I've got an HP Omnibook 4100 laptop that recently puttered out on me--or, more accurately, the monitor did. Well...the monitor itself works just fine, but it has for some reason pretty much lost the signal from the computer to the screen. Occasionally the picture will come on (usually not for long), and the backlight functions correctly which leads me to believe it's not a problem with the monitor/LCD screen itself, but rather, with a connection between the computer and the monitor. Anyway, I took it to a computer repair shop. The guy there said that he would venture to guess that there is a bad "connector" (didn't specify what connector), and that the particular connector that had gone bad is usually a weak point in most HP laptops. However, they wanted $42 just to look at it, not to mention what it would cost them to fix it, so I figured I'd better ask someone for help and see if I or a skilled friend can fix it for much less. So my question to you all is, what do you think the problem could be? If it's a bad connector, can you give me some information on what type of connector has probably gone bad and where I can get a replacement? Also, is there anywhere that I can obtain a diagram of the guts of this particular laptop so I better idea of where this "connector" might be?

It is a simple flat ribbon Data cable,video cable, VGA cable, display cable. It is very flat, "Rust" in color. You will be able to find the manual and spare parts on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3417115904&category=31550 You will probably have it up and running for less than $42.00. I have replaced them before. It's not a hard task. One end connects to the Motherboard runs up through the left hand hinge and connects to the display screen. The hardest part about it is keeping up with all those tiny screws. Good Luck.