I've got a bunch of Compaq 486 laptops in my loft with the same problem. When I was selling laptops at Comet (UK equivalent of Best Buy or similar), this was the number one problem with all laptops, regardless of the make.
Wrapped around the inside of one of the hinges between your laptop and its screen is a ribbon cable, coiled up like a spring. Tension is applied to this cable when the lid is closed, and released when the lid is open. Sooner or later they (or one of the contacts therein) will break, and the monitor will only display when the lid's open at a certain angle. It'll get worse and worse, and then it'll fail completely.
The good news is that these ribbon cables cost buttons if you've a relatively new laptop. You're talking two or three quid, max. Putting them in is a bit of a nightmare (they're so delicate!), and so is getting hold of them, but the cost of actually obtaining the part is usually negligible. |