How to Troubleshoot Lines Across a Laptop Computer When Booting
Troubleshooting laptops is exponentially more difficult than troubleshooting their desktop cousins. Full of proprietary parts and often running in hot, cramped spaces, laptops have a much higher failure rate than do desktops. Nowhere is this more evident than in their display hardware. Having horizontal lines across the screen when booting is a sign of failing video hardware, and regardless of the diagnosis, the treatment will not be kind to your wallet.
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Instructions
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Examine your laptop's LCD for chips or cracks. Sometimes these can be thin or only noticeable in a certain light. Examine your LCD closely for these hairline cracks. Should you find a crack or fracture, you'll need to replace your LCD. If your laptop is still under warranty, contact the manufacturer.
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Connect an external monitor to you laptop's external display (VGA, HDMI or DVI) port. Power on your laptop and check to see if the lines still appear. If they don't, the problem lies in your LCD and it (or one of its critical components) must be replaced.
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If the lines still appear on the external monitor, the problem lies with your display hardware. If you have a discrete graphics adapter on your laptop (which is a rarity) it will need to be replaced. It the graphics card is "on-board" (a much more common occurrence), the motherboard will need to be replaced.
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If your laptop is under warranty and hasn't received physical damage, contact your manufacturer for an authorized repair. If it is no longer under warranty, there are many companies (via the Internet) that will repair an out-of-warranty laptop (see "References").
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Tips & Warnings
While it's possible to repair your own laptop, it is not recommended. Laptops are more mechanically complex than desktops and as such are more difficult to work on.
References
- Photo Credit laptop image by Angie Lingnau from Fotolia.com
