[dlgn]

Hi all,

So I've been having some major computer problems of late, possibly related to some minor ones that showed up earlier. (I'm running a Toshiba Satellite L300D-ST3501 with 64-bit Ubuntu 12.10).

So, my computer started being unable to resume from suspend/sleep. The power button would light up, but it wouldn't do anything, and I had do force-shutdown it and reboot. In addition, whenever I resumed from hibernate, if it wasn't plugged in, it would immediately suspend. It wasn't a big deal, and I thought it was just a glitch with my power options package.

However, yesterday, I tried to turn my computer on, and, while a brief flash occurred on the screen, nothing else happened, apart from the power button lighting up. I tried a few times before it turned on. I thought the issue was done. However, it happened several times more, and now it won't turn on at all, not even to the BIOS. I tried a solution I found that involved removing the battery, holding the power button for a while, then plugging in AC and turning it on to drain static charge from RAM slots, but it didn't seem to work. In addition, I'm fairly sure that it isn't a screen issue. If possible, I want to try to fix this problem without having to replace my motherboard, which would be cursedly inconvenient. Any ideas?

~dlgn

[gallinka]

So, Looked up the problem online and read your laptop manual. Without more specific info it is hard to troubleshoot this through the forums but I will try.

First thing I would check is to see if you have the laptop set to output video to an external port only (I don't know what you have tried exactly so please don't be offended if I suggest something obvious). To check this power on your computer (preferably with the battery in and AC adapter connected) and wait about 10 seconds. Then press the Fn and the F5 key on your keyboard, in that order, both at the same time, releasing the both about a half second after pressing the second key (I am not trying to patronize you, just being clear and complete). Do this at least 3 times, waiting 10 seconds between each time. If this is the issue you will have a display, your computer may be still booting up.



Second, if this does not work, try removing the memory. I would consult your owner's manual for specific instructions on how to do this if you are not sure how. You can clean the contacts on the modules with a soft (pink) eraser, make sure you clean off any eraser debris off the contacts before re-installing.



Third, you can try the BIOS recovery described here: http://forums.mydigitallife.info/thread ... -Key-combo

I would suggest clearing your cmos settings first but I think the power on for 30 second./battery removal/AC adapter removal thing was just that.

Make sure you download a copy of your BIOS from toshiba's web site and follow the directions exactly. This may mess up your motherboard, especially if your computer looses power so be sure to plug your battery and power adapter in and fully charge your battery. Try this only if you are sure you know how and have tried everything else. The next step may be to start taking the laptop apart and looking for damaged parts/electronics ( =-( ).

[bloodthirsty958]

Well I think you should start by ruling out some of the possible causes. If you have a computer monitor, I would plug the laptop into that just to be sure it isn't the screen. I had a screen die on one of my laptops, the power light would be on and the screen was basically off, as if the laptop was off. It may be this, would be a good idea to rule it out before you go crazy with the hardware.

The next obvious possibility is the battery/power. I have another laptop (great luck with laptops) that had a bad battery, may have been the internal power though. Anyway, when the wire comes out, the laptop goes off. The battery is basically useless. Here is the kicker: if the power goes off with the battery in the laptop, and then I put the plug back in, the laptop won't allow me to turn it on. I have to REMOVE the battery, unplug the ac adapter, plug the adapter back in and with no battery (just the ac wire plugged in and into the wall, of course) the laptop will come on when I turn it on. So try that, remove the battery, remove the power plug/ac adapter, then just plug in the ac adapter back in, (do NOT put the BATTERY back in) and turn on the laptop.

If that doesn't help, it could be the graphics card/hdd/motherboard or other hardware, or even the internal power supply. Any damaged or broken hardware can cause this, even something as dumb as a loose/broken wire or short circuit. The best way to tackle it is start from the simple to the extreme, and I recommend just getting professional help at some point so you don't break it further. So start by plugging it into a monitor to see if it is the screen, then try that thing with the battery if you can (not sure with your model if you even can) Then try another hard drive if you have one lying around lol. A good can of air saved me a few hundred dollars once, dust causing overheating may be the culprit or a broken fan. I wouldn't mess with the graphics card and all that it is much more annoying with laptops then desktops. Good luck

[Keyhen]

Call customer support.

PHHHHHHHHHAHAH!

Anyways, it sounds somewhat like a virus may have entered your system and is causing either the BIOS to not start, or it's damaging the hard drive. Though at the same time, it might not be a virus, because not many do the symptons you described. If you get it to work again, make sure to scan your computer.

[dlgn]

Thanks, guys. I'll try those solutions ASAP.

[Unbound]

Punch it.