Toshiba Laptop Electrical Problems

Troubleshoot electrical glitches on your Toshiba laptop.

If your Toshiba laptop will not power up, shuts down after a few minutes or goes to sleep without you telling it to, these are most often symptoms of electrical problems caused by one of several possible system failures. Several Toshiba laptops experience problems with the DC power input; if it isn't this, test for glitches in the battery or other areas.

Power Supply Charger

A non-working Toshiba laptop charger results in a dead battery and no way to open the operating system. Find out if your charger is dead by first checking the power cord with a volt ohm meter. Set the meter to read AC voltage and unplug the power cord from the charger transformer. Plug the cord into a 110 VAC power source and put the leads into the two lower sockets on the other end of the cord. If you get no movement on the meter, wiggle the cord to check for a short. Replace the cord if this is the case. Next plug the transformer back into the power cord and set the meter on DC voltage. Place the leads into the center and edge of the laptop power plug. You should get a reading on the meter. If not, replace the charger.

The Battery

If you cannot get your Toshiba laptop to work on battery power, test the battery by plugging in the laptop to a power source, then open the control panel and navigate to the Windows Mobility Center. In the “Battery Status” dialog box, check the battery charge level and click on the battery icon to go to the power management page. Check all the settings to make sure the machine is not shutting down prematurely. All time settings should be a minimum of 10 minutes.

System Settings

Check your Toshiba system settings and look for hardware failures in the performance monitor. Go to the “Start” menu and type “perfmon” in the search box. In the new dialog box, look for the “Reliability Monitor” setting. Open the “Reliability Monitor” and look through the last several days for a red “X” tag in the “Hardware Failures” column. This might lead you to the problem area and tell you what needs to be repaired or replaced. Check the BIOS version to make sure it is current.

Internal Power Supply

Open the laptop chassis and use a volt-ohm meter to test the internal power supply. The Toshiba laptop’s internal power supply jack is immediately in front of the output transformer, opposite the external power input receptacle. Set the meter to VDC at 6 to 20 volts. If you get no reading on the inboard side of the power transformer or see a crack in the solder joint leading into the system board, resolder the connection or replace the entire module.

Monitor Malfunction

If you are not getting a screen image after a few seconds and your Toshiba laptop power lights appear to be on, check the screen by plugging in an external monitor. If the external monitor functions, check the output diode next to the video card on the motherboard, then the interface card at the base of the screen, and then the screen itself, in that order. If any are defective, replace them.

References

• Laptop Repair Help: Toshiba Satellite M35X and Satellite A75 Power Jack and Battery Charge Problem
• Laptop Repair Workbook: Laptop Troubleshooting and Repair - Toshiba, Dell, HP, Thinkpad, Acer and Sony Laptops
• Youtube: Laptop Power Tip Fix! Toshiba Satellite DC Jack Solder Mixcat @ Work! Project Power Tip
• Laptop Repair Help: Toshiba Satellite M35X And Satellite A75 Power Jack And Battery Charge Problem

Resources

• PowerYourNotebook: Toshiba Laptop Batteries, Toshiba Battery Chargers & AC Adapters
• Irisvista: How To Dismantle Toshiba Satellite A70/A75. Repair Laptop Yourself. Disassembly Manual With Pictures.
• Toshiba: Technology Guides