Well, it's time to crack it open. Last Thursday I was working with my mighty pismo on a conference table when someone dropped a fairly heavy box on the same table. At that instant, the fan came on (room was hot) and the display went totally white. I discovered by sound and by the computer's response to the power key followed by the return key that it is still running. I connected an external display and was able to see a desktop, but of course all my icons and desktop are on the lcd display. makes this thing a little on the useless side.

Figuring on a loose cable, I dug deeply into the powerbook and display and could see no defect on the display's data cable. No defect or loose connection was found. The display does indeed light up though. Just no active pixels. If there's any good news in this, there are no stuck pixels either:)

My next logical answer is the logic board. Anyone out there have this trouble.

If it isn't the cable, then most likely you'll need to replace the Display. The odds are it won't be the logic board based on how the accident happened.

-Bradley
Powerbookmedic.com

Got it working. The trouble was indeed the logic board. I could see the damaged piece underneath which appeared to be a covered wire wrap. The cover had separated. The new logic board worked well.

by the way, it was not the display but the logic board itself.

I recently had the exact same problem. I was just working with my Pismo, and the screen sorta' just went white. it was still running, and I was able to restart it. When I did, the display worked for a minute, then went to white permanently. Yet, the powerbook worked when I hooked it up to an external monitor and even to video-out. Because you had the same problem, I just ordered a logic board. Presto! Display works again!

I highly recommend powerbookmedic for any parts because of the incredibly-excellent service. And thanks for making my troubleshooting process a cinch!