Toshiba Qosmio x505-Q885 turning off randomly

Hello. I have a Toshiba Qosmio x505-Q885.
I've had it for about a year and a half (AKA Warranty = invalid). About 1 or 2 weeks ago my computer turned off randomly. I thought nothing of it, and tried to turn it back on. The problem was that I couldn't. I plugged it in, and the lights indicating that it's plugged in didnt even come on. I took the battery out for about 10 seconds, then put it back in, and it finally turned on. This keeps happening though and I don't know what to do. I first assumed the battery was messed up, so I ran it without the battery (just the AC adapter) and it still turned off. I tried it just on the battery, and it still turned off. Tried it with the AC adapter and the battery and still turned off. I don't think it's overheating because 1.) it doesn't "feel" hot and 2.) sometimes it turns off from being on for 2 minutes, not doing anything demanding and other times I can play Starcraft 2 for 4 hours straight and it won't turn off at all (until I tell it to shut down, of course). The only other "clue" or "hint" I can think of giving is that about 75% of the time when I take it out of my backpack (it is powered off when inside my backpack) I can't turn it on and have to take out and put back in the battery.

I have already called Toshiba but they haven't been very helpful. They told me to restore my system to factory defaults, but I REALLLY feel like this is a hardware problem, but I guess it might not be. I also am no longer under warranty so they can't really do anything for me. I have run Malwarebyte's a few times to see if I have some kind of virus/malware but it comes up clean.


Also, today it has turned off 4 times on its own and 2 times when I turned it back on the media buttons on the side (the lights/buttons for things like mute, play, next song, pause, previous song, etc.) and the SCREEN would not turn on. The fans were running and everything SOUNDED like it was turning on but the screen/buttons never did.

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!

 

The next time you have it on, run a temperature monitoring utility to see if it really isn't overheating. It's possible that a sensor is failing or that it really is overheating.

 

The temperatures stay around these. It just shut down again, this time when I tapped the touchpad "slightly" hard. When I turned it back on again I tapped it hard again and it shut down. I tried a third time and it didn't shut down. I keep randomly tapping hard and it won't happen again. -.- I feel like I have no idea what's causing this.

How could I figure out/fix if a sensor is failing??

EDIT:
Thanks, by the way =]

 

If one of your temps was obviously the wrong value, it could be failing, but I don't see that in your screenshot. It sounds more like a hardware problem like a short.

 

I agree, sounds like a short. I don't know much about these types of things, but perhaps a cable came loose? If you feel courageous enough, maybe check to see if there are any loose cables inside your Qosmio?


Good luck and keep us posted with any results.

 

You could remove battery and AC. Remove, then reseat, your two (2) ram dims. Replace all then reboot.

If machine fails, then shutdown and remove Hard Drive IF you can boot from a DVD or USB stick. The idea is to rule out the installed OS being corrupted.

I think, lile you guys, it's a hardware problem. I'm curious to what Toshiba's flat rate repair may be if all other options fail?

 

What does removing the ram dimms try to disprove? I'll let you guys know how it goes once I get the time/chance to check it out

 

Those particular symptoms are usually not good. In my case when I had similar issues, it was a faulty mother board. Since you're out of warranty you may have to sustain the repair burden. However, an appeal to Toshiba can't hurt. You may at least get something off the bill?

I tried that too. And the HDD. No effect.

HP also replaced the power module and the battery (albeit with lesser ones).


Keep us informed.

 

To make sure your contacts are clean, a problem I had on another machine. I should have mentioned to boot with only one dimm, if machine fails, then boot with only second dimm to rule out a failing dimm which can cause similar failures.

Theses are just cheap easy things to do while homing in on expensive MB problems.

 

Removing/reseating the RAM didnt do anything. I didnt remove the HDD, but I did boot ubuntu off of a disc. Still no luck. My computer has started to freeze a bit more too. And I just now turned it on and unplugged it (battery in/fully charged) and it just shut off immediately after unplugging. You think this could be a problem/short dealing with the motherboard?

Krane, did you ever solve your similar (I believe) problem with your HP? How much did it cost to fix?

 

Yep, that don't sound good. My bets are on a MB power problem. Sorry, I have been lucky to not have that happen to me.

Unless your not able, I would look for flat rate repair from local or toshiba repair centers. If you love taking things apart, I have seen bare bone MB for 303-505 on fleabay around $200.

 

I don't feel comfortable replacing the motherboard myself. And I still dont KNOW that the mobo is the problem. How much money do you think it would be to get a motherboard fixed/replaced? My parents owe me $800, so would it just be better to get a new laptop? And if I were to get a new laptop is it possible to just put in the harddrive I already have?


Lot of questions there -.- hahah

 

The final repair (a replacement motherboard) was fixed under warranty even though it had technically expired.

However, I must point out that the initial problem was reported during the warranty and they claimed to have fixed it. It broke down a second time again under warranty (repaired and returned) and then a third time after it had expired.

They honored the warranty under the third breakdown (it was the same issue they claimed to have fixed twice before) and final repair which has work since.

I chronicled the entire ordeal on this site.

 

I think I am going to bring it to a shop and see what they say. The only advantage of calling toshiba is that they have the parts, since I am out of warranty.

Any estimates on what the fix might cost?

As a sidenote- I never really loved this laptop. I bought it very quickly because it was on sale and I didnt research other machines that well. If I were to buy a computer all over again, I would look for something a little smaller and not glossy, and preferably a FHD screen. If this is going to cost $400+ anyway, I think that I will just look for another computer. Maybe sell this one to someone I know (and obviously tell them the problems that it has and give them a really cheap price).

 

As did I. At the time, the HDX 18 was a top of the line consumer laptop, and I got nearly 40% off. But it serves me well (for now) nonetheless.

 

May be best to buy another laptop, as the GTS 360m that you presently have is considered pretty outdated and not a top gaming GPU [it's not even a GTX class card]. However, if you want to go with your current laptop, I believe Toshiba has a flat-rate fee of replacing motherboard for $350.

If you decide to go with a new laptop, the next generation of Intel/nvidia/amd products are slanted to release in a matter of weeks; now may want to start doing research on which brand/model you want to snag!


Good luck and keep us updated with what you decide.

 

I have actually been looking around for a week or two. I think that if it's going to be ~$400 to fix this laptop, then I might wait for the new ideapad y580 to come out. I believe it got pushed back until June though because Ivy Bridge was delayed? Maybe Im wrong

 

A new updated comparably equipped notebook will cost 4X that. Therefore, its perfectly permissible to go with the repairs rather than a new notebook

 

Ran into a very similar problem on my 875. Happened twice and thankfully both under full warranty. The problem turned out to be a cracked or fractured heat pipe from the GPU.

I was running into the same issue with random shut downs. Tried everything and couldn't get a registered temp log to show shutdown from over heat. Sent the lap top into Toshiba and got it back saying "problem fixed heat pipe replaced". There are two copper pipes coming of the GPU, so questioned the validity of this. But in the end the problem went away.

About 8mo later exact same issue occured, this time took the lap top down to a certified repair shop for warranty repair. Talked to the guy face to face and explained everything. In the end, the repair guys tried everything they could think of other than the GPU heat pipe with no fix. As before in the end the heat pipe for the GPU was replaced and the problem was fixed.


Hope this helps.

 

GREAT INFO! Thanks Jack!

 

That is really useful to know,Jack. But I have never had it shutdown while I play starcraft 2 (and I play for like 4 hours straight). It only shuts down during programs/apps that arent graphically demanding. Meh. =[

 

I have the same problem with a Qosmio x775-Q7384. Also when I have it on my bookbag, same symthoms as you described. I have been doing research about it and it seems that the power button system has a factory defect or something. Toshiba doesnt exist when it comes to technical support. Im really upset about this because I spent 1500 thinking that I got a wonderful computer but !FAIL!!!... so, I wish all users with the same problems could start a unique forum in one single site to make toshiba give us our money back. Cuz obviously they dont know how to make computers and the customers are paying a high price for their experiments!!! Here are some videos: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNwMsGzzBP0" "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNTS2brEr4c" "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeNljHUOqNA" "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA4Bbbcz2vM&list=PLMd7ztbdh_-KyfPH380gjQBq0-wytBj9r" So if you can go ahead and post your own video that would be good.

 

Most laptop shutdowns are due to vents/fans that are clogged with accumulated dust.
If you do not clean your fan/vents, it can accumulate dust as seen in the following image:

Verify that your fans are not clogged with dust [use compressed air in a can with short bursts; remove battery/power before attempting].

Since you have a high performance, gaming laptop, cleaning of the vent/fan is a regular activity that should be performed on a regular basis [I clean my vents every 2 months].
Also, when using your laptop in a "high performance" manner, make sure to use it on a solid, level surface to ensure it will receive adequate air-flow.

Hopefully that was the problem and you are able to use your laptop once again.
Good luck and keep us posted with any updates.

 

While I completely agree with you on the fact the a laptop owner needs to ensure that airflow and passageways as well as fan blades need to be cleaned on a regular schedule and that air flow is a key component to ensuring that a laptop needs to keep cool, I have to point out that in the case of the Qosimo series laptops by Toshiba there is an inherent design flaw or rather a collaboration of flaws that combine to make them a faulty prone machine it seems from reviews that there are an alarming amount of individuals that are having similar issues with these models. While I know it is in the best interest of the company not to recall them as they are not a health hazard they are a faulty design that are prone to failure.

I have been a computer tech for about 12 years and I have seen a lot of makes and models come through my shop but there are a lot of failures of this model and it is disheartening to see the poor customer service response to such a widespread problem. In the future as I already own one of these models I will not be giving toshiba my money until they properly repair replace faulty hardware to customers. As I said I agree with the maintenance guidelines here and include desktops to the list of electronics that need a cleaning schedule as well as gaming consoles. That being said I have a routine schedule for cleaning my electronics and servicing them but unfortunately my board did not act up until after the warranty expired. The real selling point was the screen size for me I like the 18.4 display and wish i could use my laptop for gaming but it isn't worth 350$ to get a maybe it is fixed now product. In the future I will be spending my money on another make that is less prone to hardware flaws and provides better customer service to individuals that through no abuse or misuse of the product ended up with some NFG 1400$ laptop. Moral to the story research is invaluable scour forums on the product your looking to buy, may save you time and money in the long run.