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General discussion

Scrambled screen on sony vaio laptop

by maer Aug 2, 2004 3:26PM PDT

I turned on my Sony Vaio laptop (GRZ660) and the screen was scrambled. It shook and rolled and I could make out some words (not anything like you would see on startup or a desktop) and a bar code. The only word I could make out was "apology". I tried alt/ctrl/del, nothing. I tried turning it off and on, nothing. I removed the battery and tried again, same thing....

Is this a common problem with laptops? Do I need a new screen? Are they terribly expensive?

Discussion is locked

5 Posts
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Why not ask Sony?
by Yew Aug 2, 2004 9:44PM PDT

Part of the purchase price for that laptop was some sort of warranty plan. Use it! Sony may have the worst tech support of the major computer makers, but you should at least TRY to see if their support staff can solve the problem. It may be a hardware defect that entitles you to a new laptop.

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Re: Scrambled screen on sony vaio laptop
by Willy Aug 2, 2004 10:55PM PDT

Either you got true h/w fault or some malware is at work. Its pretty hard to correct if you can't or understand what's viewed. I suggest if you can, boot in the bios area and just see if its "viewable" if it isn't very probable a h/w fault. If it seems to settle, then maybe some malware at work, try booting into *safe mode*, your manual should explain. Again, if you can't do that, try warranty procedure, any?
Also, please explain what OS, h/w, etc. you have, it helps to know.

good luck -----Willy Happy

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Is the BIOS or boot screen scrambled on thi sony laptop?
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 2, 2004 11:00PM PDT

If so, the fault can be either the motherboard or the LCD. Both run about the same dollars to replace.

Check that warranty and call in QUICKLY before more days pass.

--------------------

If it's just Windows that is messed up, boot SAFE MODE and find the video driver and reinstall that.

Bob

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Re: Is the BIOS or boot screen scrambled on thi sony laptop?
by maer Aug 2, 2004 11:25PM PDT

I really can't read what it's saying on the screen because it is so jumbled. I tried to go into safe mode and it does something, but I can't read it to tell what it's telling me to do.
I'm about 3 months out of warranty.
It's a Sony Vaio GRZ660, P4, 2.4 ghz, 40 gb hard drive, DVD-RW & CD-RW.

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The BIOS or boot screen scrambled on this sony laptop.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 2, 2004 11:40PM PDT

The next step is to try an external monitor. This will only pinpoint if it's the LCD or circuits that feed the LCD.

If the external CRT can't display the BIOS or boot screen proper, then the motherboard is the prime suspect.

My estimate for an out of warranty repair is in the 500 to 1,000 buck range. They don't fix the motherboard, but replace it.

Bob

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