Why Toshiba Tecra TE2100 laptop locks up or will not boot at all?

Why Toshiba Tecra TE2100 laptop locks up or will not boot at all?

One of our biggest customers use a lot of different Toshiba laptops and one of the models is Toshiba Tecra TE2100. We repaired many of these units and we noticed that some of them had very similar problems:

1. Laptop locks up when you move it or sometimes freezes by itself. The video is still on, but the acupoint (keyboard mouse) and the keyboard itself do not work anymore.
2. You can start the laptop, but you see CMOS (RTC) battery error on start up. After you clear the error, the laptop boots fine. After you reboot the laptop, you get the same error.
3. Laptop will not boot at all. There is no power or power LED blinking. There is no hard drive activity. There is no external or internal video.
4. When you press power button, laptop shows some activity, but there is no video on LCD screen.

Why my Toshiba laptop suddenly shuts down by itself without warning?

“My Toshiba laptop suddenly shuts down by itself without any warning. Sometimes it works fine for hours, sometimes it shuts down in 10-15 minutes.” This complaint we hear from our customers over and over again. About 15-20% of all Toshiba laptops we get for repair, suffer from an overheating problem. Yep, OVERHEATING!

This is one of the most common problems with Toshiba laptops we deal with.

Indications of laptop overheating problem:

1. The keyboard and the bottom of your laptop are very hot when the laptop is working.
2. The CPU fans are working all the time at maximum rotation speed and operate much louder than before.
3. The laptop suddenly shuts down by itself without warning. When it just started, the laptop was shutting down after 1-2 hours and how it shuts down after 5-10 minutes of operation.
4. The laptop works fine when it runs idle, but shuts down as soon as you start using any memory demanding applications (DVD player, image editing software, video editing software, etc.).

Solution:

How to test a laptop or a desktop computer memory modules !

A lot of laptop and desktop computer problems are caused by a failed memory or a failing memory module. As a laptop repair technician I test memory modules every time I get a laptop for repair. I have tried many different memory testing utilities but finally I stopped on Memtest 86+. So far it is one of the best free memory test utilities and I use it everyday. You can find this utility on the Memtest 86+ homepage.

To test your memory modules you have to do next:

1. download Memtest 86+.

Choose Download – Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO (.zip) if you want to burn it on CD.
Choose Download – Pre-Compiled package for Floppy (DOS – Win) if you want to place the utility on a floppy disk. I usually use CD because most computers have a CD drive and it’s much faster to start the test from a CD disc.

2. Change the boot order on your computer to boot from a floppy drive or from a CD/DVD drive.
3. Insert the floppy disk or the CD disc with Memtest 86+ into the computer.
4. Start the computer.

How to remove BIOS password from Toshiba laptops !

You can use this plug to remove or clear the BIOS password from older Toshiba laptops. I tested the plug and it successfully cleared the BIOS password from Toshiba Satellite 1415, Satellite 1800 and Satellite Pro 6100. Using the plug you should be able to remove a BIOS password from most Pentium III Toshiba laptops and from some Pentium IV laptops. To make a password removal tool you need a DB25 plug from a parallel printer cable (cable with a plug that you can take apart), a solder gun and 30-40 minutes of your time.

Tips for buying a new notebook DVD drive .

Before you upgrade or replace the DVD/CD-RW drive in your notebook, make sure that the drive you are buying is compatible with your computer. Some notebooks require an optical drive that works in cable select mode (CSEL). Some notebooks require master/slave (M/S) drives. Typically the drive is set to master or slave through a firmware flash. If the optical drive is not configured properly, it will not be detected by the BIOS or you will get IDE #1 error when you start the laptop. The best way to avoid these kinds of problems is to buy an optical drive designed for your laptop. If you plan to buy a generic drive, make sure to contact the seller and confirm that the drive will work in your computer.

Notebook display assembly diagram. How an image appears on the screen.

Here is a simple diagram that will help you to understand how a notebook display assembly works and how an image appears on the screen. I’m not an artist and I tried my best drawing this diagram, so if you cannot see a laptop in this picture, don’t be mad.





A generic display assembly includes a very few parts and knowing them will help you to understand witch part can cause a problem if you laptop video not working properly.

Laptop has bad video on the LCD screen ?? Know What is wrong !!

Here I’m going to post some laptop screen photos showing bad video output. I’ll explain what was wrong with the screen and how I fixed it. I plan to ad more examples as soon as I get new pictures. If you have your own example (and know how to fix it) please let me know and I’ll post it too.

Example 1.

Here’s a picture of Satellite M55 LCD screen I made this morning. I got this video output as soon as I started the laptop. There were a lot of vertical lines, and they were changing color without any pattern. To me it looked like Northern Lights (never seen in real life) . The external monitor worked fine.

Laptop does not start ?? Fixing the problem !!

If your laptop does not start at all or it starts but will not boot properly, it’s possible that you can fix the laptop at home without taking it to a repair center. Here are some troubleshooting tips for you. I’m not sure if I can cover all situation at once, so I will update this post as more examples come into my mind.
Situation 1.

The laptop appears to be dead. You plug the AC adapter but the LEDs (power light, hard drive light, battery charge light, etc…) do not light up and the laptop will not react at all if you press on the power button.

First of all in this situation check the AC adapter. You can test the output voltage with a voltmeter. If you cannot do that, find a known good AC adapter and use it for testing the laptop. It is possible the laptop appears to be dead because the AC adapter is bad (and the battery is discharged). If you know that the AC adapter is working properly and it outputs correct voltage but the laptop is still dead, most likely you have a power issue on the motherboard (or power board on some laptops) and it has to be replaced.
If you have to replace the AC adapter, make sure you use a correct one. The output voltage must be exactly the same as on the original adapter. The output amperage has to be the same as on the original adapter or higher, but not lower.
Situation 2.

How to fix hardware problems without taking apart the laptop

Here’s how you can fix, or to be precise, work around some hardware problem without taking apart the laptop.
1. Network port failure.
In most laptops the network port (aka RJ-45 port) is soldered directly to the motherboard. If for some reason the network port fails (I’m talking about hardware, not software failure), the whole motherboard has to be replaced.
Instead of replacing the motherboard, you can use a PCMCIA network card (aka LAN PC card). You plug this card into the available PC slot in your laptop and get a network port instead.


2. USB ports failure.
Most laptops have a few USB ports available and if one of them stops working, usually it’s not a big deal because you still have two or three working USB ports left. But what if all of them stopped working at once.

How to fix broken keyboard connector on laptop motherboard

This guide explains how to fix a broken keyboard connector on a laptop motherboard. I do not claim that my instructions will work for any connector type in any laptop brand, but if I can help a few people, I can call my mission accomplished.
Let’s say the keyboard in your laptop stopped working properly and you decided to install a new keyboard yourself. You disassembled the laptop, removed the keyboard, tried to unlock the keyboard connector and… OHH! MAN!… a piece of the locking clip on the connector got broken!
What can you do? Unfortunately, you don’t have a lot of options. The keyboard connector is permanently soldered to the motherboard and cannot be replaced at home. If the connector was damaged, you’ll have to replace the whole motherboard, use the laptop with an external USB keyboard, or…. try the following trick. Hopefully it works or you.

The keyboard cable is locked inside the connector on the motherboard. In order to remove the keyboard, you have to unlock the connector and release the cable.

How to disassemble laptop keyboard

How to disassemble a laptop keyboard? Can I take it apart and clean liquid spill? Is it easy to repair a damaged keyboard?
I’ve been getting these questions many times and today I show how to disassemble a laptop keyboard. You decide if it’s possible and easy or not.
By the way, in one of the previous posts I explain how to fix individual keys on a laptop keyboard.
I’m doing it for fun. I’m working on a damaged keyboard and have no intention to use it in the future.

First of all, you’ll have to remove the laptop keyboard.

How to troubleshoot laptop battery charging problems

In this post I explain how to troubleshoot laptop battery charging problems. I will list most common battery failure examples and suggest some troubleshooting steps.

Example 1.

Laptop detects the battery but shuts off when AC adapter unplugged.

When you move the cursor arrow over the battery icon while the laptop is connected to AC adapter, it show the remaining battery charge and says “charging”.


The batter power meter utility (if available) also shows that battery is connected and charging.

But… as soon as you unplug the AC adapter, the laptop shuts off completely.
Possible problems:
1. The battery not seated correctly. Try reconnecting the battery.
2. The battery contacts got dirty or oxidized and the battery is not making good connection with the motherboard. Try reconnecting the battery a few times.
3. If reconnecting the battery doesn’t help, most likely the battery is bad and has to be replaced.
4. If you replaced the battery but the problem still exists, this is motherboard related failure. Apparently the battery charging circuit has failed. In this case the whole motherboard has to be replaced (or repaired on component level).

How to fix video problem on HP laptops .!

In this post I explain how you can fix a known video problem on some HP laptops without actually taking it apart. Most likely the fix is not permanent but this will buy you some time, enough to backup personal files or even use the laptop until you get a new one. There is no guaranty this fix work 100%.

Here are some HP models affected by this known video failure problem: HP Pavilion dv2000, dv6000, dv9000, tx1000 tablet PC, Compaq 700, v3000, v6000 and probably some others.
If you know more models, please mention them in comments after this post.

Review For Laptop's Kinds

HP Pavilion DV7-2180US 

Buying an HP Pavilion DV7 2180US will be absolutely worth in the cost it is being offered. It’s a high-tech notebook with all new innovations made in both outlook and inside. The touch panel in the notebook is highlighted with glowing lights and is only visible when laptop is switched on. It is equipped with a large 17.3 inches HD+ HP LED screen with a wide and bright display. The laptop is powered with an Intel 2.00 GHz Centrino² quad Q9000 processor to enhance its speed and also to save battery life. It is installed with 6 GB DDR2 RAM, which can be further extended up to 8 GB and a 500 GB hard disk drive. It has an ATI Mobility Radeo Graphics acceleration card with up to 2815MB total available memory. The connectivity is compensated with an Intel WI-FI link and a Bluetooth.

Some other additional features:

• Security protection utility provided for hard disk in case any jerk or abrupt motion detected.

• A 5-in-1 SD card reader for easy transfer of files.

• A pre-installed version of Windows Vista (64-bit).

• A web camera integrated along with a mono directional microphone enabling you both video and voice chat.

• An 8x super speed combo DVD-RW drive which can write double layered DVD’s.

• An 8 cell lithium ion battery.

Best Laptops for Gamers !!

A PC gaming fanatic needs a reliable, responsive laptop that supports high-end graphics and sound. Need some help shopping for a new gaming laptop this holiday season? We're happy to help. By Mike Lynch

Toshiba Satellite A665

from $825.99

Looking for a bargain? A new gaming laptop doesn't have to cost a fortune. For around $750, the 16-inch Toshiba Satellite A665-S6055 offers an i5 processor, back-lit LED display, and an NVIDIA graphics card. It also contains a HDMI audio/video port, 4 usb ports (so you can attach plenty of gadgets), and 1eSATA/USB combo port (for fast data transfers). This laptop is the perfect option for holiday shoppers who want to buy a solid gaming machine while remaining under budget.

How To Secure Your Laptop

How Do I Secure My Laptop

Laptops these days contain vital data and are greatly used for remote data access. Its security should be top priority to all users. There are three aspects to consider in securing your laptop.

• Physical Security.
• Security Software.
• Security Consciousness.

Physical Security
Physical security involves physical barriers put in place to inhibit access to where your laptop is kept.
Such barriers, hinder the following circumstances;

• Theft of your laptop.
• Damage to your laptop.
• Theft of information on your laptop.
• Using your laptop to commit fraudulent activities.

The physical barriers should have the following features;

• The ability to properly lock the entrance to where your laptop is kept.
• An alarm system should be in place to notify you in case of a break in.
• An inbuilt security camera (cctv) should be placed where your laptop is kept. This is to monitor your laptop.
• All windows or doors must be screened to prevent prying eyes from seeing expensive information assets such as your laptop.
• The ability to fasten the laptop to a non-moveable object. This is stopping a thief from carrying the laptop away.
• The ability to trigger snap shots in case of a break in. These snap shots are directly targeted at the laptop.

How can I Prepare to Buy a Cell Phone ?

A cell phone can be an important part of your life, or it can be merely a convenience. How much you use it and for what purpose is up to you. With today’s technological advances, a cell phone can do just about anything you may want to do out on the open road. When you prepare to buy a cell phone, you should keep several things in mind.
First of all, a cell phone allows you to take and make phone calls. In today’s global village, you can call anyone in the world as long as you know his or her number. Most cell phones look just like small phones, with keypads that have numbers and letters. The letters aren’t just for show, however. Most cell phones also allow you to send text messages using the letters on the keypad

What is a Laptop Messenger Bag?

If you have a laptop and frequently carry it around, buying a laptop messenger bag may be beneficial. It gives you the availability to take your laptop wherever you go without having to sacrifice style or comfort. The strap on the bag can be slung over your shoulder or across your chest without being cumbersome.
When people are not working, many simply do not want to carry around something that resembles a briefcase. They want to carry something more casual but just as functional. A laptop messenger bag comes in a variety of styles, colors and sizes.

Before choosing a laptop messenger bag, it is important to know what size you will need. Measure the length, width and height of your laptop so you know what the minimum size of the bag should be. Your charger should also be a factor, as you will most likely be carrying that around as well. Decide if you will be carrying any other items around in the bag, for example, a bottle of water or a book. All of these items should be a factor when choosing your laptop bag to ensure that you have all the space available that you need.

How do I Choose the Best Laptop ?

Choosing the best laptop computer depends heavily on what the computer will be used for, and what the user’s preferences are. For instance, the best laptop for a freelance writer may be severely underpowered for a gaming computer, while a graphic designer needs a larger screen, and therefore a larger laptop, than many other users.
Possibly the most important consideration is the computer’s performance. This includes factors such as the size of the hard drive, or how much memory the laptop computer has, and the size of the processor, which determines how fast the computer will run. The best laptop computer is one that offers more than the minimum speed and memory the user requires, without compromising other factors that might be important to the user, such as size or brand.

For example,

How Do I Know When It's Time to Buy a New Computer?

With technology changing all the time it’s easy to be left behind by hanging on to that old desktop or laptop too long. But when is it time to buy a new computer, and when can you get away with upgrading your old one? Hopefully the following tips will help you decide what's best for your situation.
If your computer has slowed over time it might simply need maintenance. Hard disk defragging puts files back together in one place on the drive to optimize retrieval time. Using a registry cleaner can speed up booting into your desktop and quicken program access by removing orphaned entries that point to missing resources, files and folders. You can also utilize a startup manager to identify and disable extraneous programs and processes that needlessly run in the background.