Question: I have a 3 yr old Toshiba Satellite M45-S3551. When I tried to turn it back on after using it all day the fan goes on but no picture or sound. Any clues and can I fix it myself?

Answer: The backlight in your screen has probably gone out. Though there are ways for you to repair this by your own, it is not recommended. First, to determine if the backlight of your screen really has gone out. Connect your laptop to an external monitor. If you get picture at the external monitor, then it is safe to say it is the backlight that is the problem. If you still get a blank screen, then it might be your graphics card (most laptops prevent you from upgrading / changing the graphics card and you might have to turn it into a professional repair service to resolve the issue).

If you determine the backlight has gone out on your laptop screen, then you do have a chance to change it out by yourself. Have in mind though that it is quite an advanced procedure. Explicit instructions on how to replace an LCD backlight screen can be found here.