Failure to Boot

I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop running Windows Vista. Not too long ago I got a BIOS error which led to the need to replace the battery, which I did. It was fine after that, but every once in a while I would get another BIOS checksum error. I don't know if it's related or not, but lately it's having trouble coming on. Sometimes after it sleeps it will not reload and I have to hard boot it. The last couple days it won't boot up at all. The lights all flash like it's trying to come on, then it sounds like it's trying to read a CD for about 5-10 minutes, and then it sits there black and dead. The power light is on, but there is no processor activity at all. I tried removing the battery (I left it out for about an hour while I went to the grocery store) and it still won't boot. I was attempting to run all the malware/virus scanners to make sure that wasn't the problem and now I can't get in at all. Any clue what's going on or how to fix it?

THANK YOU!

 

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/What-to-Do-If-Your-Computer-Doesnt-Turn-On/547/1

This guide may be helpful, im not that familiar with laptops but id suggest giving this a readthrough and seeing if it helps at all!

 

Hi, give the exact model number from the tag on the bottom and we can have a look at the manual. I think of a BIOS chksum error as a corrupted BIOS but am unsure how to clear CMOS (reload a fresh copy) on a laptop. Which battery did you replace (The large battery or a smaller CMOS battery?)

You might try unplugging and removing the large battery for an hour. Then put it back and try to start up. If the CMOS battery is dead then removing all power for an hour might be enough to set back to defaults and get you a boot. (EDIT: I see you tried this but just to be sure: did you have it unplugged as well as the battery removed?)

 

It's common, to forget that taking out the CMOS battery does not reset the CMOS chip unless every other power source is also removed.

Unplug the Charger/Power Supply, then remove the big battery pack and then remove the little CMOS battery, for 20+ minutes.

If you have a volt meter, check the battery to make sure it's at 3.0vdc or better. If not replace it with a new one.

That's where I'd start, anyway.

Cheers Mates!
:cool

 

Ok, I unplugged everything for an hour or so, took the thing apart to locate the CMOS battery but I wasn't comfortable messing with it, so I left it alone. When I put it all back together again, I started it up, and get the attached screen. I'm guessing this is the CMOS battery going bad...? Then I realized I forgot to put the HD back like a dummy, so I turned it off, put the HD in, and it booted up. What should I do next? (Aside from back everything up!!)

 

Hi don't see the attachment (make sure that it is less than 99kb for a picture--or zip it up and attach the zip file.)

Was the CMOS battery sitting there by itself or did have a wire/solder? Post your laptop model and I'll have a look if it is easily replaced or the soldered type.

 

Definitely having a blonde day . . . forgot the attachment. :-o

 

The battery was soldered. But so you can double check me, it's a Satellite A 215-S5818

 

It seems it is soldered. Let me think about it and see if I can find any tips. I don't recommend attempting to solder a battery yourself.

Frustrating that a simple thing is made so difficult by design.

 

I've double checked and it is definitely soldered. So no help there.

I just checked their website and the version 2.0 BIOS adds a default date for when a CMOS battery fails. I'm thinking this change may be their workaround for the chksum error. Instead of replacing the battery it may allow CMOS to proceed without giving you a chksum error but will probably still warn about setting the date. It

You might consider flashing the BIOS but I would first test the laptop to verify that it will startup a few times in a row. You don't want a problem during the BIOS update.

http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/...5818&selCategory=2756709&selFamily=1073768663

 

One other thought is you might consider using the cdrom version to update the BIOS rather than the Windows method.

I believe this is a more reliable method but I am glad to hearing other opinions. (I know some manufacturer's push the Windows method but for some reason I still lean towards CDROM)