laptop display garbled on bootup

My Sony VAIO laptop display is garbled after boot up after I have carried it in a vehicle in cold weather - can't determine if the problem is the transport, the temperature or both.

The initial screens are readable on bootup - AVG does it's thing and I can read the text OK - but when the Windows 98SE desktop is ready for display, the screen is totally garbled - like a funhouse mirror. I can see the cursor moving around in various places and some of the desktop shortcuts in weird locations - sort of like shadows. I can usually reboot several times or kill the laptop at the switch and restart a few times and it usually clears up. If I can see the cursor close to a program shortcut such as Word and open the program, sometimes that clears it right up. Once I get it cleared up, it seems to work fine until I transport it in the car again (I know - don't carry it in the car any more). Once when I was having this problem, I connected my PC monitor and it seemed to work OK.

I contacted Sony and their solution was to pack the 'out of warranty' unit up and send it to them for repair - probably needing a new screen (and probably at about the cost of a new laptop). Before it becomes a boat anchor or I get a monitor and use it as another desktop, does anyone have a suggestion for a fix other than the one Sony suggested?

 

These screens are sensitive to temperature. Very cold temps will ruin them.

You may have noticed that after booting the screen seems to become brighter as you use it and it warms.

Do you still have the problem if the screen is allowed to warm to room temperature before you use it?

 

Abraxas, your first observation is probably the key - the cold temperature is the most likely culprit. I have noticed that the screen does appear a bit dark when I first turn it on - predominately dark colors in a sort of psychadelic? pattern. By the time it gets through the first boot, the screen does appear to be as bright as normal- just garbled.

I just got back from a road trip this past weekend and I left the laptop in my office for a couple of days before I tried using it but I did have the same probelm. Again, after a few reboots, it did straighten itself out and it is working fine now. I guess it just needs to get the innards warmed up.

Since I don't use it in travel a great deal, , I will just deal with the problem until it gets to the point where reboots don't cure it at all - unless someone else comes up with a fix of some kind. Thanks for the response.