“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:
- The keyboard and the bottom of your laptop are very hot when the laptop is working.
- The CPU fans are working all the time at maximum rotation speed and operate much louder than before.
- 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.
- 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:
If the CPU heatsink is not clogged with dust and lint completely, you can use canned air and just blow it inside the laptop through the openings on the bottom and on the sides. It’s nice as a precaution measure, but it might not work if your laptop already has a problem and the heatsink is completely clogged.
- Open the laptop case, so you can access the CPU fan and the heatsink. In some cases you can access the heatsink through the latch on the bottom of the laptop. Sometimes (for example Toshiba Satellite A70/A75) you have to open the laptop case all the way down.
- Carefully disconnect the fan cables on the system board and remove the fan. If the fan makes unusual sound when it spins (grinding sound), I would recommend to replace the fan.
- Clean the fan and the heatsink with compressed air.
- I would also recommend removing old thermal grease from the CPU and applying new grease for better heat conductivity.
UPDATE: I just received a nice tip from MC N’Colorado. I think it could be useful for all of you with guys:
I decided to use a shop vac to suck the dust out and it worked. I tested it by letting the machine run all night and it worked. It’s been a couple of weeks now and I’m glad I did it. I was ready to take the machine apart, now I’m glad I didn’t. I’d suggest you use a heavy duty shop vac to clean out the fan and heat sinks first.
I agree. Try to fix the problem without taking the laptop apart first but I would recommend using a powerful air compressor instead of a vacuum cleaner.
If your laptop is still under warranty, you can take it to any Toshiba Authorize Service Provider and fix the problem at no charge to you.
Toshiba laptop disassembly guides with pictures and instructions.
Toshiba Satellite A15 Clogged Heatsink
Toshiba Satellite A35 Clogged Heatsink
Toshiba Satellite P15 Clogged Heatsink. Absolute champion!
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September 25th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Thanks, i knew it was a dust issue but at first i could get the laptop to run without shutting down by propping it up. when that started failing i thought i must have been wrong… Glad I found out i was right. just hope it is not to late to clean my A30’s heatsink as i can’t afford a new one….
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:34 pm
I have a Toshiba Satellite A135-S2276 that I inherited from my mother. It was working fine until all of a sudden there is nothing on the screen. We called Toshiba today and they had us remove the battery to reset to see if that helped. I didn’t. He said that either the LCD or the System Board had failed. The part number is PSAD6U-00R00D. Currently the lights that show when the computer is on are the AC power light, the on/off light and the battery light. The hard disk drive light blinks, but then goes off. We called to find out the cost of the part and it was $235.00 plus $13.00 shipping. Not sure it’s worth repairing. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.
September 23rd, 2009 at 7:40 am
Jeff,
Go to http://www.irisvista.com/tech/ and check out instructions for a Satellite A205. Isn’t it similar to Satellite M200?
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:23 am
Hi, Do you know where I can get instructions for the Toshiba Satellite M200?
Thanks,
Jeff
September 20th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
sam,
You’ll find instructions at http://www.irisvista.com/tech/
Make sure to read through the entire guide. It has more than one page.
September 20th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
To Alan Rockefeller:
I have a Toshiba A75-S1253 and I wanted to clean the cooling fan. I have unscrewed everything (taking out the hard drive, battery, DVDROM), but I still can’t take off the black case from the top one.
Anyway, i need further instructions to get to the cooling fan.
Thanks
Sam
September 14th, 2009 at 6:38 am
need a toshiba p25 s 609 shell case for 17inch laptop would like to remove everything and rebuild it in a new box the hinges are shot and my hard drive is acting up.
September 9th, 2009 at 8:15 am
1031 (Edmond)
I have the exact same problem.. my old charger was broke, so i ordered a new one.. is an ac adapter and it keeps switching off.. help?
ive tryed taking the battery out and leaving the charger plugged in.. seems to be working.. but cant do this forever -.-
September 9th, 2009 at 6:20 am
I have had the same problem for over a year.
But, I have found a solution which looks a bit stupid.
I leave a frozen botle of water at a proper place under it. while I am using it.
September 8th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Hello Cj2600,
I have the same problem as “Dong P” post number 974 dated
June 1st, 2009 at 10:04 pm.
My Toshiba Satellite M200 is either shutdowns, or system hangs every time it is plugged to ac adapter. However, it is fine and no problem at all whenever i use the battery. Can you please help me identify the problem?
Thank you in advance!