If you own a Toshiba Satellite M35X, A70 or A75 laptop then you can experience the following problem. You laptop might lock up, freeze up or even reboot by itself when you touch the palm rest around the speakers area. It happens because of a static electricity discharge when your touch the laptop speakers. In some cases you will not even fill that discharge. The problem occurs because of improperly grounded top cover assembly. To fix the problem, it is necessary to install a new modified top cover assembly. If you laptop was made before January 2005 then most likely you have unmodified top cover. For example, I made some pictures from a Toshiba Satellite A75 top cover assembly. The top cover for Toshiba Satellite M35X is almost identical.
On these pictures you see unmodified top cover assembly for Toshiba Satellite A75. The foil runs from the speaker and from the touchpad to the metal chassis.
On these pictures you see a modified top cover assembly. The foil runs from the speaker and the touchpad, touches the metal chassis and ends on a screw stud.
On this picture I remove the metal bracket, so you can see where the foil tape is connected.
I think it is possible to make this modification yourself. All you need is to find a foil and run it as it shown on the pictures. I have never done it myself, so not sure about the result. 
Here are some other problems found in these models.
Power jack issues: Toshiba Satellite M35X and Satellite A75 power jack and battery charge problem
Overheating: Why my Toshiba laptop suddenly shuts down by itself without warning?
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December 28th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Hi I have a Satellite R15-S822 tablet (just to let you know I’m 15, so I’m NOT taking my computer apart) and a few days ago I was online and a scratching spinning noise sounded coming from the hard drive/fan area it sounded like a disc was loose in the disc drover but it wasn’t coming from the disc driver area plus i checked thd disc and it wasn’t loose I immeditly shut the computer off thinking it was the hard drive disc or something and since then it’s made the noise 1other time and just now it made a clicking noise and an error message popped up saying “Windows has dectected a problem with the cooling system. Immedity shut the computer off and get it serviced” I’m worried the hard drive will over heat so I’m not using the computer!
I don’t hear a the running so is there anything I can do before I take it to get it fixed??
Email me your responce please!
May 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Waeromed,
I wish I can tell you how to fix your Satellite M45 laptop but I cannot. This is really crappy designed model and I hate fixing Satellite M45, the repair never roes right.
We noticed that some really strange problems with this laptop are related to the 7-button board witch is located on the left side.
For example. One one laptop the keyboard stopped working properly, it was working only intermittently. After we replaced motherboard, keyboard and reinstalled software we still had the same problem. And we fixed it by replacing the 7-button board.
I think this problem could be related to one of the memory slots. Maybe one of the contacts has bad soldering and when you press on the case you temporarily “fix” the problem. If you have only one memory module installed, try moving it to another slot. If you have two modules installed, remove them one by one and test the laptop with each memory module in each memory slot. It’s possible that the laptop will work fine with both modules installed into the slot 2 but will not work when with both modules installed into the slot 1. In this case the slot 1 is defective.
May 17th, 2008 at 9:41 am
You are truly correct saying that Toshiba produced a line of crap over the last few years! The older Japaneese and Taiwanese/ Korean buily Toshiba laptops were pretty much “bulletproof” and mine still function well even today- 10 years later… …..but the newer ones now are so cheaply made and flimsy that I will NEVER buy another Toshiba product. I was actually told to “get Fuc*ed” by their chief customer service rep in Irvine CA when I inquired about yet another return trip for repair (5th MB replacement in less than 2 yrs).
The machine is so flimsy that if you pick it up one handed from a desktop, it visibly flexes (case and all) like a Salvador Dali painting!! Well, maybe not quite so much, but certainly more than a laptop machine should!
I did find if I smack it at the 8:00 position to the touchpad it WILL fire up only to freeze shortly thereafter. HOWEVER, if I apply a c-clamp between the top and bottom of the case and apply firm focused pressure to that same spot, it DOES fire up and remains running indefinitely. Doing this requires me to use an external KB and mouse but it does work like it used to.
I wonder if the issue is not a matter of flexing the MB as you suggest in your last remark (#107), but more like a bad ground as you describe in the beginning of the thread (where you illustrated the static speaker fix), or perhaps an errant ground that shorts out a component on the MB and is moved out of the way with the clamp’s pressure allowing functionality.
I have opened the case and removed the MB and do not see a likely culprit. The MB is cheaply grounded with tin foil over post screws and leading to a tin foil trace glued to the plastic case (how much did Toshiba actually save doing THAT nonsense??)
I know there are multiple class action suits against Toshiba for their laptops but my M45 isnt covered— maybe it should because there are so many M45’s being sold on eBay with the EXACT same problem that it sounds more like a design flaw and yet another crappy Chinese manufacturing shortcut overload!
Thanks again for your insight and your website!!
May 5th, 2008 at 10:49 am
The bottom line is Toshiba manufactured a load of garbage laptops over the last 4 years and has seriously destroyed their reputation in the land of laptop computers.
If you are only able to see video on your lcd after applying pressure to the underside of the series m30, m35, a70, a75 and many other laptops, you are most likely experiencing a motherboard failure due to a design flaw which caused the motherboard to bend.
Opening the laptop and creating a standoff between the motherboard and the cheap plastic underneath can provide a short term solution to temporarily fixing many of the listed models. If you are experiencing the symptom of a blue power on led with no video on the lcd or external monitor, you are most likely a victim of the chassis design flaw.
In order to get the laptop to boot and act as normal you actually have to bend the motherboard or apply pressure to it in the area under the touchpad.
Even if you undertake the repair and succeed in bending the board enough to make it work without breaking it, you will most likely end up with a laptop that needs to be used as a desktop. You will always have to take extra care when moving the laptop.
The amount of work that one has to put into fixing this issue is not worth the value of the laptop.
I’ve never purchased a laptop from Toshiba, but I’ve been in possession of dozens of used ones over the past few years and after seeing so many units, all with the same problems, I’m thankful I never have, and probably never will.
April 26th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Tim,
I have one Satellite M35X like that under my bench. In my case it’s bad motherboard. I think you have the same problem, something wrong with the motherboard.
April 26th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I have a similar, but different problem. My 2005 Toshiba M35X-149 had the top cover and power connector replaced under warranty in 2005. Since 2007, it usually fails to awaken after hibernation, or to complete startup from off state. The symptoms are: Power button lights, fan starts and on-disk LED lights 2-3 secs., then both off. Power button stays on, but boot halts. Sometimes LED backlight will come on. Soft reboot is fine.
My solutions have been these: -plug power supply in & out. -drop out battery while on AC power – press down on bottom cover between the keyboard and base of the flip cover. The latter seems much the more reliable, used to work all the time. If the on-disk LED comes on again, it will boot to completion. They are becoming less reliable, often take 10 tries to work now.
-removal reversion to XP power panel, or reinstallation of Toshiba Power Utility doesn’t fix it.
-turning off hibernation support doesn’t fix it.
-memory tests fine.
-HD tests fine.
-symptoms are stable for cold or hot laptop.
If it ever doesn’t work at all, I’m taking it apart and looking for broken links underneath where I’ve been pressing. FWIW.
April 12th, 2008 at 12:12 am
I had the DC jack replaced at least 3X during a 3 year CompUSA extended warranty. I also had the static discharge problem and lost a few full days of term paper writing during final exam time at University.
Oh, I have/had the M35X-S161. I think Toshiba has made the replacement stock DC jacks better designed, as they look different and I think the repair had to be factory.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Gwendolyn Clash,
Do you mean wireless connection? Check the wireless switch on the right side of the laptop, it should be turned on.
April 10th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
How do I use the Linksys Wireless-G Notebook Adapter
April 10th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Hi: I have a Toshiba M35X-S109. I must have accidently pushed a button and turned off my internet connection. I tried the Fn+8 Hot Key and no luck. The modem and router have been cheked and they do work OK. Please help