HomeIn this tutorial I’ll explain how to remove LCD screen and replace inverter board in an Acer Aspire 5100 laptop. This tutorial will work for many other Acer laptops with the same body.
In my previous article I was taking an Acer Aspire 5100 apart.
OK, let’s get inside the display assembly.
First of all, turn off the laptop, unplug AC adapter and remove the battery.
The screen bezel has four screws hidden under for seals. Two rubber seals on the top of the bezel and two plastic seals on the bottom.
You can remove all four screw seals with a sharp object as it shown on the picture below. Glue removed seals somewhere on the bezel so they don’t get lost.
Remove four screws found under seals.
Start remove the screen bezel with your fingers. Proceed slowly while removing the bezel.
Continue removing the screen bezel.
The bezel has been removed.
The inverter board is mounted below the LCD screen. If you are replacing the inverter board, you’ll have to separate the top cover from the LCD screen first.
Remove four screws. Two of them securing display hinges and other two securing the inverter board.
Carefully separate the display cover from the screen and access the LCD cable connector.
You’ll have to unplug the LCD cable from the screen.
First, unglue the clear sticky tape securing the connection.
Second, unplug the LCD cable from the connector on the screen.
Now you can access the inverter board witch is still connected to the laptop by cables on both sides.
Carefully unplug cables from both sides of the inverter board.
Remove the screen inverter board and replace it with a new inverter.
Here’s how you can remove the LCD screen.
Simply remove four screws securing the LCD screen to the display hinge. Remove four more screws from the other side of the screen.
Now you can remove and replace the LCD screen with a new LCD screen.
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April 18th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Update: When I plug the laptop into an external monitor, it does not show the blue “highlight” in the background. so, I am guessing that it is truly a LCD screen problem.
April 17th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I am having issues with the ACER Aspire 5100 display. I am experiencing a blue flickering in the background. It is not constant, but it comes when I open an application, or if it sits idle for too long. The LCD is still working fine, besides the blue highlights. Do I need a new screen?
April 12th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Doug,
It’s hart to tell without looking at the laptop but…
If the external monitor works fine all the time, but the laptop LCD fails intermittently as you said (gets very pixelated and turns white), most likely it’s related to the LCD screen.
Here’s what you can try. When the laptop LCD fails, grab the LCD by the top left and right corners and carefully torque the screen. Will it go back to normal? If it will, you have a faulty screen.
April 12th, 2009 at 5:25 am
Hi , the monitor on my Aspire 5610 is intermittent . It works fine when I take it by work where a tech guy I know can see it and malfunctions again when I take it home ! It gets very pixelated and white but then sometimes it works fine so how could it be the screen ? An external monitor works fine but I haven’t run it very long with one so perhaps it might do the same thing given enough time .THANKS!
April 7th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Carl,
First, you’ll have to figure out if the problem is related to the display panel or motherboard/video card.
Start your laptop with an external monitor attached to the VGA port and set the laptop to output video on both screens – internal and external. Now wait until the internal screen fails and goes black or black/gray with lines.
If the external video fails too, your problem is related to the motherboard/video card.
If the external video works fine even though internal fails, most likely it’s related to the LCD screen.
April 7th, 2009 at 12:20 am
I have a used Acer aspire 5100, the screen would go all black or black/gray with lines. Restarting the laptop would make it work again. Its back lit and everything. Just trying to figure out how to fix it.
April 4th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Sara,
You can use a free version of Active@ Kill Disk – Hard Drive Eraser.
1. Download and ISO image.
2. Burn it on a CD.
3. Boot your laptop from that CD.
4. Run the disk erasing utility.
This will erase everything from the hard drive.
April 4th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Just received the inverter, and installed it. I still have the same problem. I recall in the past to having the monitor flicker ever so often. Would this indicate the backlight going out?
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:48 am
I have a Acer 3690-2900 and am looking at seeling it. I want to either remove the hard drive (need to know how?) or delete EVERYTHING on the hard drive (also need to know how??). Is there anything you can tell me. Have me go get? Anything… Im frustrated!!!!
March 31st, 2009 at 11:05 pm
David,
Let me know if it fixes the problem. It might help other people with the same problem.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:57 pm
I did try messing with the button, as well as reconnecting the cables. None of that helped. Just ordered up an inverter, so hopefully that helps. Thanks again!
March 31st, 2009 at 8:50 pm
David,
Sounds like a problem with the inverter board or backlight.
1. Does your laptop have the lid close switch – a small button located close to one of the hinges? Try tapping on the button, make sure it moved freely. Sometimes, the button gets dirty and might stuck inside the case. The laptop “thinks” the lid is closed and because of that turn off the backlight. Tapping on the lid close switch might fix it.
2. Do you feel comfortable taking your laptop apart? You can remove the screen bezel, access the inverter board and try reconnecting cables. Maybe the connection got oxidized.
3. If reseating the cable doesn’t help I would try replacing the inverter next.
4. If a new inverter doesn’t fix the problem, most likely you have a faulty backlight lamp. If that’s the case, you’ll have to replace the LCD screen. You can attempt to disassemble the screen and replace the backlight bulb but it’s very hard. LCD screens are cheap these days.
5. Finally, if nothing helps, that could be a problem with the motherboard or video cable but this is not common.
March 31st, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Becky,
In the comment 70 you said the laptop was purchased with no screen installed. Maybe the seller removed the screen because he couldn’t get it to work either?
If you are installing the right LCD and using the right cable, but it’s not detected by the laptop, there could be a problem with the motherboard.
Start the laptop with an external monitor and enter the BIOS setup menu. Check the settings in there, maybe you have to specify the monitor (internal or external) in the BIOS. Try loading default BIOS settings.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:12 am
Sorry for all the messages. After searching the web more, I found a post that suggested to put a flashlight to the screen. I did this, and was able to see the image on the screen. Apparently something is up with the backlight. Is there a way to trouble shoot this, and if so, what should I check. Thanks again so much for your time.
-David
March 30th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
After posting, I tried the memory swap. It didn’t work however, I then tried hooking the VGA port up to another monitor, and it worked. The screen works thru the VGA port, and not thru the laptop itself. This would denote a problem with the screen or inverter? Thanks for the help.
March 30th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Hello,
Recently, after using my Acer 3680, I closed the screen as normal and left. Upon returning, the laptop powered up, but the screen was completely black. Only problem I can recall in the past was occasionally, (and it hasn’t happened for a while) the screen would seem to slightly flicker, and I would lightly tap the screen on the back and it would fix it.
From your comments here, I see you’ve recommended perhaps checking the memory. Is it possible that could be the case here, or might it be something else? Please help, and thank you for your time.
March 29th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Yes we did buy compatible and we already tried that suggestion and it didn’t work. It for some reason doesn’t recognize the screen being connected at all. We have heard that it could be the capaloid or something like that on the motherboard but not sure where to find it on there to jump it.
March 29th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Aiden,
Does the screen flickers only when you move the display?
How it flickers? Is it loosing backlight or loosing image?
March 29th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Becky,
I assume you are buying compatible screen/inverter/cable.
Here’s what you can try. Connect the screen and turn on the laptop with an external monitor, make sure it works properly. After that try switching video from the external to internal mode. You can do it by using the keyboard shortcut Fn+F5 (or Fn+F6 I don’t remember).
March 28th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Hi the screen on my aspire 5100 sometimes flickers when opening and closing the display. I think its the backlight thats coming on and off.
Ive had it repaired by Acer twice under warranty but that has now run out, one time they replaced a cable and the other time they re seated it.
Any ideas on how to sort it?
Thanks
March 27th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
We bought a laptop that had not screen or bezel or any top top to it at all and we have bought two different screens for it and tried to put them on and neither one seems to be recognized by my computer or will come on and yet I can hook my computer up to an external monitor and it runs great. What could be the problem and how do I fix it? Thanks!
March 25th, 2009 at 7:14 am
yes an external monitor works perfectly.
thanks for ur help anyway
March 24th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Karen,
If you are not sure, do not disassemble the laptop. Most likely you’ll make it worse. Take it to a repair shop.
March 24th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Ben,
Are you sure the new screen is compatible with the old one? If not, it might require a different cable.
Also, make sure the video cable is properly connected to the motherboard. Try reseating the cable just in case.
Finally, could be defective LCD.
March 24th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
annie,
I’ve never heard of that. Not sure what “inverter id” is. If you replace the original inverter with the same or compatible inverter, it should work without any adjustments.
Did you test your laptop with an external monitor? The external video works fine? Maybe your problem is not related to LCD/inverter?
March 24th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Where would you recommend I go to that I get a new inverter installed? As i probably will not be able to put a new one in myself.
I brought my laptop in to ask the info tech guy at my university, but he said he doubts it is a problem with the backlight or inverter, and said it was just my battery options problem.
But even after he fixed the battery options for me, it has occured again.
It seems to occur most of the time when I turn my computer back on from hibernation…
The laptop would work a majority of the time perfectly fine — lately the problem is it randomly starts flickering a lot, and then it would dim off.
Is it expensive to replace the inverter?
March 24th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Ok I just replaced my Acer 8930-6448 screen with an ew one after my son stepped on it and cracked it. But after the install I do not get a picture at all in fact when I select fn-f5 the only option is the external monitor I have connected to my laptop. What can be the cause of not having my laptop screen as a monitor option?
March 24th, 2009 at 10:55 am
i replaced my lcd & inverter but the screen is still dark. i read that it could be the “inverter id” how do u set the inverter id on an aspire 5100? is there some utility? any help would be greatly appreciated
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Karen,
Isn’t it still covered by HP warranty?
There is no simple answer to your question. Could be either one. I would say most likely it’s the inverter related problem. The backlight failure is less likely. The only way to find out is installing a known good inverter and hopefully it fixes the problem.
March 21st, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Hello,
I am currently using a HP COMPAQ PRESARIO F700 laptop model, which I purchased less than a year ago.
Around three weeks ago, the laptop back light would RANDOMLY dim off all the time. The programs/sound is still functioning in the background– and it can still slightly, but barely be seen.
This would occur even when my battery is charged or even when it is being charged. Adjusting the screen light from the keyboard doesnt help either. Hence I always end up having to reboot the laptop.
Also, adjusting the angle of the laptop screen would also cause the screen to dim off as well.
The laptop still functions perfectly normally, it is just the back light issue that is annoying.
After searching through many websites and comparing the symptoms, I cannot determine whether the problem with my laptop is either with the BACKLIGHT or INVERTER.
In addition, how much would it approximately cost to fix the backlight OR the inverter?
Thanks!