Toshiba Satellite Laptop: power problems

This is a Toshiba Satellite L25 - Model no. PSL2XU

The laptop won't turn on. I unplugged the battery and tried direct power from the AC adapter, and still nothing. There are no indications of life (no light to indicate charging, power, anything). I don't think it's a battery issue.

When I plug the AC adapter, and I take the battery out, the prongs that connect to the battery sustain a voltage (I checked with a voltmeter). I don't think the adapter is bad.

So what could it be? Is the motherboard just dead? A short circuit somewhere between the AC adapter and the motherboard?

My brother uses the laptop. He tells me he had issues keeping the battery charged. He bought a new battery, and he had the same issue. The battery would be drained faster and faster, charges would take longer and longer. Ultimately, at one point, he found it could not be turned on. This is his account of what happened, so I'm not sure it's 100% what happened.

 

Sounds very much like the cmos/bios battery is dead.
I have seen this happen many times.
If it is soldered in, then you are out of luck.
Sometimes leaving the laptop on charge for 24 hours can re-charge this little battery, and you may get it re-started.

 

That would make sense. I'm going to see what I can do.


Using school computer, just gonna save some helpful links here:
http://www.irisvista.com/tech/laptops/ToshibaL25/satellite_L25_laptop_overclocking_1.htm
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/247842-30-replace-cmos-battery-toshiba-satellite

 

Update: disassembled it. Nothing looks unusual at all. Everything looks like it should run well. I couldn't find a battery on the motherboard to switch out... The only thing I can think to do is to try to run it while it's open and try to use a voltmeter to see if the board itself is getting anything. I've never had to do this before, would it be a good idea even?

 

You may be lucky, I will look further, but it seems that you have a plugable type of cmos battery
http://www.zkarlo.com/selected-zkarlo-part/cmos-battery-p1602.php

 

Look under , or, close to the wi-fi card.

 

Voltmeters- I would not use these on a laptop, personally.
Just looked again at that altavista site, and picture 18, wording says cmos battery soldered to motherboard- Sorry !

 

Update: I recieved a new battery and new ac adapter, and it works now. Tried combinations with the old battery and old ac adapter, and it turns out it only works with the new ac adapter (battery irrelevant!) therefore the old adapter is bad. Re checked the old ac adapter with a voltmeter and yup, it's dead. I used a wrong method to check the voltage of the adapter...

Guess that goes to show things go wrong the simplest way a majority of the time.

 

Yes, when you first posted , you said
"When I plug the AC adapter, and I take the battery out, the prongs that connect to the battery sustain a voltage (I checked with a voltmeter). I don't think the adapter is bad."
My favourite saying

--Sometimes the obvious eludes us--- :celebrate