IF software problem ruled out, what hardware problem would cause this??

Hey I really need help with this one. Software has been ruled out as causing this problem so I need to know what hardware problems may be causing these symptoms?

My Toshiba Laptop constantly crashes. What happens is that it just completely freezes, becomes totally unresponsive and I have to turn it off by holding down the power key. When I turn it back on, the screen doesnt come on even though it can go into windows and I hear login sounds. Sometimes the screen does come on, and on its way into windows, it freezes again.
Before the laptop actually starts all this and freezes, it runs perfectly and every but as fast as it ever was. I am really confused about this..
Please help!!

 

First things I would check, make sure all the hardware is seated well (firmly plugged in to the mobo etc). Also, though for you, this seems less likely, could be heat. Try cleaning out any dust in your comp. I would warn you though that even if it is heat, it might have gotten to the point already where there is irreperable damage done. Those symptoms seem pretty severe and happen at the wrong times to be early stage heat issues.

 

It could be the RAM.Try using memtest.

 

I doubt that it is heat as the fans in this notebook are amazing and have always kept things cool. It is one of the very fare notebooks that you can really keep on your lap and it never gets even close to uncomfortable..

 

I have already swapped the RAM loads of times.. And what confuses me is that when it does freeze, the laptop tries to come back on when I turn it on, but NO power goes to the screen. I have to take out all power, battery, power cord and leave it for 30secs before it will actually give me the power to the screen again.. Then when it eventually goes into windows, Windows does recognise it as a "serious error that has occured"...

 

Oh and I think it happens a little more often when im running off the battery...but it can still happen when im running off main power...

 

Yes. The first job is to do a memory test for damaged memory segments. It freezes in such cases.

I had a similar problem just a week ago. It happened to be my hard drive. The drive died after 3 days of such behaviour.

 

I replaced the hard drive with a tried and tested Hard Drive from another laptop of mine. The hard drive that was in my Toshiba, is now in the other laptop and giving no problems.. I am going to do a memtest but will that show problems with just the RAM itself and not the Motherboard which I think may be causing it... like the RAM sockets..? Cause the RAM is new and I have swapped ram 3 times with no effect

 

When this happens, if you shut it down and wait. Say 30min or more does it start fine? Or does waiting have no effect?

 

It starts fine.. but eventually the problem starts all over again either within minutes or hours... I have even had the laptop run fine for 2 days and then on the third, it does it again.. The max the laptop will seem to give me without problems is 2 days...

 

And the crash only happens when im actually using the laptop.. looking at files, general internet use etc.. If it sits there running and not being used by anyone, it will not crash... So Weird!

 

Actually when it is at its worst... Even touching the volume control wheel or plugging in a USB Device etc can cause it to crash or even plugging in speakers! Anything to cause it to think! But as I said it can be fine for hours without problems!

 

You have stated when problem happens, you force shutdown and restart. You can hear Windows loading but screen is black? Well somehow you get it going again? Well if you force shutdown and wait will it then start up fine? I mean I am trying to ascertain is there any rhyme or reason as to when it does or does not start up correctly? I guess does it start fine on a cold start?

 

When problem starts and windows has initially become unresponsive.. heres what happens.. I hold down the power button to force shut down, then as notebook powers up it "can" power up no problem...And stays fine for a while.. BUT most of the time, the screen doesnt come on.. and when im saying it doesnt come on I mean there is NO power being sent to screen. Backlight nothing. Just dead.
So I hold power button and retry.. still happens.. and I have reapeated this 5-6 times and still no change.. So I decided to take out power, remove battery for about a minute and then it will come back....
Now if it was in XP, it would usually crash within the next few minutes and id end up just putting the laptop away...and using my other one. BUT when i put Vista on (just to see how it would behave with a different OS) it IS more stable...! But still does it if not a little less often!

 

I really do not want to get rid of this laptop and will put up to $1000 to get it back to perfect. I have never had any trouble with it in the past. I have been selling laptops for 3 years now and believe this is one of the best laptops Toshiba has ever released. There is no other 17inch laptop out there that weighs 3.2Kgs, has such good build quality, has a chassis that keeps completely cool and has a screen that has NO shadowing. It looks so sexy and the Harman Kardon speakers on the front are just the icing on the cake. And the thing is FAST. Even on Vista it runs faster than most new laptops iv worked with that sell up to $1500

 

OK I am going to cut to the chase as my attempts to get a very specific answer is to present, unsuccessful. If every time you start it 1st time of the day (after being off all night) it starts fine then it clearly appears to be heat related.

You are getting bogged down in the symptoms which you even acknowledge are strange and inexplicable. My perspective to determine is trying to rule something in or out. I don't care if your computer starting playing a endless loop of "Danny Boy" or "Four Green Fields", I am trying to determine if heat related. I know you dismissed that already but I haven't.

So does it start fine when cold? I know the symptoms so don't need any more info on that at this point.

Edit: I could be wrong but must rule in or out to go further.

 

Virus?Just a wild possibility.Did you try reformatting everything to rule out a driver issue?

 

But if its heat related, why does it need to have power disconneted in order to restart. That doesnt seem to match up.
And the laptop can be completely cold and just running on for a less then a minute and suddently crash. It has happened that when i have started it up in the morning, the laptop has crashed when it was just going into windows. Or just after windows has successfully booted up..
Also as I pointed out, the laptop runs very cool and I ran a temp check on CPU, HD and gpu and all looks ok...

 

Yes Virus issue been ruled out..

 

In fact the laptop runs a little hotter in Vista as GPU and CPU fans come on less often and GPU runs at 72-75'c wheras in XP the GPU under normal use was never able to get above 60'c as Fan kept it below this level. This is obviously a driver issue with Vista which has annoyed me as my laptop is never as cool as it was when it was in XP. BUT it is MORE STABLE in Vista..!

 

OK so it happens on a cold start just like once it has been running? That is all I wanted to know, thank's lets me rule out some things.

I believe you have stated that it "crashes" and it at times also has screen not working? Correct. Have you started in safe mode?

If it was just screen goes black I would consider lose connector and suggest can you use external monitor and how does that work. But sounds like more than that.

Bad GPU or bad MoBo (more likely) could explain. You said you changed HDD's so can I assume that would rule out virus as suggested? And does not sound like virus anyway.

 

Just want to say that you have been a lot of help..
When it happened that the screen wont come on, I connected to my TV with DVI to HDMI cable and got nothing...
Started in Safe mode does nothing. And I dont even get the option when the screen doesnt come on. When screen DOESNT come on, it can for the most part not go into windows at all.. and just get stuck there.
Yeah HDD's AND RAM have been swapped as well as the laptop been remastered multiple times..
I am tempted to get BOTH GPU (coz of screen prob) and MoBo (cause of all other probs associated) but it will cost $550 at least. Wheras each part alone would be less than $300.
Could anything else cause these probs??

 

Well Fishy looks like same conclusion as back in April, link.

You indicated your GPU is modular? If you buy both for $550. You could try the new GPU with the old MoBo. If it works you had a bad GPU. You can sell the MoBo. to get some money back. If it doesn't work put new MoBo in and old GPU, if it works you have a GPU you can sell to get some cost back. Who Knows both could be fried. Good luck.