So long as the following conditions are present...
1. Some vertical lines are dead. (Not too many, the more that are dead, the harder it is to get them "all" back.)
2. Pushing in gently at the bottom of the screen (while assembled) makes some of the lines re-appear. If that doesn't work then sometimes pushing on the cable ribbon below the LCD screen disassembled might also bring some of them back.
If the above circumstances fit your symptoms, you can usually do this trick...
1. Get a soldering iron with a rounded tip. (You can tool a pointed tip yourself with a Dremel to make it more rounded.)
2. Use the soldering iron (turned on and heated of course) and rub the rounded tip gently but slowly on the top side of the cable ribbon directly under the LCD screen where the deal lines are located.
Make sure to heat the top side of the cable ribbon. It is a very heat resistant material, you will not melt it. (probably, hehe) However, be careful not to directly contact the underside of the cable ribbon with the soldering iron. That side CAN melt and the circuit wires can easily tear. That is what happened to me this last time around, I'm afraid.
It might look like you are doing damage to the LCD screen as you heat the cable ribbon near it, since it looks like the liquid crystals inside are burning and receding away from the heat. As long as you don't let the burning effect last for a very long time, this will actually not damage the liquid crystals at all and once they cool off again, they will go back to their normal state.
Believe it or not, I actually do this while the unit is disassembled but turned ON. Just be sure to have it all propped well and not to touch the circuitry. I keep it on during this process to see the effects as I work. Then I know right away if the dead lines are being fixed.
The freezer trick is prolly a much easier thing to try first, though. hehe. I recommend a good freezer bag to help reduce condensation and waiting a while to turn it on after just to make sure any moisture has fully evaporated.
Do any of this at your own risk.
I have a couple theories as to why this works but I'm not actually certain. But it usually does actually work. I just got impatient and clumsy this time.
If anyone has the board with the LCD screen attached even if it does have a few dead vertical lines, I could probably still use it since I can probably fix it as I've described. I am looking for one on the board because I really hate soldering points that small and close to one another, hehe.
I am just hoping to not have to deal with that at all. But if that is my best choice, I'll take it.
So if you are not that excited about taking a soldering iron to your GBO Nurd!, I might take you up on your offer.
I am willing to go up to $5 including shipping (even less if possible) since I found working ones on Amazon for $9 shipped. I just want to fix this and hate to toss it. At this point it seems like I must be obsessed, hehehe. I can find you the best rates on shipping, too.
Thanks again very much to everyone. I can't believe how much interest this topic has gotten.
P.S. Sorry for the long winded reply again. I sure can ramble on, hehe.
no harm in trying just dont leave it in there TOO long