Solution to the HP Omnibook White Screen Problem
I finally found a solution to the White Screen Problem and it is surprisingly trivial. It worked on five or more HP Omnibook 500s. Theoretically, it should work also on yours. Both laptops have been working for more than a year again. One just travelled with me to Japan and Germany, agin. I originally wrote these lines looking at the screen again! For more comments and success stories look at the HP Forum
The Problem is not the Screen
The reason for the white-screen problem is not the screen. HP just replaces the screen as a standard procedure, but the screen is usually fine. The problem lies in the HP connecter design of the screen. It allows the connectors to move slighly and therefore the contact oxidates at the connectors. That is also why it sometimes works, and sometimes not.
How to fix it
The procedure is quite simple. Just follow the following steps:
- Download the HP Service Manual at http://24.237.160.4/files/omnibook/ob500/
- Open the front of your screen carefully by unscrewing all four screws around the screen and pressing on the sides. That procedure is better described in the service manual with pictures - just read on replacing the screen.
- Dare to unplug all cables and take out the screen.
- Clean all connecters and scratch the metall with something sharp, e.g., a screwdriver -- this removes the thin layer of oxidation.
- plug everything together and test the screen.
- If it works, put good cable tape around each connector so that they will not move anymore (i.e., fix where HP screwed up).
- Put everything together again.
You should have a working laptop after that! However, I take no legal responsibility. If you damage your laptop or your health, you are on your own.