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In this guide I’ll be replacing failed LCD screen in a Gateway MT3000 series laptop.
To be precise, I’m fixing a Gateway MT3707 laptop which has a failed backlight lamp inside the LCD screen.
Problem description: The laptop starts with reddish image on the screen and after a few seconds the screen light goes completely off. The image is still on the screen but it’s very dark. The reddish image indicates a problem with the backlight lamp. I tested laptop with a new backlight lamp and it works fine. In this case the entire LCD screen has to be replaced.
Turn off the laptop, unplug the AC adapter and remove the battery.
STEP 1.
There are six screws securing the screen bezel. These screws hidden under six rubber plugs.
Remove all six plugs with a sharp object.
Remove six screws securing the screen bezel.
STEP 2.
Start separating the bezel from the screen cover with your fingers.
On the bottom the bezel is glued to the LCD screen with sticky tape. Carefully separate the bezel from the screen.
STEP 3.
Remove the screen bezel.
STEP 4.
The screen inverter mounted below the LCD screen.
Carefully disconnect the screen backlight cable from the right side of the inverter board.
If you are replacing the inverter board, you’ll have to disconnect one more cable from the other side of the inverter.
Now you can replace inverter with a new one.
STEP 5.
Remove four screws from left and right side of the LCD screen (two screws from each side). These screws securing the screen to the hinge brackets.
Carefully separate the LCD screen from the cover and place it on the keyboard.
STEP 6.
Remove tape securing the video cable.
Disconnect the video cable from the LCD screen connector.
Now you can remove the damaged LCD screen from the laptop.
You can find a new replacement screen by the LCD screen model number. This number is printed on the screen sticker.
In my case the LCD screen model number is LTN141W1-L03.
This screen is available here. If you have a different screen, just search by the model number.
October 11th, 2010 at 10:59 am
When you tested the backlight on the Gateway laptop to determine it was a bad LCD, how did you actually do the test? I have the exact model you demonstrated with and I wanted to reach the same conclusion before ordering a LCD replacement. Thanks in advance.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Theo Logan,
I have a test backlight lamp I removed from a cracked LCD screen.
In order to test the backligth failure, I disconnect the laptop screen backlight from the inverter board and plug in my test backlight lamp.
After that I turn on the laptop and let it run for a while. If my test backlight stays on, the backlight inside the screen is bad.
October 11th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Gotcha. Thanks for the info.
October 15th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
Hello.
Recently, My MT3707 had a similar problem(failing LCD).
However, in my case, I think the problem might be ‘lid close switch’ (Sorry, I am not sure whether this is correct name or not) because
1. When I use external monitor, it works fine. So VGA must be OK.
2. The image is still on the screen, though it’s very weak. So LCD itself could not have a problem.
3. No reddish so far. When I repeat open/close the cover, the screen recovers sometimes.
Of course, it might be still inverter or backlight which causes the problem. Anyway I want to check the switch first as I don’t have additional parts.
The problem/question is that I can’t find on where the switch is.
Can you point out where it is? It would be very helpful to me.
Thank you very much.
October 17th, 2010 at 11:25 am
M. Kim,
I don’t remember this model off the top of my head, but if you cannot see a physical button somewhere close to the hinges, most likely you have a magnetic lid close switch. Older laptops usually had a regular physical switch button but newer laptops come with magnetic lid close switch.
Here’s how it works.
There is a small magnet installed inside the display panel. There is a switch located somewhere on the motherboard. When you close the display, the magnet activates the switch and the laptop goes into sleep/hibernation, etc…
You can find the magnet location by moving a small screwdriver along the bezel and the screwdriver will stick to the place where the magnet installed.
If you have a magnet switch, I don’t think this is your problem.
Most likely it’s either bad inverter or faulty LCD screen backlight. You cannot tell which one is causing the problem without testing the laptop with a known good inverter board.
If you have to guess, try replacing the inverter board first. If it doesn’t help, try replacing the LCD screen.
Here’s how you can troubleshoot backlight problems.
October 19th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Thank you for your kind, precise, and concise explanation.
As you expected, it did not seem the switch problem.
So I followed your recommendation and ordered an inverter; Now I’m waiting for it.
Hope this guess would turn out to be true.
Again, thank you very much!
October 20th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
M.Kim,
I hope it works. Let me know if your new inverter fixes the problem.
November 6th, 2010 at 7:59 am
HI,
i own a gateway mt3707 and i noticed it gets hot easily.
i believe that the fan is filled with llinth
can u make an instruction on how to access the fan of gateway mt3707
thanks ;D
November 6th, 2010 at 8:35 am
It works!
It was indeed the inverter problem. I’ve just replaced it with new one.
The whole process took only a couple of minutes; However, I had ordered new inverter at e-bay, and it took about 2 weeks for shipping. It was quite cheap though.
Thank you very much again!
December 2nd, 2010 at 6:08 pm
i have a gateway m6843 and power plugs was little loose i disassemble laptop and touchup solder on plug put everything back together and it powers on but nothing on the screen. i have used and outside monitor no show , i used only mother, board power with and with hard drive still no show. i have disassembled and reassembled to make sure everything was done correctly, Any thoughts???
December 8th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
godchaser1967,
Did you remove memory modules during the disassembly process? Make sure memory modules connected correctly.
March 5th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Mr. I have a Gateway M7 3707 ( Iam a spanish so the english in some parts I dont understand at 100% ) .
I read all the comentaries, and I confused, because I think I need to buy only the inverter and then my problem its resolve but in this moment I dont know if its the inverter if its the backlight or the lcd screen.
My problem:
I turn on my laptop, showme a few seconds the screen and then go dark… ( sometimes the image go back again for a few seconds and then go back dark again ) sometimes, no much times, but sometimes I can see a image in the dark, but sometimes… why I can explain this? because I conect my laptop to an external monitor and I see all my desktop and all what I do on my laptop… so I can work with a external monitor and work and in that period of time, the screen on my laptop go back the image for a few seconds or in any moment ( few moments ) the image can be visible for a 3 o 4 minutes..
so my question its, please Mr. can you helpme to decide what part I need to buy ? becasue for me its very expensive to buy a part and maybe its not the part for my problem, because how I dont know correct the english, I failed to learn what you say in your post and the comentaries and buy a part what I dont need it.
please can you helpme on this.
thanks
March 12th, 2011 at 10:55 am
Homero Iracheta,
Most likely it’s either bad inverter board or failing backlight lamp inside the LCD screen.’
Which one is bad? I cannot tell without testing the laptop. Both have very similar failure symptom – no backlight on the screen or it’s flickering.
In order to figure out which part to buy, it’s necessary to test the laptop with another inverter or backlight.
If you have no spare parts, you’ll have to guess. I would suggest try replacing the inverter board first, it shouldn’t be very expensive. If it doesn’t help, replace the LCD screen (the backlight lamp mounted inside the screen).
It’s possible to replace just the backlight lamp without replacing the whole screen, but it’s very difficult. Here’s an example of replacing failed backlight lamp:
http://www.laptoprepair101.com/laptop/2007/12/09/replace-laptop-backlight-ccfl-lamp/
March 12th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Thanks Mr Laptop Tech.. many thanks for your explanation, right now I buy on ebay an inverter, to test first ( hope this can fix the problem ) and if its not, well I need to replace all the lcd screen, becasue what you say its difficult to change only the backlight.
but Iam happy with your repply, first for your time to respond, second for your website with images explain to change the bad parts, because its good to me, and have the courage to make my own job in my laptop… ( some people do the job but its givme an expensive amount, thats scare to me…. 190.00 dlls … and I think, my computer its old , so its better if not repair and buy a lcd screen separatly to buy in walmart for 100.00dlls and thats its less than sent to repair ).
again thanks for all, and only wait for the part to do the job..
regards
Homer
March 13th, 2011 at 9:54 am
@ Homero Iracheta,
Good luck! I hope replacing the inverter board will fix the problem.
Make sure to buy inverter from a good reputable seller with many positive reviews.
March 31st, 2011 at 9:27 am
Mr. Laptop Tech… Please when you read this post if you need to delete, please do it… ( because Iam not see to post in other way )
on this day I not recive the inverter… but Iam still waiting… but until yesterday, the laptop givme another problem…. and I put this post to know if you can givme another idea…
the “on” button its hard to respond ( I push several times and spend several times ) until the laptop its start on… Im afraid next time dont turn on the laptop… please do you have any idea what the problem its… because soon the inverter its came, and hope this fix the problem with the screen… but if the laptop cant turn on ?
thanks ….
March 31st, 2011 at 9:38 am
Homero Iracheta,
What happens when you push on the power button?
1. The power LED turns on but nothing appears on the screen
or
2. The laptop doesn’t react at all. No LED light, no other activity. The laptop appears to be dead.
April 4th, 2011 at 5:46 am
Mr Laptop tech say:
2. The laptop doesn’t react at all. No LED light, no other activity. The laptop appears to be dead.
I need push the on button several times, until the computers starts on… because when I push the button the laptop its on number 2… I see this, (maybe .. I dont know certain of this ) but if I push the on button to start the laptop on, I push the button on one of piece of the button on the left around ( not on the center ) and stay pushed the computer its on… but not on all times…
today the laptop continues turn on ( pushing several times the buton ) but what I say, Iam afraid one day the laptop never start on……
thanks and regards
.
April 12th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Not, its not the inverter, I put the new one, and the screen its black, some times I can see the desktop but darker…
well I need to do 2 things… 1.- buy the whole lcd screen, and second, I need a new cable ( the left what as atached to to inverter ) because when I try to disconect again the new inverter to see the exact number of my lcd screen, well I put excese force and I disconect two black wires from the “White head cable” and I dont know were to put inside again back…
Mr Laptop Tech, in the step 4 you say “Carefully disconnect the screen backlight cable from the right side of the inverter board” that cable its ok, but if you see in the same steep , you say “If you are replacing the inverter board, you’ll have to disconnect one more cable from the other side of the inverter” that cable I broken, because some wires its out from the end of the cable, thats its the broken cable..
Please can you tellme where to buy it, or the number of the cable, because my problem its the English I cant explain how to say the correct cable to buy it…???
thanks for your reply
April 12th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Homero Iracheta,
I don’t know the part number. Take a look at the cable installed in your laptop. Does it have a sticker on the cable? The part number could be printed on that sticker.
Find the sticker and google all numbers you can find on it. You should be able to fine a new cable this way.
April 12th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
I buy the cable from the number what you say…, but please, can you tellme if the start on button can fix ? I try to start on pushing with a fine point and after several times the computers turn on ( that are before I broken the video cable ) … did you think can I fix it or its a big problem ? thanks for all
April 1st, 2012 at 8:38 am
I have a mt3703 laptop and the screen just goes black after a few minutes after I turn on the laptop. Is it the inverter or the backlight that needs to be replaced? I used a monitor to make sure I still have video and it works, and once in awhile the laptop screen will flicker on and I can see the screen for a few seconds or so. if this helps to tell me weather it’s the inverter or the backlight? The image on the screen isn’t visible at all when it goes out
.Thanks for any help