Dear Friends,

I have a compaq presario 900 laptop. I am in India.

Some days back, I had forgotten to switch on the mains, so the laptop was on running on battery. I got busy elsehow. It must have gone into sleep/hibernation, and when I came back to my laptop, the display was off. I presumed it must have gone to hiberantion, so pressed the "on" button. But it did not start.

It was quite late, so I went to sleep after putting the laptop off (pressed the "on" switch 5 seconds).

Morning the laptop just wouldnt start.

There is an HP (compaq is merged with HP) support telephone number, the person asked me to do a few things that did not work, and then he asked me to switch off completely, remove all cords, then remove the battery, and start the computer on AC main power. When I did this, the computer started, but the display was not working: I could make out a very dark image on the display, but it was very dark, couldn't read a thing.

The Compaq repair station here has a bad reputation, so I took the laptop to a proper laptop repair station. They opened the machine, and told me that an IC, called .333T, which is on an invertor circuit which drives the display, has gone bad. They told me that the IC is not available anywhere, I'll have to change the whole invertor circuit. But the invertor circuit is not available. I would buy if the IC or the invertor circuit is available.

Compaq fellows told me I have to buy the whole display+ invertor circuit, and a person associated with compaq service station told me they'll unofficially get me the invertor circuit, but they haven't yet come back to me.

I have temporarily connected the laptop to the monitor of a desktop computer.

My questions:
1. Do you think the diagnosis by the repairmen is correct, or something else could be wrong?
2. If the diagnosis is right, where do I get the IC/ invertor circuit?*

N. M. Havewala.
[email protected]