UPDATE: Laptop Help! (For Mom)
 

When my little sister turns on her laptop, the screen doesn't do anything. It just stays black. You can hear the computer running.

Any idea what could be wrong? Any simple fixes? HELP!

It's a Toshiba, purchased one year and eleven days ago. :tsk:

Could be a bad screen, ribbon cable or failed hard drive. Do you hear the hard drive clicking? The simple fix would be to not buy a Toshiba laptop next time ;).

Do you have a computer monitor in the house for a desktop?

IF so, plug it into the laptop and see if you get an image on the screen.

If you do, it's the panel or wiring that has gone bad on the laptop, if you don't, it could be any number of things.

Thanks, guys!

I'll pass that along!!

maybe the backlight is dead? Shine a powerful light onto it and see if you can see anything.

Can you hear windows (if you are runing Windows) booting, if so, try to push at the same time the (Fn) it is the key on the left lower corner of the keyboardnext between the Ctrl and the Alt key and the F5 key on top (it has agray icon of a monitor and laptop) you could have by mistake turned the display to external monitor function. One more thing you can try is the sme Fn key in combination with F6 or F7 that is to decrease or increase the screen contrast. good luck

Tell her toshiba really means to-crappa. It could be that the computer was in standby mode when she opens the laptop. If all else fails have hold the power button down for 5 seconds and press the power button again. If the screen is still black, refer to my first statment.

The flashlight trick didn't work...her screen is glossy, so that may have something to do with it.

She said that she never hears Windows booting up. So I guess that wouldn't work.

The desktop monitor trick didn't work. :(

If the OS (Windows) is not booting then the problem maybe is not in the screen you might have a hard disk failure.. Do you see the first screen BIOS Toshiba screen right after you turn the power on..? if so and then a blank screen then your problem is in the HD drive. if nothing at all from the time you turn the power on, try to remove the battery leave it out for a few minutes and then try.