Computer Troubleshooting

[AvgJoe]

I have a "Toshiba Satellite A205-S5000" running Windows Vista 32 bit that is not booting up.

When I click the power button the fan turns and it looks like its about to boot, but then it shuts off. Sometimes I am able to boot the PC like normal, but then it shuts itself off. It has a mind of its own sometimes I am actually able use the PC but the rest of the time it wont even boot up.

I have no idea what's going on with the laptop. Any ideas?

[GordOfTheJungle]

Intermittent boot up problems can be a real pain to diagnose and repair. Could be hardware or software. Since this is an older machine, probably out of warranty too.

First things first, back up all of your data. If the computer goes into permanent non-boot, anything you had on the hard drive will be lost. I like flash drives because they're cheap, reusable and have great capacity.

Next with computer off and the power cord disconnected, give the computer a physical. Check the vents on the bottom and sides of the computer for blockage, dirt, pet fur, etc. Make sure that the battery and hard drive are both firmly seated to the their connectors. Check the hardware for damage. Would the repairs be worth it or is the damage just cosmetic?

Consider this could be a software problem. Maybe the software is damaged, corrupt or has viruses. Run the Recovery disks and start fresh. Again, remember running the Recovery is going to wipe out your programs and files. So before you take this step make sure that you aren't going to create problems for yourself.

If a fresh reload of the operating system doesn't fix the problem, then it's probably hardware. Consider taking the computer down to an authorized Toshiba repair center. Talk to the tech and get a quote for the diagnostics. See if the diagnostics would be included if you get the repair too. With the price of laptops continuing to go down, it may make more sense to replace the computer than get it repaired.

[AvgJoe]

I checked the vents and found dust build up covering the vent where the fan is. After removing all the dust I attempted to turn on the computer but the pc would not boot. After a day went by I attempted to turn on the computer once again and to my surprise it worked. So far it has not shut itself down, but I will wait and see what happens. The PC is regularly scanned for viruses (Mcafee) and it appears to be virus free.

Since there was dust blocking the airflow out of the vent maybe the sudden shutdowns are a result of overheating?

Although when it was in use for long periods of time it did not seem like it was getting to hot...

I opened the pc to remove the dust build up and did not notice any damage to the computers hardware.

If this was all just due to overheating could their be some damage to the hardware that maybe is unnoticeable from just looking at it?

Thanks for you help.

[GordOfTheJungle]

It would be nice if the chips smoked, turned black or did something to show that they failed, but they don't. Well once in awhile they do, but the majority of the time, a bad chip will look normal. But since your computer appears to be working normally since you got rid of the dust and dirt and the computer is working fine, I would assume that you did no damage to the computer. But let this be a lesson. Keep the vents clean, the hard drive backed up and practice safe computing.

[AvgJoe]

So the computer was working for a few days with no problems, but now its turning itself off again.

There is an error message that pops up some times that says "windows was unable to start.." and it tries to run a repair tool thing, but this doesnt stop the compueter from turning itself off again.

Do you think that this is more likely to be software related or hardware related?

(This may be a stupid idea but maybe if I try to run linux from a cd on the computer and while running linux if it shuts off by itself then I would know that it was a  hardware problem right?)

[GordOfTheJungle]

No reason to not try Linex or other operating systems except Toshiba doesn't provide video, sound or wireless drivers for anything but Windows.

You could try running the Recovery disks and put the original Windows back on the computer. Remember that the original Windows is what came from the factory, whenever that was, so first things first, go to the Microsoft website and update the operating system to the very latest configuration. Hate to get a virus or malware just because you failed to patch the operating system.

You're right, if the computer is still failing with the new copy of the operating system, be it Linex or Windows or whatever, its probably a hardware problem.

[AvgJoe]

PC: Toshiba Satellite A205-S5000 (PSAE3U-07Y023)

Okay so I tried to do a clean factory reset using the restore discs that came with the laptop. The PC almost finished but then it shut itself off before the installation could be complete.

So its safe to say that this is a hardware issue.

I did some searching online and found others with the same computer and problem I read that a fan replacement did not fix the issue. I also read that it may be a problem with the motherboard but this was only someone speculating . All in all I am still not sure what the issue is.

I have let the PC rest for a hours in a cool environment and tried to turn it on afterward, but the PC still shut off during boot up. As the PC was at a cool temperature maybe it is not a issue of overheating but rather the PC's sensor may think that it is (I don't know for sure but its a possibility).

Its almost as if the power just shuts off even though it is plugged in and the lights show that it is plugged in even when it shuts off by itself.

Could this still be a thermal issue? (i.e.. The cpu's heat sink or something)

Any ideas?

[LaptopDan757]

Hey Joe, that was probably my post speculating about the MB. I recently had a P205 come accross my desk with a shutdown issue.  It had preliminary symptoms leading up to this and I believe the owner ignored them.  The TouchPad getting HOT. The SD Card Plugged into the SD Slot on the left got HOT too.  USB ports S L O W I N G Down.  All symptoms of overheating.  I was able to remove their hard drive and I put it into an external Hard Drive Case $10.00 and now they have their old business files on a permanent archive.  I was not able to revive the old P205. I even rigged up an external 80mm fan with a cardboard shroud and duct tape venting system.  It was moving a lot of air and the LapTop was most definately staying cool.  However it would STILL shut itself off after a few minutes.  I tried loading Windows 7 and it made it all the way through the 1st phase and then the lap top would shut off.  I tried loading Ubuntu and it didn't even make it to the splash screen before it died.  The DVD rom drive was just churning and churning.  I gave up a parted it out.

Good luck.

Dan