screen wont light up

[brucelee65]

i have a lenovo t400..the screen wont work..when i plug it in it beeps like 3-4 times then nothing..what could be the problem???

[sarbin]

welcome to the community.

sorry you're having troubles.

regarding the beeps... what is the exact pattern, long/short, repeating, etc?

cheers.

[brucelee65]

thanks for responding so quickly..beep...beep beep beep...beep beep beep...beep

[sarbin]

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brucelee65 wrote:

thanks for responding so quickly..beep...beep beep beep...beep beep beep...beep

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ok.

have a look at: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/diagnose-and-fix/detail.page?DocID=HT035729

1-3-3-1 is listed as a dimm or system board issue. if you have another memory stick, pull out the existing and swap it in, then try booting again. if it boots, then it was likely the original stick. if it doesn't, it sounds like you've got a system board issue. are you still under warranty?

[brucelee65]

i dont have another memory stick and its not under warranty..

[sarbin]

ok.

i'm not confident this will have any effect whatsoever, but you can try it:

  Ensure nothing is plugged into the computer

  Remove the battery

  Press power button 10 times

  Press power button down for 30 seconds

  Press power button twice

  Attach ac adapter

  Press power button once. PC should come up. Perform normal start up. Everything should be fine.

  Shut down and reinstall the battery

[brucelee65]

all it did was repeat the same type of beeps...i sincerely thank you for your help...question-is it the mother board that is messed up or perhaps some thing else? and will it cost too much to have it repaired vs.buying another of the same?? thanks

[sarbin]

well... without some known good memory to swap in and test, it could be either the memory or the system board, if the beep code is to be trusted.

if it's just memory, then it's cheap. if it's the system board, i don't really know what they cost, used or new. couple that with labor to tear down and replace and it might well be cheaper to buy a new laptop. if you're electronically handy and can find the right board used, it might make sense to go that route.

anyway, while i can't really offer more info, there are a number of hardware gurus on the forum that will likely see this thread and be able to weigh in more definitively.

sorry...

[brucelee65]

hey no apology needed..i appreciate your time and concern in this matter..very much appreciated !!

[sarbin · Accepted solution]

'welcome! any time.

keep an eye on this thread. more help will show up. i'm sure.

cheers!