiny screws, pop out (and
eventually replace) screw covers, remove the front bezel (often made of
thin fragile plastic), gently remove the screen from the housing,
disconnect and connect cables and inverter. If you can do this all in
10 minutes or less with ANY brand of laptop, you're awfully good.

Each and every brand has its own idiosyncracies of LCD disassembly.
Unless you are doing the same or similar models day after day, no way
can you do it in auto pilot mode, so quit being a royal cantankerous
pain in the ass.

Given the choice, which is infrequent, I would far rather drop in a
complete LCD screen than tear down the assembly... Ben Myers