“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, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Sorry for another post, but wanted to make something clear after reading what I just posted. A75 I purchased was the only laptop I COULD AFFORD that was powerful enough to do what I needed it to do. Others were much more expensive or the performance was an issue.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Great web site! I learned more about my laptop than in the past 2 years I have it. I do need help on top of what is listed here. I used my A75-S2112 for school (BS in IT) and had to install a lot of crap on it for most of classes. I initially used my old Toshiba, but because A75 is so huge (wasn’t happy about the size, but it was the only laptop powerful enough to run compilers and other demanding programs without locking up) I was too tired of carrying both and started using just the new one for both work and school. Anyways, its performance decreased dramatically in the past few months and even removing most of this crap didn’t help much. It even broke some of the existing hardware or software (CD/DVD stopped working, unable to use any zipping/unzipping software even after re-install, internet browsing super slow, etc…) Scanned it with multiple programs for viruses and/or exploits, but found nothing. I was ready to wipe the machine and start fresh since I spent hours trying to get the performance back and nothing, I know that restore will put it back into it’s original shape. One problem: I cannot find the restore disc anywhere! Does anyone know where can I get another restore disk for my laptop? This computer is as good as dead if I don’t find the restore disc soon. It’s getting worse with every day.
Thanks in advance for any help!
P.S. For everyone with overheating problems: I use my laptop on a breakfast tray and it runs great. It gets hot when I do a lot with it at the same time, but not overheating and most importantly not shutting down. My old Toshiba Satellite (now about 5 years old, cannot remember the exact model) never overheated even on the down comforter (I did overheat under it though), but this new one overheated after just couple of days. It totally freaked me out, but I figured out it’s the heat. This is when I got a $10 breakfast tray at Target and I just fold the legs and keep it on my lap. It’s just a little wider than the computer, actually just wide enough to place a little wireless mouse next to it – I love it!
May 19th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Appreciate the reply cj2600, I guessed the same thing. Not sure how much the motherboard costs, but I think I will be better off getting a new laptop anyway.
Many thanks, this site is a great resource for us DIYers
May 17th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Anut,
I’m afraid you have a problem with the motherboard. I just ordered a new motherboard for a Satellite M45 with exactly the same problem. Man, I hate working on this model.
May 17th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
mike in #458 – IDENTICAL PROBLEM!
Same laptop Toshiba Satellite M45-S331
Will power on for 3 secs and then turn off! Removed ram, hdd, wifi, cleaned heatsink, no change!
What could this be? power related problem? How to diagnose further??
May 16th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Sean Powell,
You can try notebook hardware control and monitoring software. I believe it works with Satellite A75 laptops.
May 16th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Mike,
Is it still under warranty? If it is, send it back for repair. I think you got a bad motherboard.
BTW, the high pitched beeping comes from the laptop itself or from the AC adapter? Maybe the AC adapter is bad? You can test it with a voltmeter.
May 16th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
David,
You can find some disassembly instructions for Toshiba laptops I posted on the other site (www.irisvista.com) but I don’t think that in your case cleaning the laptop will help.
You can remove the keyboard cover to access the video cable connector on the motherboard. Try applying a little bit pressure on the connector while the laptop is still running and see if it affects the video. If the video turns back to normal when you are applying some pressure on the connector, probably that’s your problem. Unfortunately this connector is permanently soldered on the motherboard and you cannot replace it yourself.
May 15th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Hello.I have a Toshiba a75-s226.Ihave already taken apart the laptop and cleaned the heatsink and fans.What I need to know ,is there a program or utility that monitors cpu temps,fan speed,etc.,that is compatable with this laptop.Any help would be greatly appreciated.Please email me.THANKS. Sean Powell.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:21 am
i have a satellite M45 and one day it suddenly shuts off. its doesnt seem to be the heatsink or any of that. i checked. to add to the sudden shut down, it wont turn back on. when i plug it in the led lights wont go on so im assuming its ac jack but iono for sure. i didnt really expect any problems to occur cause i jsut got it repaired, whole new motherboard and what not. anyways, when its plugged in i can hear a faint high pitched beeping. i dont know if thats of any help but if anyone can id be much appreciated.