Toshiba Satellite will not boot up while plugged in

[Toshibafied]

Hello, I have a Toshiba Satellite L305-S5875 and Windows Vista no longer boots up. It started with the system randomly shutting down. It then it continued more frequently. It also randomly freezes when Windows is trying to boot. I figured it was the Nec/Tokin and ordered another motherboard (used) from a reputable parts seller online with a 30 day warranty. It is still having the same exact problem. I also used another hard drive to try and install windows fresh on it but when it goes to access the HD the laptop just shuts down. Could a faulty power cord be the issue? The laptop will boot while on battery but the batter life only last long enough to log in then it powers down. So far I have used another HD and used motherboard with no success.

 

[eatmypie]

I had a few laptops that had the same problem that I worked on in my shop, the problem is most likely the power supply for the laptop. I was just about out of ideas for a dell laptop that I had been working on i even took apart the whole laptop looking for faulty components, then I was just about to send it to a bga soldering company when I had a last minute thought to plug in another power supply to the laptop. it went from seeming hopeless to just a fresh windows 7 install and a total care package. One thing I noticed was some of the operating system became corrupt during that time. Just go to toshiba's website and type in your information to look for a new cord for your laptop. If you have a friends power cord with the same connector, and enough watts for your laptop go ahead and try that first. You might get a little error message when you first boot up but just bypass it by pressing what ever it asks you to. But if that cord works go ahead and order one from their website.

 

[Toshibafied]

I had a few laptops that had the same problem that I worked on in my shop, the problem is most likely the power supply for the laptop. I was just about out of ideas for a dell laptop that I had been working on i even took apart the whole laptop looking for faulty components, then I was just about to send it to a bga soldering company when I had a last minute thought to plug in another power supply to the laptop. it went from seeming hopeless to just a fresh windows 7 install and a total care package. One thing I noticed was some of the operating system became corrupt during that time. Just go to toshiba's website and type in your information to look for a new cord for your laptop. If you have a friends power cord with the same connector, and enough watts for your laptop go ahead and try that first. You might get a little error message when you first boot up but just bypass it by pressing what ever it asks you to. But if that cord works go ahead and order one from their website.

Thanks for the reply. I actually tried looking for a cord to see if it would work. Seems like everyone has an HP and the cord does not fit in my laptop. I will keep you guys posted.

 

[Toshibafied]

Well after getting a new power cord it did little to solve the problem. It still will not load Windows while plugged in only on battery. So far I have tried a different hd to load an OS on it but did not get past the setup point, a new power cord and a used motherboard. The motherboard was bought use from a reputable dealer so I can always ask for a refund but what are the chances the problem is the same in two motherboards. Could there be another problem that I'm not checking?

 

[eatmypie]

Well did you do the basics like run memtest86? I had some bad ram on my old laptop that would crash about every 10mins so I never could install anything. I would say if it is your ram you should swap back to your old motherboard and keep the newer power cable.

 

[Toshibafied]

Well did you do the basics like run memtest86? I had some bad ram on my old laptop that would crash about every 10mins so I never could install anything. I would say if it is your ram you should swap back to your old motherboard and keep the newer power cable.

I did to a memtest on it for about 2 hours with no errors (which is one of the first things I tried). I could let it run longer I guess. Whenever doing things like memtest or just in the setup menu the laptop will stay on. It only happens when It accesses the hard drive (load windows) while it is plugged in. With battery alone it does fine while it last. Last night as a test, I let it boot from the battery and when the battery was about to die I plugged in the power cord. After about 1 minute my screen became distorted and froze. Not sure what is causing all of this.

 

[eatmypie]

That is somewhat weird if it happened on both motherboards, and both power cables. The only other thing I could think about doing is try running it without the hard drive and then try booting from a live cd like http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop. When you took the motherboard out was the power jack connected to the motherboard? or was it attached somewhere else. I think if you can't get it to run while plugged in while accessing the hard drive I think you might as well return the motherboard and anything else that you bought for it back. The laptop its self seems like it is fairly old but people who normally bring me laptops unless the laptops cost like thousands and thousands of dollars I normally will just direct them over somewhere to buy a brand new one. Like for my labor I charge about $69.99 an hour on top of the diagnostic fee. So the time it would take me to swap out for a new motherboard or go around the motherboard looking at the different voltages coming from the motherboard it normally will cost a customer like $250+ so I think your only two options would be if you have another hard drive try it, but don't buy a new one unless the one you tried fixed the problem. or you could take it to a professional and have them charge you around what I just said. So I think probably just buying a new one instead of trying to resurrect the old would work better for you. I think what ever caused the problem will probably cause the problem to happen again so you will be stuck in the same place as you are now

 

[Toshibafied]

Just an update. I returned the other motherboard which I lost some money on because I had to pay $12 to ship but anyway I decided to get a "new" motherboard which was around $40 since this is an older model. Installed the motherboard and everything is working normally now. My guess is it was the NET TOKIN chip on the motherboard. At least I didn't lose alot of money and got the laptop working. This is a common problem on the Toshiba Satellite from what I hear so I hope this last at least a couple of months. Thank you for your help.