# Laptop screen goes white



## oblysk (Jun 26, 2008)

Now, I have searched the internet for this issue. However, my issue is not necessarily why - but what I can do about it.

I have a warranty on my laptop (that expires in about three weeks from the day of this posting) that will replace it if the hardware is defective. Now, that's what I'm attempting to discover. My laptop screen will occasionally turn white with a few flashing lines going through it.

For the context of this post, I have a Toshiba L675-s7052 laptop that I bought as refurbished nearly a year ago.

I attempted to fix my screen issue last weekend by bringing it into the store I bought it from, but was denied since I could not prove that it was the hardware causing the problem (the clerk stated that it could be software related, but I don't really see how).

Now, I've been taking notes when the screen issue happens, but it has only happened twice since then. First, it only seems to happen when the hard drive needs to be accessed - it happened first while loading a powerpoint presentation, and happened the second time after rebooting for windows updates.

The second time, however, happened before any post messages displayed or windows came up. Wouldn't that pin it to hardware?

That time, I attempted to plug my laptop in to a display to check if it was the problem of the screen or board, but my screen turned off before then due to my Windows settings. The odd thing was that I could not get the screen to come back - the only way was to press the power button. Normally just moving the mouse or clicking would revive the screen.

So, would this be hardware, and if so, is there any way to pin it to which internal component caused this? If it happens again, I'll do my best to plug it into an external display before the screen shuts off.

Sorry for the lengthy post.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Hello oblysk,

Yes. It is most likely a hardware issue. Most likely a cable/connection issue but may also be the display itself.

With the laptop on and loaded, open the lid to it's fullest open position.
Slowly close it while watching for flickering, fade or any other abnormal screen activity.


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## oblysk (Jun 26, 2008)

I did what you suggested a few times, but I didn't see any odd screen activity, meaning there were no changes to the screen from what I could observe.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Then the issue is most likely with the display panel itself or the video system.

Hook up an external monitor to the computer when it is having the white issue and see if it happens there as well.


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## oblysk (Jun 26, 2008)

Alright, I did exactly as you suggested - when the screen turned white (again before Windows loaded) I plugged it into an external display - and surprisingly, the screen on my laptop first went black temporarily. Then, the laptop screen was fully functioning after 2-3 seconds. The external display did the same thing as my laptop screen.

This seems a bit odd to me - are you able to make sense of it?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

The screen blanking is common when the driver initiallizing. 

When the display re-initialized, it functioned properly?


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## oblysk (Jun 26, 2008)

Yes, when the display re-initialized, it was working completely fine.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Could be a driver problem or a hardware problem... When the driver initialized for the second display, it seems to have reset the first display.

Go to the Toshiba website and download and install the latest video drivers for your laptop. 

I suggest pursuing the company you purchased the computer from for warranty service.
Keep records of each time you talk to them and whom you speak to as well as what they say. It may not do any good, but if the laptop fails, you will have that info to say "I was having issues while under warranty and...". 

Also, keep track of when the laptop screen goes white and what you are doing when it does so.


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## oblysk (Jun 26, 2008)

I updated my video drivers about 2 days ago, but the screen went white again today when locking the computer.

I do plan to attempt to take the computer back under my warranty, and I have been taking notes when the screen problem happens too.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Good. I hope they honor your warranty. This issue should not be happening, and they should check it out for you. Be persisitent.


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## Lalalah (Jul 21, 2012)

This is an old post, but, it took me a couple of days of searching the techie forums to come up with a solution to this problem, so I thought I’d do the right thing and report back …


Are you talking about your laptop? Does it go blank with squeegee lines across? Do you notice that it’s getting warm and usually happening while you’re playing games? 



I tried some of the recommended fixes – tried updating the video drivers and changing the settings of the screen going into hibernate when you close the lid – but to no avail. I thought my laptop was done.


Before you go throwing your laptop out, the solution is simple .. your CPU is overheating. Despite their claims, most laptops are not equipped to play games and if you’re a big game player, you may want to consider a PC rather than a laptop. 



I’ve found a temporary solution … I’ve put something under my laptop to raise it above the surface of the table I have it sitting on and it doesn't happen any more. You can also buy bases with fans to prevent the overheating.


Hope this helps!


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