Inverter gone bad on wife's laptop?

Hardware and technical stuff
1

My wife has a well used, pretty beat up Gateway 6020GZ laptop. All she does, for the most part, is internet “stuff” so its fine for her. No need for an upgrade.

However, tonight her screen went black - not entirely black, you could barely make out the image on the screen. Just went out as she was typing.

I moved things, pushed things, etc. but to no avail. I remembered that others had discussed a similar problem, and that it sounded like the inverter is likely the issue. Good news, able to google and find an inverter for the system for between $30-60. (BTW - I assume there’s not a right inverter and a left inverter since there’s only one part #.)

Two questions:

  • I cannot seem to find a manual online showing how to take her screen apart - any tips of where to look for such?

  • Turned off her computer, let it sit for a few minutes, turned it back on, screen was fine. For about 15 minutes, then went out again. Was able to repeat that. Can an inverter do that? I was under the impression it was either good or not.

Thanks

2

http://www.screentekinc.com/ is always a good place to check first. They have guides for a lot of laptop screens.

3

If not the inverter, then a connection to it. Barely able to make out an image means the video card is good, and the fact that it comes on even for a brief period means the bulb is good (for now). Replacing an lcd inverter is pretty easy. Just make sure you get the right one, and yes, there is only one.