Chapter 9

Screen resolutions are identified by one of these two ways:

- By the number of horizontal and vertical pixels - By the display standard

Viewing angles

Angle at which LCD display provides acceptable viewing quality. Ex. If it's viewing quality angle is 80 degrees from either side of a straight-on (0 degree) view, its viewing angle is 160 degrees (80 degrees x 2). *Narrow is preferred when multiple users need to see the display*

Flickering Display

Caused by dying LCD-CCFL backlight (can be replaced but easier to swap complete screen). *Cost-effective to replace laptop or use it strictly with external display*

No display

Caused by failure of LCD inverter or backlight, damaged cable leading to or from LCD inverter, the failure of the onboard display circuit, or by toggling the laptop to use external display only with Fn key. Try toggling laptop to use internal display, if no, connect to monitor or projector. If external display works, LCD inverter (easy to replace) or its cable or LCD-CCFL backlight (difficult to replace) may be an issue -> motherboard needs to be repaired/replaced

Ghost Cursor

Caused by mouse movement too fast for screen refresh rate. Adjust mouse properties to slow down mouse acceleration, use larger mouse pointer or enable visibility options (pointer trails or press Ctrl key to display mouse location).

CardBus slots

Compatible with both 16-bit PC Cards and 32-bit CardBus cards, but CardBus cards can't be used in ordinary PC Card slots. To verify this support, open Windows Device Manager and the category marked PCMCIA Adapters. If a CardBus controller is listed, the portable supports CardBus. If not listed, you can only use 16-bit PC Cards in that system.

Contrast ratio

Different in brightness between lightest and darkest portions of display. Higher is preferred.

Cannot Display to External Monitor or Projector

Display may not be connected or detected. Verify display has been connected, then use Fn key combinations, Windows Display Properties, Windows Mobility Center, or Connect to a Projector to connect to the projector or monitor.

DualView

Enables secondary display that is plugged in laptop's external video ports (TV-out, S-video, VGA, DVI, HDMI), used to extend desktop. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 support it with virtually all laptop display hardware. Can also be used to mirror the desktop if wanted.

Current laptop computers use these user-installable expansion options:

ExpressCard/34 or /54 slot Upgradable SODIMM memory USB ports suitable for use with USB flash memory or hard drive drives Flash memory card reader slot *Older laptops use PCMCIA (PC Card or CardBus slot) and usually lack a flash memory card reader.

Dim Display

Failure of LCD inverter. If screen flashes for a moment and becomes dim at startup, replace the inverter.

CCFL backlight failure

Far less common than inverter failure. Swapping screen assembly for known-working replacement makes more sense than complete disassembly of display down to individual component level UNLESS you are experienced with screen disassembly.

No Power

If laptop cannot run when plugged into AC outlet, verify battery is not problem. Check outlet with outlet tester, use voltmeter or multimeter to set AC voltage to determine when output is within acceptable limits Make sure AC power cord running from AC outlet to external AC adapter "power brick" is plugged in completely to outlet and adapter. If damaged, replace adapter Determine if adapter is outputting correct DC voltage, use voltmeter or multimeter to set DC voltage to test voltage from adapter and compare to nominal output values marked on adapter.

Keyboard problems

If more than one or two keys are sticking, it may be more cost-effective to replace the entire keyboard rather than purchasing individual key replacements from online vendors.

Battery not charging or holding a charge

If system works when plugged into AC power but not battery power, check: - Battery is installed properly - Wipe off dirt on battery and laptop battery contacts - Determine if battery can hold charge (make sure battery is installed and AC adapter has proper DC voltage output levels). Leave system plugged in for recommended amount of time to change battery, then try to run on battery power. Even if battery power causes system to die in less than 1 hour, replace. If this doesn't work, laptop needs to be serviced/replaced.

Laptop keyboard or its pointing device (touchpad or pointing stick)

If this fails, you must replace the unit. Laptops with touchpads have separate keyboards and touchpads whereas laptops with pointing sticks integrate the pointing stick with keyboard.

Wi-Fi connectivity problems

Most laptops have push button, pressure-sensitive touch button, or Fn-key combination to enable or disable Wi-Fi networking. If there is no connection, press button or Fn-key combination to enable the connection (most display indicator lights). If connection fails, check Wi-Fi connection dialog in notification area. You may need to reconnect manually. Open Device Manager and check Network Adapters category. If Wi-Fi adapter is not listed, rescan for hardware changes. If Wi-Fi adapter cannot be located, shut down system and disconnect from power sources. Open access panel to Wi-Fi card. If card is loose, reconnect it and retry the connection after restoring power and restarting computer.

PC Card slots

Most systems feature two stacked Type II slots that can handle all types of cards: single Type III card, two Type II cards, or two Type I cards at a time.

Power problems

No power Battery not charging or not holding a charge

OLED Displays

Organic LED; use layer of organic compounds between two electrodes to emit light. Comes in two forms: *Passive matrix (PMOLED)* and *active matrix (AMOLED), which supports higher resolutions.* Do not need separate backlight but currently expensive to produce size for laptop displays. Used in mobile phones and digital cameras.

Plasma Displays

Popular for HDTVs, but not used in laptops for years because of their high-power consumption and internal design of modern full-color plasma displays.

Inverter

Power converter, changing low-voltage DC power into higher-voltage AC power needed to power CCFL backlight. If inverter fails, there is no power for the backlight (*Inverter fails = most common cause of LCD display failture*, but they are inexpensive and are DIY)

PC Cards

Provide a range of options for laptops with PC Card slots; most older laptops have one or two Type II PC Card slots. Can be hot-swapped; card can be shut down, removed, and replaced with another without shutting down the system. *Cards must be "stopped" before being removed, or system becomes unstable and cards or system can be damaged.* Type I - 3.3mm, used for memory, obsolete Type II - 5.5mm, used with I/O ports (older ones use dongles), wire or wireless networking, modems, or external drive interfaces, hard drives Type III - 10.5mm, used with hard drives, combo I/O ports, also supports two Type II devices *Type I isn't thick enough to use standard RJ11 telephone (for modem), SCSI, RJ45 UTP network cables, or video cables unless pop-out connector or dongle is used Type III don't fit in some systems*

ExpressCard

Provides much faster interface than PC Card or CardBus and is compatible with PCI Express and USB standards. 2.5 times faster than CardBus card and use 26-contact connector. Support one of two variations: - ExpressCard/34 port is 34mm wide - ExpressCard/54 port is 54 mm wide; can use either Express/54 or /34 devices (sometimes referred to as Universal slots) *Both of these are 75mm long and 5mm high???* Can use one of two methods to communicate with system chipset: PCI Express or USB, providing much faster performance than with CardBus, which connects system chipset via CardBus controller and PCI bus.

LED Displays

Replaced LCDs with fluorescent backlighting with LED-backlit displays. Produce even screen brightness, vivid color, better blacks, higher contrast ratios, and use about half the power of LCD-CCFL displays. Sometimes called LCD-LED displays.

Mini-PCIe

Replaced Mini-PCI; much smaller and use two-part, doublesided, 52-pin edge connector. Supports PCIe, USB, SMBus, GPS, Sim card, and Wi-Fi connections and runs on 1.5V and 3.3V DV power.

SODIMM

Small Outline DIMMs are reduced-size versions of DIMM modules. Type of memory used in laptops

Mini-PCI cards

Used to configure different models of particular portable computer with different features. Can be replaced, enables you to replace failed or outdated network/modem component without replacing entire motherboard. Type I - Use 100-pin stacking connector that plugs directly into system board. Use modem and network connectors built into system. Type II - Use 100-pin stacking connector that plugs directly into system board. Have network or modem connectors built into the card **(RJ11 (modem) or RJ45 (Ethernet network) connectors)** Type III - Has edge connector, more popular. Uses modem and network connectors built into system.

LCD design

Uses transistor for every dot seen onscreen (ie. A 1,280 x 800 active-matrix LCD screen has 1,024,000 transistors) Includes a fluorescent backlight (which contains mercury) and often called LCD-CCFL displays. -> Often produce uneven screen brightness and make precise color control difficult. Vertical refresh rate: 60Hz (slower than high-end LCD-based HDTVs) Offers better picture quality than LCD-CCFL displays; three types: In plane switching (IPS) - BEST Vertical alignment (VA) - Middle Twisted nematic (TN) - WORST

Fn key

When held down with an additional FN function, it performs the FN function (when released to normal operation). Typical Fn+key features: Adjust screen brightness and/or contrast Connect to external display Enable/disable Bluetooth Enable/disable Wi-Fi Enable/disable backlit keyboard Turn on/turn off embedded keypad