Not sure how old this thread is, but my 10yr old work-horse has the same problem -- 1 inch wide stripe running up and down from top to bottom, about 3" from the left side on mine.
I 'spose it's age, but I don't know what triggered it. It doesn't seem like burn-in, and I've tried leaving it on overnight with a full white screen with no effect.
I'll probably be shopping for a replacement for Boxing Day, but if anyone has any ideas, I'd like to hang on to my (up til now) old faithful Toshiba satellite.
Jim C