black lines on my laptop screen

Anyone know why these have appeared .... and especially if there is an easy, cheap and safe fix I can do? Or to prevent their further expansion (see below)

It is an old HP Elitebook G2, Windows 10 Pro (64) 1803 and recently puffed the battery (heating cause was likely corrupted Power Management driver, downloaded fresh defaults from HP, seemed to help, but too late for battery now removed and only running on external power. There was first only a small pyramid of 3 rows of small black dots a few days ago, one dot (or dash)on top, space, 2 under it, space and maybe 4 on the bottom. Has now expanded to this and seems to grow a bit daily, in thickness and length. The lines are in the SCREEN and cannot be "snipped".

Also suspect maybe loose connection to SSD or somewhere. Other possible cause: in the beginning when I noticed heating, sprayed liquid evaporating COLD gas sold for laptops into underside fan inlet vents as well as fan exhaust. Fan is working correctly, maybe damaged something in the process?



laptop screen sketch

Since I cannot take a screen shot of the lines (they don't show up, are really only on the screen, don't appear) and the ONLY my jobs before finishing my degrees in Physics was as a technical artist for a major military contractor .... and the ABOVE sketch is highly accurate, in the correct proportion w.r.t. the total screen.

Anyway, here is the best photo I can provide! Remember, I reversed the mirror image so it appears as I see it on the screen.

Note: the lines are perfectly horizontal but the mirror was not (the sketch in Post #1is much clearer AND quite accurate in size and thicknesses)

I repeat: it is not possible to take a screen shot and I have no camera other than the laptop webcam





B.t.w., the lines lengthen and thicken only when the battery-less laptop is OFF and not plugged in, many hours BETWEEN uses!

More info: when the laptop was getting hot, fan making noise, but before I found out that the LIPO was puffed (ruined) I accidentally dropped it on its left side while it was closed (screen closed). When I tried to turn it on the HP BIOS said I needed to put in a hard drive, there was NO hard drive. It has a Samsung 500GB SSD as a replacement, but put in by the same cheating idiots who sold me the used HP Elitebook G2. Assuming the SSD had gotten knocked loose, without opening the back cover of the laptop, I bang-dropped it on the RIGHT side ... and it worked again! (I had NEVER opened the back!). Later, the excellent official HP repair guy (the first store went out of business!) opened it, removed the puffed battery and told me the SSD had no cover. He and his assistant messed with it, tried different covers which didn't fit and finally used some adhesive to adhere it in place, since it had been rattling since I first bought it from the now out-of-business idiots.

So since the SSD is now hanging down (laptop inverted when back cover is removed), attached by this adhesive, and since it has been VERY hot here (I have an external fan blowing on the laptop and the internal fan is either OFF or at its lowest speed) .... I can guess that during the extremely HOT hours when the laptop is not in use (OFF, battery-less and unplugged) and NOT being cooled by the external fan ... it seems quite possible that the SSD has moved slightly and some contacts are slowly moving and those contact connections worsening.

Something to consider and would explain why the lines expand -- and STAY expanded! -- most when the laptop is off and in a VERY hot room (ca. 100°F/38°C) slowly degrading some contacts as the adhesive softens allowing the SSD to drop away or sideways or whatever .....

1) Find a camera or smartphone camera to take pictures and post images into the thread

2) If there are any problems posting images please use share links (one drive, drop box, or google drive)

3) Download and install HP diagnostics windows (right upper area of the web page)
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/.../pc-diags.html

4) Launch the application > click system tests > click system extensive test tab > click run once > run the tests overnight > the next day click component tests > run all tests (some are interactive > post images of the test results into the thread

5) Open HP.com > support > software and drivers > enter the product or serial number or model > select the operating system > view drivers > download and install HP support assistant and if available download and install HP softpaq download manager > run softpaq download manager after support assistant > update drivers and BIOS

6) perform windows updates

7) open device manager > click view > show hidden devices > manually expand all rows > look for any row displaying a yellow triangle with black exclamation mark or unknown device > post images into thread

8) in case there are problems performing any of the above steps > place the computer in safe mode > report the change if any using safe mode
Boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10

1) Find a camera or smartphone camera to take pictures and post images into the thread

NOT possible in this extremely unfriendly cold city: NO useful friends, NO cooperative people, am NOT in a position to buy one ... and will NOT!

2) If there are any problems posting images please use share links (one drive, drop box, or google drive)
As posted TWICE, these lines do NOT show up in Snips! Images post fine though


3) Download and install HP diagnostics windows (right upper area of the web page)
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/.../pc-diags.html
Have this already installed, REFUSE to use this computer needlessly ... since I am now using my new used PERFECT G3 (bought from HP business repair shop). Have dedicated this one only as backup. Lines are annoying, not restrictive. As in Post #1 want EASY cheap fix ..... running this one only for emergency, and as little as possible, got it?!

4) Launch the application > click system tests > click system extensive test tab > click run once > run the tests overnight > the next day click component tests > run all tests (some are interactive > post images of the test results into the thread
NO!!!!! (see directly above)

5) Open HP.com > support > software and drivers > enter the product or serial number or model > select the operating system > view drivers > download and install HP support assistant and if available download and install HP softpaq download manager > run softpaq download manager after support assistant > update drivers and BIOS
ALL drivers and BIOS updated and current

6) perform windows updates
ALL Windows Updates are current!

7) open device manager > click view > show hidden devices > manually expand all rows > look for any row displaying a yellow triangle with black exclamation mark or unknown device > post images into thread
Good idea! Just now did that (only for-me-useful suggestion so far).
No warning triangles

8) in case there are problems performing any of the above steps > place the computer in safe mode > report the change if any using safe mode
Boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10
Already did that

I still think it is a loose connection (SSD or elsewhere) and/or failing video chip-driver set, possibly caused as clearly noted in Post #1

"Other possible cause: in the beginning when I noticed heating, sprayed liquid evaporating COLD (liquified) gas sold for laptops into underside fan inlet vents as well as fan exhaust. Fan is working correctly, maybe damaged something in the process?"

Note: computer components got strongly sprayed through the underside inlet vents with this freezing gas!


Why has no one except me addressed THIS likely cause?

OK, but if so, how to stop the lines from getting bigger, as they do mainly when the laptop is not in use? And am SURE the SSD was loose, since the HP BIOS indicated no hard drive after I'd accidentally dropped it hard on its left side, then when I purposely banged it on the right side (right edge, screen close both times) ... it worked again! Also the SSD was loose and rattling with NO hold-down cover (installed by careless idiots, as posted), Now in place using some adhesive (HP repair guy). He knows I only keep this one for emergency if the new used HP Elitebook 840 G3 I just bought from him (not the idiots, who are out of business anyway) has a problem... but IT is under warranty till the end of 2021 :)

Am also noticing some occasional, strange CPU issues -- actually glitches, I'd say -- but not hindering operation, though.