So,
I took it on a trip, probably shouldn’t have, and now the screen is weird. My first approximation would be some kind of heat damage to the display. Some of the screen was normal, and the computer seemed to be displaying normal function where it could. Is a screen repairable, replaceable, cost effective? Thanks in advance
It all depends on the particular brand/model of laptop.
On some laptops, the job is just a matter of popping off a trim piece, removing a couple screws, unplugging a cable or two and swapping out the entire lid - display and all. On others, there’s much tedious and delicate disassembly to be done.
It may be simpler and no less expensive to scout eBay for your exact model laptop, buy one, then swap the hard drives.
You can replace a laptop screen. It isn’t easy, but it isn’t hard either. I’d guess it’s about $200 without knowing any of the specifics.
Does your computer have a VGA port? If so, I’d connect an external monitor to it to see if that image looks OK. If it looks the same, then the problem isn’t the laptop screen but instead the motherboard. But if the external monitor looks OK, then it’s a display issue. And one option is just to forget the laptop screen and use it only with the external display.
I was quoted about $450 to replace my PowerBook G4 screen. Looking at the procedure for tear down, that’s not unreasonable considering you basically have to disassemble the whole computer to swap it out.
I’m currently using a shim in the corner to provide pressure. It’s not exactly ideal, but it corrects the problem. I’m guessing 4 years of being carted around in a backpack loosened some connections or broke some wires and the pressure brings things back in contact with each other.