“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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May 24th, 2006 at 10:42 am
Christopher,
I previous comments you didn’t mention that you can boot the laptop when you wiggle the power jack and apply some pressure on it. I guess you are right; it might be the power jack problem. Good luck!
May 24th, 2006 at 10:26 am
I would have thought that there’d be a loose part, however, I’ve secured all the ZIF connectors (top cover, sound card) by popping out the plastic parts first. I’ve tried using different Celeron M processors of the same speed and have also tried several RAM chips at various speeds (3200 & 2100) and of different sizes using various combinations. I am most assured that the DC Jack is causing a short as shifting the power cable and adding adequate pressure ensures the machine starts up as normal. What’s interesting is that the battery charges and the lights are all green. I know it’s bizarre, but I’m sure the DC Jack is causing the motherboard to short. I’ll get back to you when I resolder the joint since it is loosely connected to the board (there’s a small crack). Thanks for your advice and your help CJ. This forum has saved me some frustration.
May 23rd, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Christopher,
Wait for a while with resoldering the power jack. I’ve never seen the DC jack shorts the motherboard so badly that it will not start. Even if the power jack is bad, you still should be able to start the laptop from a battery.
Try to install the memory module into the second slot. Try to start the laptop without the LCD screen attached and without the top cover installed. You can carefully remove the power button board from the top cover and connect it directly to the system board, so you can turn it on. As I said in my previous comment, try to minimize the system. It might be just a loose connection. Check if the power button flat cable is seated properly on the system board.
When you remove the cable, you have to open the connector first. When you install the cable, open the connector on the system board first, plug the cable inside and close the connector.
May 23rd, 2006 at 4:54 pm
Amazing, it wasn’t the processor at all. Apparently I also have the DC Jack plague that’s been going around. Though, it shorts out the entire board to the point where the laptop will not boot even with a fully charged battery. I am hoping that resoldering will alleviate the situation. I am having difficulty removing the mother after removing all the screws (even the screws for the HD incasing). The laptop is a Toshiba M35X-149S. I followed the pictures, but am I missing something, a movement or button to get the motherboard detached from the black plastic bottom?
May 23rd, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Christopher,
Check out if the CPU is locked and seated properly. Sorry, but you’ll have to take it apart again. Check out the comment #154. After you reseat the CPU put the top cover back but do not screw it for a while. First, turn it on and see if you can get the video on the LCD screen. To boot the laptop and get the video you need only the system board, the memory and the CPU (with heatsink and fan attached).
May 23rd, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Hey..first off; thanks to everyone. The problem: after taking apart my Toshiba Satellite M35X-S149 laptop and cleaning out the heatsink, it no longer boots up and there is a blank screen. The power, battery, and HD light in the front are solid green and the power button solid blue. The fan kicks in, but after a few seconds the computer goes silent. The power light and lights in the front all remain green. I’ve tried the basic stuff (w/ & w/o battery, removing RAM, etc.) and no such luck. Most likely this is happening because of a loose part. Now I’m a broke college student so any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
May 23rd, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Craig,
Try to reboot the laptop first. Then I would try to change the screen resolution. Right click on the desktop and then go to properties. Click on the settings tab. Set the screen resolution to 800×600. If it’s a wrong resolution, set it to 1024×768, etc.
May 23rd, 2006 at 12:02 pm
had to use F5 to get screen to stay on – now it is stuck on that with screen too small to see verything. Cant get it to go back to normal size. Please need help!!!!!!!!
May 21st, 2006 at 2:43 pm
I have been searching for 2 weeks how to disasemble my m35x-s149 laptop to resolder the power port.I very impressed with the step by step, and photos to walk me through it.Thank You very Much.
May 18th, 2006 at 6:18 am
So, I took the laptop apart again, now when removing the heatsink the CPU came off with it. I cleaned the heatsink (it was extremely clogged), put all back on, but the laptop didn’t start:( So, rereading this forum again I thought it is most likely the CPU lock problem, took the laptop apart again, and I don’t even know what that lock looks like:) I didn’t have anything similar to what the pictures of other laptops have, with a screw-like thing on top. After very long staring at the CPU seat, i decided that the metalic rod on the side must be the lock, and it was! Now the CPU seated properly, and the lappy booted up all happy! Just for other folks like me with a Satellite A65 to know… Now my CPU is not heating up, HDD is running at normal temperature, and the CDROM as well.
Thank you very much for a great webpage!!!