Editing Toshiba Satellite A105-S4011 Troubleshooting

[flag|student wiki] [title|Toshiba Satellite A105-S4011 Troubleshooting] [summary_image|248431] == The Computer Won't Turn On == If your computer will not turn on, the solution to your computers problems may vary between simple and difficult solutions. === Bad Power Adapter === Make sure your power cord is plugged in. If the green light on the power adapter isn’t lit, you may be plugged into a faulty electrical outlet. Check to make sure the outlet is working by plugging in another electronic device into the outlet (such as a lamp or cell phone charger), or by trying a known working outlet. If the light on the power cord is still not lit, attempt to adjust the connection through the cord by adjusting the cord in the plug source. If the power light on the laptop toggles on and off, then you have located your problem. If this is the case, a new plug could be soldered if you attain the skill or a new power adapter can be purchased. The female connector inside the computer could also be the issue if it is loose or has a faulty connection. To isolate this issue, wiggle at the point closest to the laptop. If it turns the power light on the laptop on and off then this is the problem. When performing this routine, if the female jack is visually loose or feels loose then it needs to be repaired. This would require complete disassembly of the computer and the connector to be resoldered to the board. === Defective Display === If your computer turns on and causes the lights to illuminate and the fan on the computer to turn on while nothing shows on the screen, you may have a defective display. See our troubleshooting guide for diagnosing screen problems. === Overheating causing a Failed Boot === A dirty heat sink or vent where the exhaust fan is located will cause a computer to overheat resulting in the computer shutting off shortly after the boot process. However, you will still hear the fan running. Take a flashlight and look in the vents throughout your computer. If you see dust clogging the vents then they need to be cleaned. A simple solution to this problem would be to buy a can of compressed air at a local hardware store or pharmacy (WalMart, CVS, or Walgreens) and simply blow the dust out of the air vents that are blocking the airflow. A failed CPU fan will cause the computer to boot for a short period only to turn off. Check to see if your fan turns on at anytime during the boot process. If it does not, a fan replacement will be the necessary remedy to your problem. === Defective Ram or Hard Drive === If your computer never reaches the operating system but does display a screen showing the computers manufacturer or other information then your computer could have Ram or Hard Drive failure. A defective Hard Drive can sometimes be heard as a clicking sound when it is turned on, or if any sound similar to this is heard it often times can be the hard drive and will need to be replaced. Defective RAM can be diagnosed in the BIOS if it can be reached. Sometimes defective RAM will cause the computer to beep loudly. First, use the supplied tutorial on accessing the RAM to attempt to take out the RAM and re-install the RAM. If this does not solve the problem, switching out the RAM will have to be done. Often times older laptop RAM is inexpensive and plentiful. See our guide on how to replace the RAM. Sometimes these failures may also be accompanied by the Windows “blue error screen”. If necessary remove all external components from the computer, including the Hard Drive, RAM, battery, USB devices, and Ethernet cables, and attempt to start the computer. This is often referred to as a “hard reset”. === Failed Motherboard === Motherboard failure may also cause a beep tone (or any hardware issue). Normally manufacturers list which sequence of beeps coincide with which problem. Unfortunately, Toshiba does not provide this. If none of the above problems seem like a solution to your issue, then the final thing to rule out is a bad motherboard. A faulty motherboard can be replaced but requires significant skill and care. Often times a replacement motherboard may be difficult to find and may only be found on auction sites. This problem often shows no power lights or any lights on the computer, even with a working AC power supply. However, if the lights are lit the board may still have failed. == No Display == Often times your display may break but the computer may function fine. The best way to determine if the display if working is to use an external monitor hooked up to a VGA or HDMI port. If there is a picture displayed on your external monitor, then more than likely the problem exists in your display on your laptop. If there is no display, then it is likely to be another problem. === Faulty Connection === Sometimes a faulty connection can cause the display to flicker on and off. If you open and close the lid with the computer on and the screen flickers then more than likely the wire between the motherboard and screen is bad. Following the guide on how to replace your screen can be done by removing the LCD display from your computer. Next, chase the wires to the motherboard and replace it. However, the poor connection could simply be a result of the cable becoming disconnected from the board. To start with, attempt to remove the cable from its connector on the display and then reconnect it. If the display works then you have located your problem. If not you will need to replace the cable if the flickering still occurs. === Defective Display === A defective display can be troubleshooted in a couple of ways. If the picture is visible on an external monitor, the moving hinge on the laptop doesn’t cause the screen to flicker. It is likely that your display will need to be replaced. Here are a couple ways you may be able to confirm that it is your display: If you flex the laptop display does it change color and cause some of the screen to work or display just about anything? If it does then your display is bad. Another way to spot a defective display from the start is if it displays odd patterns, a fuzzy screen, or it has lines or missing pixels on the screen. Any signs of a defective display will require its replacement. == Resetting the BIOS == ''If system restore was not effective, and you would like to clear all of the data on your computer, you can reset the BIOS.'' Resetting the BIOS is often not recommened but the following will allow you to reset your BIOS for any reason you may find that the reset needs to be done. Log on to your Toshiba A105 laptop and click on the "Start" button. Choose "All Programs" from the menu Click "TOSHIBA". Click "UTILITIES". Choose "ASSIST" from the menu in order to enter the "Hardware Setup" utility. Select the GENERAL tab and click the DEFAULT button. Click APPLY (this will reset the BIOS settings back to the factory defaults). Restart your computer. == Computer Turns Off When I Unplug It (Faulty Battery) == A faulty battery will cause the computer to not boot if the AC adapter is not plugged into the computer. If you have noticed that your battery does not hold its charge as long as it used to, then the battery might be starting to fail. Try plugging your computer into an electrical outlet to see if it turns on. If it doesn’t turn on, then a replacement battery will solve the issue so that your laptop can be used while running off of the battery. Tip: The computer will be powered on continuously without a battery as long as the AC adapter is plugged into the laptop. ***See our repair guide for replacing a dead battery *** [guide|14429|Toshiba A105 Battery Installation Guide] == The Computer Won't Connect to the Internet == “It’s my internet, and I want it NOW.” While other devices are able to connect to the same wireless network, unlike your laptop, you may become agitated. Take a deep breath because there is a solution! Connect your computer to AC power (plug it into the wall). Make sure that your computer is within 5 feet or so of your wireless router/modem. ***Reboot your networked devices in the following order:*** 1. Shut down your computer 2. Unplug the modem’s power cord 3. If a router is used, unplug its power cord ***Now, restart your network devices in the following order:*** 1. Plug the modem’s power cord back in 2. Wait a few minutes, then plus the router’s power cord back in 3. Wait a few minutes, then power on your laptop Next, try checking to see if you can browse the Internet. If the problem still exists and you cannot view a webpage (i.e. www.google.com), here is another approach. In the ***Start*** Menu’s (located on the bottom left of the desktop) search field, type in “connect to network”. Select ***Connect to a Network*** to open the Wi-Fi utility. Does the Wi-Fi utility “see” any wireless networks? If not, here’s what to do next: Disable/Enable Wi-Fi Antenna. Press ***FN*** and ***F8*** simultaneously to toggle the antenna off/on. If your computer has a physical switch on its side or front, switch it to ON. Now, the Wi-Fi utility should “see” wireless networks. Click on the network you are trying to access. If you are trying to connect to the network and a window pops up prompting you to enter a “network security key”, enter your security key. Once the security key is entered, you should be able to connect to the Wi-Fi network. If these steps did not work for you, there may be a problem with your Wi-Fi card. Try connecting your laptop to the internet via Ethernet cable. If this doesn’t work there may be a problem with your internet and calling your Internet Service Provider is recommended. === Are You Meeting all of the Required Specifications? === To work, the wireless LAN product you are using must be based “Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum” AND be certified by both the IEEE and Wi-FiAlliance === You May have Radio Interference === Connecting two devices with the same radio frequency may cause you to lose internet connectivity. (ie if you are using Bluetooth and Wirless LAN devices at the same time.) If this is the case, immediately turn off one of your devices. If you are still experience trouble contact [pcsupport.toshiba.com] == Your Computer is Showing the "Blue Screen of Death" == This could be one of anything but is regardless a Windows problem. Please consult an internet forum and use the demonstrated error number to try to find your specific issue. == Computer is Too Slow == === Not Enough Ram === Depending on the your operating system your computer may not be utilizing all the ram you have installed. You can also add more ram to your laptop using the ifixit guide. The Toshiba Satellite A105-4011 has a maximum allowable RAM of 4GB or 2 Ram sticks that are 2GB a piece. With full ram the 32 Bit operating system may not recognize all of the ram and would require a 64 Bit operating system upgrade. A 64 Bit system is a more complex, better performing system and will recognize any size of ram 4GB or bigger. To check the amount ram in your computer you can do this by following the instructions below: 1). Click ***Start*** then click ***Control Panel*** 2). In the Control Panel select ***System*** 3). In the System window you will find performance information like Ram and CPU speed. Ram speed will be listed in this window about halfway down. Whether you have a 32 Bit or 64 Bit operating system will also be listed here. ***See our repair guide for adding more RAM*** [guide|14432] === Run the Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup Utility (Windows XP) === The Disk Defragmenter will reorganize your files onto your hard drive so they are in a method that makes them quicker to access the. To accomplish follow the instructions below. 1). Open ***My Computer*** 2). Right click on the drive you wish to Defrag, this will usually be your ***C:*** drive. 3). After you right click go down to the option that says ***Properties***. 4). Then select the tools tab on the properties window and select ***Defragment Now***. 5). Finally, when the Defragmenter opens up click ***Defragment***. To use the Disk Cleanup Utility to c lean up any temporary files on your PC use the following instructions: 1). Click ***Start*** then click ***Run*** 2). Type*** cleanmgr*** and click ***OK***. This will open the Disk Cleanup Utility. Under this utility you will find many new methods to cleanup your computer from removing windows components to removing temporary files. Temporary file removal is the easiest and recommended way but further research will demonstrate the power of this utility. However, with great power comes great responsibility. === Remove Unused Programs and Files (Windows XP) === Unused documents and files will cause a computer to run slowly, so any files that you don’t use or plan to use, delete them permanently by right clicking and pressing delete. Then go to your recycling container on your desktop and permanently delete these files by emptying the recycling bin. Any programs that came on your computer or programs you don’t use can be removed off your computer to prevent them from taking up valuable RAM and Hard Drive space. This will also reduce the startup time of your computer. To accomplish this you can follow these steps: 1). Click ***Start*** and then click ***Control Panel*** on the right. 2). Then find ***Programs and Features***, the icons should be in alphabetical order. 3). In Programs and Features find known programs you do not use, click on them and then move your cursor up and click the ***uninstall*** button. Then follow the prompts that follow. Avoid removing any Microsoft components unless you are sure you want to remove them. Things that you will want to remove are programs that you have installed and no longer use or things like additional toolbars or multiple antivirus. == Disk Drive Malfunctioning == The easiest way to confirm this would be to use the Windows Device Manager (WDM). This is installed in all computers as a tool to check for issues with your computer. If there is an issue with the device you are checking for, you can use this guide below. 1). Right-click on ***MyComputer*** then select ***Properties*** from the menu that appears. 2). Click ***Hardware***. 3). Click ***Device Manager*** to open utility. 4).Look for the listing “CD-ROM Drive” and if there is a small, yellow and black icon near the listing then there is an issue with the disk drive. If none of the solutions and problems presented represent your issue it is likely that your CD Drive has failed and recommend that you replace the CD Drive. A repair guide can be found here. (Turn here into a hyperlink) === Changes to Computer Settings or Functions === When upgrading your Windows operating system or installing or uninstalling software to your computer, this can stop your disk drive from functioning. === Disk may or may not be Compatible === This is a less common problem but can be a reason. Most optical drives can read a CD or DVD with no issue. To rule out this problem try inserting a few different discs to see if another type of media will work. === Problems with Windows Media Player and Setup === When installing or uninstalling software to your computer this can become an issue. The best way to go about troubleshooting the issue is to attempt to try a different program to use the CD Drive. If you don’t have another program download VLC Media Player and see if this will play the media in the drive. Often times this can be a codec problem if it is just Windows Media Player that won’t play the media. Attempt to uninstall the program and reinstall it. If this does not solve the problem consult Windows Help. === Need a New Driver for Optical Drive === Optical drives need drivers to communicate with the computer. If when checking the WDM and there is an icon near the listing of an “Optical Drive” or “CD-ROM Drive”, then you must replace the the driver with a new or updated driver. This can be accomplished by doing the following: 1). With the ***Device Manager*** open click on the ***CD Drive***. 2). A new window will open for the CD Drive and go to the*** Driver tab***. 3). Here you can update the driver by pressing the ***Update Driver Button*** or you can choose to manually search the Toshiba Website and manually install the file they provide if available.