For those that own a laptop, one of the most common problems users experience hardware-wise is a broken or malfunctioning laptop screen. Laptop screens are essential to anyone using their laptop computer.

Before you decide to go ahead and  replace your laptop screen, it is wise to troubleshoot the problem. While obvious damage to a screen will usually require full replacement, other types of damage that are visible on the laptop screen may not be due to the screen itself. This is why before you replace the screen, definitely troubleshoot the problem.

If you’ve dropped your laptop or dropped something on it, and the screen has fractured, the diagnosis is easy. Connect an external monitor to your notebook via its VGA-out port to verify that the notebook’s other components still work. If the laptop functions properly in all other respects, it’s time to start hunting for the parts to fix the screen.

If your display problems aren’t the result of visible physical damage, however, the problem may not be the LCD. If your screen’s backlight flickers, shuts down after a few minutes of usage, or doesn’t come on at all, but you can still see a faint screen image, your problem may be the inverter, a small board that supplies power to the backlight. The good news is that these invertors are available for  under $100.  If replacing the inverter doesn’t solve the problem, the backlight itself may be faulty. If that’s the case, replacing the LCD should fix your problem.

If you see gibberish, lines, or a solid color on the screen, connect an external monitor and switch to that display (if you can). If the problem is evident on the external monitor, the issue is likely with your laptop’s motherboard or video circuitry, not the display. If the external display works properly, the LCD or the cables leading to it are the likely problem.