Removing LCD screen, video cable and inverter from a Satellite A105 laptop
Here are instructions for getting inside the display assembly on a Toshiba Satellite A105 laptop. You can use this instructions for removing and replacing the LCD screen, video cable or screen inverter.
If you are only replacing the inverter board, you don’t have to remove the screen. The inverter board is located right under the screen and is secured to the screen cover by one screw. Just remove the screen mask as it shown on the step 6 and then remove the inverter.
If you are replacing the video cable, you’ll have to remove the LCD screen and also remove the keyboard strip. The video cable connector on the motherboard is located right under the keyboard strip.
Related article: Why LCD screen on my Toshiba Satellite A105 laptop turns gray?
Need spare parts for your laptop? Search here by the laptop model and part name or number.
August 15th, 2007 at 5:58 am
This guide is extremely good. I was looking for something exactly like this.
But it would be good if you could add steps or atleast precautions that should be taken when assembling it back.
A question for u: I have a toshiba a105-s2081. The LCD screen doesnot turn on at all sometimes. But when i open the LCD cover it works !!. Close it and its gone ( but not forever , works intermittenly )
It doesnt go off when i am workn on it but if i shut it down and restart it it goes off , without me even moving it.
It does have video output for external monitor and i tried the Fn + F5 but couldnt get LCD to work.
Any ideas ? Do you think its the LCD switch ? Can you also pls point out where the switch is or how it turns on ?
Thanks a lot again and good work !!
August 15th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
I am not familiar with your particular laptop but have you checked the connection from your laptop to the screen? Sounds like it it loose possibly?
August 19th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Hi ,
I initially thought it would be a loose connection. But what sounds strange is it jst stops workn even without moving the screen.
For example: If I have it working now and restart it ( windows restart ) without moving the screen or laptop at all , the display doesnt work after the restart !!
It doesnt go off once its workng . Just have to make sure that it comes on the when i start the laptop.
Do you know how the LCD switch works in a105 series ?
Thanks again
August 26th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Tom Titus,
This model has a magnetic switch. The magnet is located under the LCD mask, I believe in the top right corner. When you close the display, the magnet activates the switch located under the palmrest.
September 5th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
cj2600 : thanx for ur reply.
I had seen that magnet located at the top right corner but always wondered what thats for.
I check the palmrest but cudnt find the magnetic switch.
Can u pls help me out with this ?
Is the switch located on the motherboard or the body for palmrest ?
Thanx in advance
November 14th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Hi,
This post is a few months old but I wanted to make a comment about the LCD switch on the Toshiba A105 laptops. I own one and have been bothered by the lcd turning off the back light. It did not seem to matter the position of the screen itself. It seemed to be very random as to when it would go off and then come back on. One day I noticed that when I held it in a certain part of my lap it would go off. If I moved it just a few inches it would come back on. I remembered that when I had replaced the screen that there was a manget in the top right corner. I then realized that in my pocket was my money clip. It held the money closed with … guess what a strong MAGNET. UGGG .. I took it out of my pocket placed it on the laptop lower right palmrest and off the went the screen. I almost replaced the inverter thinking that was the problem. So anyone with a problem with the screen going dark and then back on may want to just check to see if there is a magnet near that part of the palmrest.
Take care all. Tim
December 13th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Great instrutions, just what I was looking for.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Thanks for the great guide! Anyway, I was just wondering if it’s easy to remove the laptop cover? Mine is pretty scrached up & I want to replace it but have never done it before.
Thanks in advance for your help.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
i have a toshiba satellite A105 with windows vista and i’m trying to find the part numbers and\or identacode numbers for the lcd screen. the toshiba service center in brecksville told me i would have to take it to brecksville and it would cost me $125 per\hr+tax.can anyone help me. thanks
March 24th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
[...] Here’s another guide for this model. Removing laptop LCD screen. [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
It seems the power adapter on the motherboard on my A105 is loose. You have to wiggle the plug just right to get it to charge. I thought that the power jack on the motherboard was attached via a cable, so it can easily be replaced. Why would it matter if it is loose then?
May 25th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Zeb: I have exactly the same problem and the repair shop wants about $300 just to “resolder” the laptop connector…if that is really the problem.
Please e-mail me if you get a response to your question.
Thanks
June 4th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Hey Bill,
I went to laptopjacks.com and ordered the replacement jack. It does not need to be resoldered. It is just a cable that wraps around under the motherboard and plugs in. I don’t know how it could get “loose” but it did. So, you take out the motherboard (much easier than it sounds) and replace the part. $45 shipped!
Now for the bad news……..I put it all back together and can’t get the screen to come on now…hmmmm, what to do.
June 11th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Hi Zeb:
Thanks for replying to my problem. The problem that I have been having is that I can NOT “charge my battery” to find out if my computer is working. The “input” is loose, not the connection to the mother board. So, if I can connect at the “loose input” and the other end is plugged into the motherboard, why doesn’t my battery charge. IT APPEARS THAT YOU HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AFTER INSTALLING THE NEW CABLE!
Question: (a) does anyone know of a place where I can take my laptop battery and have it recharged, reinstalled in my computer, and see whether my computer functions; and, (2) does anyone know if there is an “adapter” that can charge my laptop battery “outside” of the laptop?
Thanks, Zeb. and let’s hope you and I can “fix” our laptops at some reasonable charge.
Bill
June 11th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Hey Bill,
The problem you seem to be having is that the actual plug on the back of the laptop is bad, right? And it won’t charge the laptop? I suggest you order the replacement part from http://www.laptopjacks.com You can tell them your exact model and they will send you a replacement for about $45.
An update though….I took it apart again, put it back together and it worked just fine. You really don’t need to pay $300 to do it. I had never taken a laptop apart before until now, and it was pretty easy.
http://www.irisvista.com/tech/laptops/Toshiba-Satellite-A105/remove-motherboard-1.htm
To answer your question though, I don’t know where you could take your battery to charge, other than finding a new model it will work with and taking just the battery to Best Buy or something and plugging it in. Also, I don’t know of an adapter that it can plug into outside of the laptop. I don’t think something like that exists.
July 14th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
would like to know how to replace not just the screen but the front cover as well, as its all scratched and really needs replacing any instructions on this matter? in other words i have a cracked sreen and the front cover is all scratched up would like to replace as a unit. any instructions for this small problem?
July 14th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I would just look for the whole display assembly on ebay. I found one for my sister’s dell, and it was way easier that just replacing the lcd, plus, like you, her cover was really scratched.
That way you just unplug the old one and plug the new one in.
October 20th, 2008 at 4:44 am
hi,
i want to change the LCD screen of the same laptop but the screw attached to the LCD screen wouldnt come out…what shoul i do or which size of screwdriver should i use??
October 25th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I have a toshiba satellite m105. the port on the motherboard where the cable from the lcd connects to the motherboard was scorched when something shorted out. i do not have money to replace the computer or the montherboard. is there a way to fix or replace the port?
November 5th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
How can I tell if I need a new display or if its a inverter or lcd cable. Apparently my customer dropped it.. the screen is not cracked but one does not get a good picture.. it flickers when it comes on then you can not make out the screen. I can hook it to an external monitor and fn +f5 I think it was.. switched to the external and the machine works fine.
Presuming then the lcd cable and inverter are ok? Or bad presumption.. since the external is working without those parts…
Please advise
Thanks in advance,
Jim
January 14th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
hi bill, my laptop problem need password bios… how to fix that…
thanks
mila
January 30th, 2009 at 6:34 am
Good day; was wondering if you knew where the lcd switch for a toshiba satellite a20 was. It does not appear to be plunger type switch. Could it be a magnet type, if so where would it be located. Did not see anything or any reference to it in the disassembly guide
February 14th, 2009 at 4:35 am
Great Instructions. Need help diagnosing whether my problem is the inverter or the LCD screen itself. Started losing a line of pixels about 9 months ago, they would all come back if I twisted the screen a bit. Then one line turned into 2 right next to each other, then 3 with one of missing lines of pixels above the original two by 3 inches.
Again, twisting the screen worked well.
Then, all the pixels beneath the original 2 all would phase in an out, but twisting would help for a while. Now, after I opened the Screen Mask and fooled around with the video cable, all the pixels between those original 2 lines stay out and rarely come back no matter what I do.
Is this an LCD screen issue, Video Cable issue or an inverter issue?
April 14th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Michel,
The issue you describe with the lines of lost pixels? That’s a bad LCD display, not the inverter.
If you can make the lines light up or go out based on twisting the screen, that indicates problems with the circuit traces on the LCD display board itself, or possibly with the flat ribbon cable that goes from it to the motherboard.
April 14th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Michel,
I agree with T Wyrick,
Sounds like a problem with the LCD screen. If the screen lights up, the inverter works properly.
Also, T Wyrick said:
If your screen has one or few thin vertical lines in random places, it’s bad LCD. The problem is not related to the cable.
Again, sounds like a bad screen.
April 14th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
mila,
On older Toshiba laptops you can clear the BIOS password using this method.
Will not work for newer Toshibas.
May 12th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Hello people! My buddy just a gave me his a105 to fix the LCD doesn’t light up at all is it the possibly inverter?
Thanks Matt
May 12th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Matt,
If the external monitor works fine and you can see a very dim image on the internal LCD screen, it’s likely that you have a failed inverter board.
May 12th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Matt,
You can find a replacement inverter using the part number from the original inverter.
1. Disassemble the display panel.
2. Remove the inverter and find the part number.
3. Google the part number.
May 13th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Well I hook it up to external LCD noting happen?
May 17th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Hello,
I have a Toshiba A100 (which looks very similar to the A105 on the pics). It is about two and a half years old. A few days ago I noticed a dark spot near one corner. It is about 5 pixels, but it does not end on pixel boundary and by looking at it, it seems that it is behind the pixels. I guess it could be dust between the light source and the panel. Is that possible? Is there a way to remove it?
May 17th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
umiki,
Yes, it’s possible that you got a piece dirt inside the laptop. How it gets in there? I don’t know but it happens.
In order to remove it you’ll have to disassemble the LCD screen and I would strongly suggest not to do so. You can damage the screen. Just use it as is.
May 18th, 2009 at 6:03 am
Thanks for your reply! So there is no easy way. I thought that I should not take it apart (on the disassembly pics, it did not look as it was possible). My personal experience about the removal of dust from sensitive parts is that I either end up with more dust (plus particles, fingerprints etc.) or it takes ridicolusly long time.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:14 am
umiki,
It’s possible but not easy. Take a look at this LCD disassembly guide. If you doing it without any experience, most likely you’ll damage the screen.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Thanks for pointing me to that thread. It seems it is exactly what I need. As the procedure seems quite difficult and risky, I decided that I can live with that one spot near the corner for now. I’ll reconsider if it gets worse.
Thanks for all your answers.
June 4th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
great write up and pics! i just replaced my crack lcd screen and wanted to leave a couple of comments.
step 6: don’t need to remove that screw as i didn’t need to replace the fl inverter board
step 8: actually, there are 4 smaller screws holding the screen to the hinges on each side. i suggest getting a eyeglass repair tool and take your time as i stripped one using an exacto-blade and had to drill it out so i can use the eyeglass tool.
otherwise, fairly straight-forward and simple. i actually found a cheaper screen after i already bought mine on ebay for roughly $60. having it serviced would’ve cost me over $400!
thanks and happy computing!
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I have a Satellite A105-S2101, Model Number PSAA5U-01300O. The screen image rolls and flickers. I have have to rotate the screen from the closed position (0 Deg)to the totally opened position(180 Deg). It is getting harder and harder to get the image to settle down. I’m guessing this is a video cable issue. How do I get a replacement one?
August 19th, 2009 at 11:16 am
ok my husband satallite a105-s2101 screen is a pinkish color on a constant basis, you can see all other colors but everthing also has a pink tint to it. and the white parts are all pink…what could be wrong? please help
August 25th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
DANIELLA,
It’s hard to tell. Check external video. Are you getting the same problem on the external monitor?
If external video works fine, it could be:
1. Bad connection between the video cable and motherboard.
2. Bad video cable.
3. Bad LCD screen.
4. Defective motherboard.
I cannot tell without running some diagnostics.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
My daughter has a Satellite A205 that shuts down after 5 to 10 minutes of boot up. Can you help out with this pboblem please. She has losts all her home work twice and is very upset. I cant afford to take it to a shop.
Thank you in advance!
Ash
September 16th, 2009 at 9:16 am
hi
when i turn on my toshiba satellite pro a100, i get a black screen(the screen is working but its black). i tried to plug my laptop to an external monitor, i turned off the laptop restarted it and on the external monitor i see windows loading but with floating boxes, line and blurry picture. it doesnt enter windows and the screen is black.
i want to know if thats a graphic card problem because if it is i can change it (pci express).
my graphic card is Schnittstelle: PCI Express
Grafikspeicher: 256 MB
Chipentwickler: NVIDIA
Grafikchip: GeForce 7600 GO
if i consider that the video card is the problem, i cant find any that is 256mb and looks exactly like 64mb card.
i appreciate any help i can get
November 13th, 2009 at 9:52 am
my A105-S2712 at times has a vertical red line on the screen.
but the big problem is the bottom 1/3 of the screen freezes while the top 2/3 can still be normal. Moving the lid back and forth affects it and sometimes remedy’s it but it must remain perfectly still to continue. The curser disappears if you move into this area but reappears when you move back up. any idea what is wrong? thanks lee
November 13th, 2009 at 9:56 am
lee,
Sounds like the LCD screen failure to me. I think you’ll have to replace the screen.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Aw that sucks i just got same problem from bringing laptop to school in backpack with books on it, and no i have that issue with 1/3 of screen fading out, sure their aren’t anymore remedies?
(i kinda just had to buy a new hard drive for 120$ a new external hard drive for myself 70$, and my uncle a new external hard drive for around 50$ because it failed wile i had borrowed it, my bank account isn’t infinite…)
December 21st, 2009 at 3:12 am
I have a toshiba satellite a 105 and the LCD no longer displays anything. Before the screen went blank, sometimes tilting the cover back and forth would cause the display to work. Could this be a problem with the ribbon cable?
December 29th, 2009 at 11:52 am
“I have a toshiba satellite a 105 and the LCD no longer displays anything. Before the screen went blank, sometimes tilting the cover back and forth would cause the display to work. Could this be a problem with the ribbon cable?”
i wouldn’t think its the ribbon cable because that’s for the screen itself, i would think its the inverter, less when you say it displays nothing you mean that the screen is on but its black, then I’d say its sumthing like that cable or the screen.
January 16th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
I have a Toshiba Satellite A105 and my screen seems to be having issues with its back light. If i move the screen to a certain angle the back light works fine but if it is bumped or moved it will flicker like a strobe light or just go out! I think the LCD screen it self is fine as i see the display with a bright flash light ever when it seems to be out. So do you think i need a new inverter or ribbon?
I would greatly appreciate any advice!
Nick