Help! White screen upon boot up

[kenghwee]

Have been using the zt3000 for abt 1.5years and recently the LCD screen display nothing but a white screen upon startup. Brought it back to HP service centre yesterday and was quoted SGD520  for replacing the LCD. Did anyone encountered the same problem? Any advice?

[kf_man]

There really isn't a good option for fixing the problem.  I know that I have said this in the past, but you need to weigh you options.  It may be time to scout out the field for a new laptop.  If you feel confident with yourself, you could try opening up the laptop and replacing the screen yourself, but I do not recommend that approach.  In order to get a screen, you would need to go to eBay and if that doesn't fix the problem, then you are stuck.  I would either let the service center fix it or just let this laptop go the way of the dodo.  Even though it's not out of date yet, it appears that it is gradually becoming extinct.  It's too bad that hp cut out this line of laptops, but it might just be time to scout other options.  To give you a head start, my favorites are:

Midrange (similar size to X1000):
Dell Inspiron 6000
Acer TravelMate 8100

Ultra Portable:
Fujitsu P7000
Dell Inspiron 700m

These are just ones i like from my research.  I like the specs of the Dell machines, but not necessarily the company.  I have only dealt with Dell for accessories (Dell Axim and two Dell monitors) and have never needed their support.  Good luck with whatever you do, but I would think hard before putting too much money into that laptop.

[kenghwee]

Thanks for the pointers and recommendations. Decided to get it repaired by HP after searching ebay and found that the prices are about the same after adding the shipping cost. Also considering the shipping time and risk i have to take doing it myself.
Got to say that HP did a pretty good job, the whole LCD panel including the top case was replaced and i was able to collect the laptop within the same day. Hope that this replacement will be able to last for another year or 2 before i save enough for a new laptop

extended warranty is a must for those looking for a new laptop

[kf_man]

Well, I'm glad that your laptop is fixed now.  That's pretty much what I figured you would find out looking on eBay.  In that case, I would have done the same thing.  Good luck with your laptop and I hope that it does last long enough for you to save up for a new laptop.

As for extended warranties, they are a must!

I have a three-year non-accidental warranty and I'm very glad I have it.  I was a little upset with HP because they forgot that I had the warranty and made me fax a receipt to them.  It was annoying because my one-year was almost up and I didn't have the confirmation from my warranty.  They really need to have a better warranty system with HP because now they just send you a packet and you have to do the warranty thing yourself.