So my laptop's screen just went white and when I turned it off and back on again there was nothing... :/

Tried taking batteries out and starting up just from the plug (and vice versa), also opened up the bottom (as much as I could, one stubborn screw wouldn't come out so I could only get the separate bits off which didn't let me do much more than remove and reconnect the hard drive) but couldn't see anything obvious (and didn't really know what to look for anyway)

I plugged in a monitor and tried plugging in a linux usb but neither did anything. Just get a blank screen and the hard drive whirs once or twice and then nothing.
I'm probably going to take it somewhere tomorrow as I can't really afford a new one and need it, but just thought I'd see if anyone had any ideas (and look for sympathy) before I do.

On the bright side, I did a full back up (for the first time in three months) a few days ago so there isn't really much lost even if the hard drive is dead (which hopefully isn't the case)

No it hasn't, I'm working on it right now. Please don't scare me.

Are you sure? Check again. :P

RIP

Can you get into the BIOS? From the sounds of it, probably not. Doubtful the hard drive has anything to do with it since you're getting just the white screen, but you could yank it out and see if things change. Ditto if you have multiple sticks of RAM.

Getting any beep codes?

And good luck.

check pm

God dammit, I wanted to post that!

Ouch..
Luckly at least you have a backup...

If you're brave enough.. ; )
Unplug power cord and battery then hold power button for 30s or so (might take longer..), plug power and see if any difference.
If nothing changed, remove RAM if you have more than one stick. That should be easy too.
Last thing (well, not really last but easy enough as long as you know what you're doing..) Find out how to properly disassembly your laptop (service guide), remove CMOS battery for about 20-30 minutes.

Will try that.

As above, I did try to remove the RAM but it wasn't budging and was in an odd awkward place to get it to move from... so I left it in case I broke something.

I was looking for that when I attempted to take it apart, but a combination of tight screws and not the best screw driver meant I couldn't get the bottom off completely and couldn't see it on the more accessible parts..

Thanks for the advice :)

Just keep in mind, you may as well screw it even more if you aren't feeling safe with disassembling : D

right, you're going to need proper tools (screw driver..)
also remember to ground yourself before you touch anything inside..

(We here at the gog forums, do not advocate having sex with your laptop. Especially if it's still plugged in.)

Blah. You have my sympathies.

Nah, it's even easier to screw a laptop if is still plugged in : D