A broken screen affects neither your data nor the rest of the machine. It is a part, and it can be replaced.
That is the first thing to know, because many people replace a perfectly healthy computer for this reason alone. Replacing a panel is a routine job, and usually far cheaper than a new device.
Plug an external monitor or a TV into the laptop's video output. If the picture appears correctly on it, the graphics chip and the motherboard are fine: only the screen assembly is at fault, and replacing the panel will solve the problem. If the external screen stays black too, the fault is elsewhere and changing the panel would achieve nothing.
A second test, for a very dark screen: shine a lamp across the panel at an angle. If you can make out the image, the display is working and it is the backlight that has died.
Both checks are part of our diagnosis, and they are why we never give a price before seeing the machine.
Ink blotches spread with every press, and sometimes simply from closing the lid a little too quickly. If the screen is cracked to the point where fragments are reaching the keyboard, it is better to switch the machine off until it can be worked on. And if you have to keep working, plug in an external monitor: there is no risk in that.
Three factors, in order of importance.
The panel itself. A standard resolution has nothing in common with a high-resolution, touch or OLED panel. It is the main cost, and it varies a great deal from one model to the next.
How it is mounted. On most laptops the panel unclips and is changed in one to two hours. On very thin models it is glued to the chassis, which lengthens the job noticeably.
Availability. Common panels arrive quickly. Unusual resolutions or very recent models take longer. We give you that information along with the quote.
We first identify the exact panel reference from your machine's model - the same computer reference can exist with several different panels, and getting it wrong costs a round trip. The part is then ordered and replaced in the workshop: unclipping the surround, disconnecting the video ribbon, fitting the new panel, and checking the display across the whole surface, edges and corners included.
The work is done as a workshop drop-off. Your data is never involved: the disk is not touched.
On a laptop that is otherwise in good condition, yes, very much so: it is one part against a whole machine. The sums work out differently on an older entry-level model, where the price of a panel can approach the residual value of the device - that is the only case where we may advise you not to repair. See repair or replace.
We give you that opinion straight, including when it costs us the job.
Three habits explain most of the panels we replace. Closing the lid on an object - a pen, a USB stick, a charger left on the keyboard: it is by far the leading cause, and the pressure is enough to crack the panel with no mark on the outside. Lifting the machine by the open screen, which strains the hinges and the ribbon cable. And carrying the laptop unprotected in a bag alongside hard objects.
A hard case and the habit of checking the keyboard before closing prevent almost all of these accidents.
A laptop with a broken screen, plugged into an external monitor with a keyboard and mouse, works perfectly. Many of our customers work that way while the panel arrives, with no interruption at all. If you have no monitor available, we can supply one, new or refurbished.
Absolutely not. The disk is not involved and your files remain intact. They are in fact reachable straight away by simply plugging in an external monitor.
No. A panel is a sealed stack of layers: a crack cannot be filled and the ink blotch will keep spreading. Replacement is the only answer.
Common resolutions are available quickly. Unusual panels or very recent models take longer, and we tell you how long with the quote.
Yes, because the touch glass is a separate part from the panel and the two are sometimes bonded together. The diagnosis determines whether only one needs changing.
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