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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- When you press power button, laptop shows some activity, but there is no video on LCD screen.
At the beginning, when we just started working on this model, we tried to fix CMOS (RTC) battery error by replacing the RTC battery. Unfortunately, it didn’t help to fix the problem at all. We found that the main culprit of the problem is a poor connection between the system board and the power board (CMOS battery is connected to the power board). In some cases you can fix the problem by reseating the power board. Carefully disconnect if from the system board and connect it back. Turn on the laptop and see if it fixed your problem. If it didn’t help, most likely you have to replace the system board and the power board. Unfortunately, I cannot say exactly which one is causing the problem, the system board or the power board. The same story with laptop lock ups, try to reseat the power board.
You can fix a video problem by reseating the video card. We noticed, that over time the video board pops up from its connector on the system board and you can get video if you push it back in place.
Conclusion: before you start replacing parts, disassemble the laptop and try to fix the problem by reseating the power board and the VGA board. My disassembly guide for Toshiba Tecra TE2100 can help you to take apart the laptop.
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March 9th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Laptop will not boot at all. There is no power or power LED blinking
March 7th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
i have problem with my te2100 LCD.my lcd was blank with blue and white screen an sometime the lcd get rolling.but i still can boot windows.i have upgrade my vga driver but not help.
sorry with my english,i’m indonesian guys
February 26th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Amy,
You’ll find partial laptop disassembly at http://www.irisvista.com/tech/
This laptop has two fans. In order to access the main fan (CPU fan), you’ll have to remove the motherboard. Before you disassemble the laptop, I would recommend to find out why it’s not powering up.
You’ll have to test the AC adapter to make sure it works properly and outputs correct voltage. If the adapter is fine, there could be a problem with the motherboard.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Amylee,
Did it say “IDE #1 Error”?
IDE #1 is the CD drive. Apparently it failed and has to be replaced.
Just in case try reconnecting the CD drive. Remove it from the laptop and install back. Sometimes it helps.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Could some one please help me with my Toshiba A45-S130? I need to replace the fan. Could some one please tell me how to do that? Also I can’t power it up( i.e. It wont turn on) the power cord is plugged in and the battery light comes on and the plug light comes on but when I push the on/off button the plug light starts blinking orangish and the batter light is no longer lit up. HELP!! Please email me at amylc1970@yahoo.com. Thank you, Amy
February 22nd, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Hi,
I have (or rather my boss has) a Toshiba TE2100. I recently turned it on and there was a cd in the drive. It froz completely and I had to reboot. On rebooting, a black screen came up before and after the windows 98 opening screen (yes, he uses win98..). This screen said Error #1. and thats it.
Now the CD drive isnt even being detected ie. not showing up in my computer nor is it responding when I press the eject button. I’m not sure what to do, any suggestions?
Many thanks in advance
Amylee
February 17th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Cj2600,
I noticed that you had extensive experience with the 2100s. could you tell me if you ever had an issue with one that would not post at all? I am wondering if the power button has failed as well.
I have a charging light and also a green AC light. When i press the power button nothing happens. I attempted to reset the cmos by pulling the cmos battery for 10 minutes to see if that would work.
I have also done a selective start up with only CPU and no ram or one stick and no HD. I have reseated everything once or twice. Just would like some insight as to where I should look now.
I have managed to get a blink code once or twice. I just do not have a source for looking it up. 10110001
Let me know what you think?
February 16th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Hi,
I got the same blinking problem with TE2100.
tried reseating powerboard and vga doesn’t work.
it was fine before i clean the board with paint thinner… A cup of coffee spilled over it he he he OOOOPPPS
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Mary Smith,
Try enabling the touch pad through the keyboard short cut.
Turn on the laptop and wait until it boots to the desktop. Now press on the Fn key and hold it down. At the same time press once on the F9 key. Does it work now?
February 1st, 2009 at 4:08 pm
The touch pad on my laptop Toshiba Satellite does not work.