Toshiba Satellite 1415-S173 boot problem
Problem description:
The customer complained that his Toshiba Satellite 1415-S173 laptop will not boot to Windows.
Laptop diagnostics:
When I started the laptop for the first time, it booted to the Toshiba welcome screen then I got a blue screen error and the laptop restarted. I restarted the laptop few times and got the same error. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to read the error message because it flashed too fast.
Laptop repair process:
From my experience I know that this kind of behavior is often occurs because of a bad memory stick or a bad hard drive. I started testing the memory module with Memtest 86+ and got an error message right away. It looked like a fast fix to me and I was kind of happy. I installed my test memory stick into the laptop and restarted the computer. This time it booted fine, passed the Toshiba welcome screen and freeze up on Windows welcome screen! Restarted the computer few times and still wasn’t able get to the desktop. Ok, we have more then one problem here. Tested the hard drive with Hitachi drive fitness test and it failed the test too. After I installed my test hard drive into the laptop and run the Windows operating system restore CD, the laptop booted to Windows fine. In this case we had two failed parts in the same laptop.
Entry Filed under: Everyday Laptop Repair
April 8th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
I have a toshiba A60/A70 laptop it gave me a blue screen error
and from there i could not boot to my windows. I have tried many
diagnostics and they did not work. I opened it and clean the fan which was very dirty and causing the laptop to get very hot. After putting every thing back it can not find the HDD.
April 9th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
Hi Dale,
So witch one do you have A60 or A70? It is two completely different models. May be it is just a bad hard drive disk? I would try to remove the hard drive and boot the laptop from the DVD/CD-rom drive using a Knoppix CD. It is live Linux operating system and runs directly from the CD. You do not have to install anything on the hard drive. If your laptop boots and fine from the Knoppix CD and operates fine in Linux environment, then I would suspect the hard drive. The Knoppix environment looks like Windows, you do not have to have any special skills to operate it. Just download the image file from their website, burn it on a CD and boot your laptop from it.
October 19th, 2006 at 5:19 pm
can not boot my Toshiba Satellite m45-s359
i try use recovery and fresh copy of xp
same thing heppens
it is show in touch with toshiba and moves to
black screen with cursor blinking
all this heppend after i connect copouter wireless
to belkin wireless ruter
October 20th, 2006 at 10:03 am
Pizdine,
Try this. Remove the battery, unplug the AC adapter, wait for 1-2 minutes and start the laptop from the AC adapter power. Check out comments 45 and 57 in this post. The guy had a similar problem and was able to resolve it by reseating the battery. Let me know how it goes.
November 8th, 2006 at 11:46 am
Hi,
In my Toshiba Satilite notebook, when i press the power switch the fans get started for a second and after asecond there is sound like shut then fans will stop automatically.Even if i start it next time the same thing happens.I tried by remove the battery and on AC adoptor,even then the same problem.
Please guide me what could be the problem?
Thanks,
Ram.
May 20th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
I have a toshibe satellite 1415-s173. It has Suse linux installed on it but that doen’t work. When I start up into windows 2000 at the screen that says “windows is starting” it says that a file is corrupt or missing, to start into Widndows setup, and hit ‘r’ with the install cd/floppy. the problem is that i can’t find a way to boot from the Cd-Rom. if i hit F8 it gives several options, all about safe mode. There is no option to change what the laptop boots from.
May 20th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Alex,
You should be able to get the boot menu if you hit F12 as soon as Toshiba logo appears on startup. Also you can hit “C” and the laptop should boot from the CD-Rom drive.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:31 am
I have a Toshiba Portege A200 Notebook and the battery has recently failed and so I always have to put it on the charger. I have been a bit careless and kept on just pulling the cord out without shutting down properly so I think that may have been a major cause of the ‘Blue Screen’ I am experiencing now. I start up my laptop, and then the “Start Windows Normally, Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking” screen appears and then the TOSHIBA screen comes up and then the Windows “Loading” screen loads for a bit and then for about 5seconds+ it goes black before opening a blue screen very quickly that when I try to read it, it disapears and the computer restarts again doing exactly the same thing.
I tried starting in safe mode and yet it does not work. I really need to get my music and work of it somehow, please help me.
Also, before this happened I experienced a slow internet connection and the computer was going pretty slow.
Regards,
Tom.
October 1st, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Tom,
You mentioned that before this problem the computer was pretty slow. I think this problem might be related to the hard drive. Test the hard drive with Hitachi’s drive fitness test, you’ll find link to this utility in Resources on the right side. If the hard drive fails test you’ll have to replace it.
You can try to back up all personal files using an external USB enclosure, you can find it on online or in any local computer store.
Also I would test memory with Memtest 86+.
October 13th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Okay thank you, I’m assuming the hard drive has a problem and so I would like to back the files up with an external USB enclosure, BUT, I don’t know what the hard drive looks like or where it is or how to get it out…..I have taken the keyboard off but I can’t figure out how to get any further. If you have a disassembly guide that would be great but I havn’t found one on the internet yet so I might just try do it myself.
Wish me Luck
Byee
Thanks for the help….GREAT WEBSITE!!!
October 13th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Tom,
I’m not familiar with this model. I worked once on a Toshiba Portege A100 laptop but never worked on a Portege A200. Here’s a disassembly guide for Portege A100″, it could be similar to your laptop.
Also, you can read this article: Accessing notebook hard drive using USB enclosure
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