I have a Samsung N120 that has been afflicted with the white screen of death issue. The problem appears to be a loose wire going from the mother board to the LCD panel. The screen would go "white," but the computer continues to run fine (except you cannot see anything.) Usually, if you apply pressure to the Samsung logo to that is located at the bottom of the LCD screen, or to both the Samsung logo and to the back of the panel, the screen would come back. Depending on your luck, it would work after that, or go back to the deadly white screen once you release the pressure.
The following YouTube video illustrates the issue (which also happens to the NC10). As the video shows, you can sometimes bring your monitor back by wiggling the screen as well.
Samsung NC10 white screen problem [by nygelhillen]
I fix the problem by opening up the LCD casing and re-taping the cable more securely so that it no longer wiggle around. Make sure the screen is working after you taped the cable though. I use electrical tape for this. To open the case, I use this YouTube video as a guide.
How to fix screen flicker problem on Samsung N120 [by 6rubby]
You can see (unclearly) the cable in question running alongside from the left hinge to the Samsung logo at the bottom from around the 4:45 mark in the video). The poster 6rubby believes that tightening the screws will fix the problem. For me, the screws are pretty tight already, but so I think it is more likely that his problem is fixed due to the inadvertent repositioning of the LCD wire.
For supplemental reference, you can find some discussions at the Sammy Netbook Forum:
http://www.sammynetbook.com/forum/threads/10949-White-screen-%28of-death-%29
The information from outnumbered dated "20-10-09, 12:27 AM" is especially helpful to me. The most relevant instructions are:
- Unscrew the four screws at the base of the LCD panel, freeing the panel from the hinges. Commence handling the LCD panel. Notice where the cable flattens out and adheres to the back of the panel, Have some fun peeling the first inch or so of it off and sticking it back on.
- Go on and re-insert the battery and fire up your computer. Without any safety precautions, proceed to dork around with the wiring. Once you have confirmed that your problem is solved, find a nice way to lace the wiring into place and screw the LCD panel back on.
Update (20120417): The white screen of death rears its deathly white screen once again. So, I might have to either replace that cable – assuming it is indeed the faulty component and not the connections that the cable connects to – or just use the laptop as a home desktop with separate monitor.