Toshiba Satellite 5105-s501

Hi
I have a Toshiba Satellite 5105-s501 Display Driver nVidia GeForce4 440 and it's runs into problem.
The notebook it's going restart itself.Have some of you the same problem? If yes,please help me to go out of this.
My laptop is out of warranty.
Thank you.

 

Does it only restart after installing the NVidia drivers or does it reboot using plain VGA drivers as well? If it only reboots using the NVidia drivers, then there could be a software/driver conflict. There's a few things you should try:

1. Load the basic VGA drivers, then hit Ctrl+Alt+Del and take a look at the processes in Task Manager, if you see something you don't recognize, look it up in Google and see if it's needed, if not, you can disable the process (will come back after reboot). Now install the NVidia drivers and see if it works.

2. If that doesn't work, you can try running MSCONFIG to disable the startup apps at bootup. This will eliminate additional possibilities of background apps causing the problem. To get to MSCONFIG (Start -> Run -> MSCONFIG -> Startup tab), then just uncheck the boxes and reboot. These settings will hold at next reboot, so to renable it, you must re-run MSCONFIG and put a check box next to it.

3. If none of this helps and it only happens when the NVidia drivers are installed, it's an OS/driver problem (posibly heat). You can try a different set of NVidia drivers (older/newer) and see if it works, if not, download MobileMeter (find it in Google) and see what temp your system runs at before it fails. If it's too high, then it's a heat problem.

4. If it's not any background processes or drivers or heat, then you're just gonna have to re-install your OS and see if this helps.

Good Luck!

-Vb-

 

Thanks Venombite.
I have re-installed my sistem whit reccovery cd a lot of time,but the problem is back.
I am following your advices,Thank you.

 

Did you resolve the problem? What was the problem and what did you do to fix it? (This could help other users with similar problems).

Thanks,

-Vb-

 

I still have this problem and I wait for some solution too.For the moment I do not use that pc. anymore.
I hope someone will get.
Good luck.

 

Sorry to see that the problem is still there. You can try one more thing. Perform a manual reload of the OS and install only selected drivers.

When you restore using the Toshiba restore discs, it reloads everything back on the system like how you had it on day one. It puts a lot of garbage that you don't need. If you perform a manual install, you'll be able to eliminate all the extra stuff you don't need. This will also tell you if there's something else installed that could be causing the conflict with the video.

When doing a manual install, you're going to need a full XP CD, not the Toshiba Restore CD. This will allow you to manually load the OS. AFter it's loaded, see if the video works without installing any drivers (Nvidia 4 might have a built-in driver in XP). If it's not built into the OS, then download the lastest driver from the Toshiba website and see if it helps. Make sure you get it from Toshiba and not from NVidia as Toshiba may have made changes to the drivers to be compatible.

-Vb-

 

I have tried this before nothing change(maybe little worst).
Thank you.

 

My dad had a Satellite 5105-S607 series and was experiencing the same problem. The screen starts pixelating and turns all weird or blue screens before it freezes and shuts down. He thought it was a software issue with the Nvidia Display drivers, so he reinstalled Windows, but kept running into the same problem. After he had tried reinstalling about 15 times, he quit on it and took it to the Geek Squad. They said that either the motherboard was blown out or the VRAM was going bad, and that it would cost a LOT of money to replace. He then went to one of his friends who repairs computers for a second opinion, and said that the VRAM was going bad, and since its soldered onto the motherboard, it would be too expensive to replace. He recommended to start looking for a new laptop, as the old one would cost too much to fix.

 

It's possible the video card on the unit is defective. Luckily with the 5100 series, the video card is a seperate device which can be removed from the systemboard. This will reduce your overall costs if you need it replaced, but it's still gonna cost a bit. If this is the problem, you may want to get yourself a new unit and maybe consider getting an extended warranty as well.

-Vb-

 

Very strange.
If I run the game(Soul Reaver-if you know) it's working whitout any problem as long as I play(5-6 hours).How it's can be this possible?????
Thank you

 

It's possible the game is not utilizing all of the video cards capabilities. Newer games may use a portion of the card that is causing this problem.

-Vb-

 

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!!

I called Toshiba today and got the run around and was transferred to the Toshiba Customer Relations manager, who basically said "she was as high as I could go, when it came to complaining." This lady was rude and CONSTANTLY talked over me and told me I was wrong. She told me no lawyer would take on my case (I didn't even mention lawsuits) because my computer is 2 years out of warranty (one year out of CompUSA's warranty). I mentioned the lawsuit involving the 5005 series and she changed the subject. I've actually had video components replaced twice (the ATL inverter and I believe the actual graphics card itself, not sure) and the lady asked me what I felt should be done about my problem. I said replacement and she basically told me it will never happen. I really think Toshiba should have legal action taken against them since this problem keeps occuring. Any ideas? EVERYONE CALL TOSHIBA (1-800-457-7777) AND ASK TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE CUSTOMER RELATIONS MANAGER!

 

Yeah, I have been hearing a lot about the 5105 series and their problems in relation to the Nvidia 440 Go Graphics Card. Many people, like my dad, were extremely dissapointed that a $2800 computer was blown in only 3 years. He's having his friend look at it once more to see if it can be fixed, however, the Graphics card seems to be soldered onto the motherboard, which is weird because its a dedicated card. I don't know about class action against Toshiba, but you could try. They've recently had a lawsuit concerning another model line and it overheating due to its P4 processor.

 

Guys,somebodi get a solution let try it:

________________________________________
"Fix for 5105-S701 video board artifacting problem. Repaired part FMC2G1. I am sure that this also applies to the other 5105 series machines with the Philippines manufactured GeForce 4 video boards.

To fix the artifacting video, you must repair video memory solder joints on the video board. Not a project for the faint of heart, but you don’t have much to loose (you’re only alternative is to buy a new card that will likely go awry after a few months).

So, I pinned the problem down to the video card, and more specifically, the video memory on the video card.

After my second video card failed, I decided that there was nothing left to lose, so I tore the laptop apart, pulled out the video card, and visually checked all the SMDs for dry joints. The only thing left was to clamp the memory down and use a heat gun melt the solder on the underside of the Samsung SMD memory modules. Then let it cool off (making a nice solid solder joint). I repeated with all the VRAM, and threw the card back into the laptop.

Note: though it would take a considerable amount of heat to damage the RAM, it is hard to control the solder once it becomes mobile. Be careful not to bump the board while the solder is heated. Several things can happen if you are not careful; the molten solder can bridge connections or bubble out the holes on the opposite side of the board. If you heat up the board too much, the surface mount components on the other side could become mobile, which is not pleasant to deal with if you don’t have the proper tooling.

For whatever reason, Toshiba’s manufacturing facilities were not making solid solder joints on the underside of the video RAM. These boards fail under normal conditions (not dropped, bumped, or twisted; they even fail in units that have always been stationary). The problem is obviously caused by a manufacturer defect, and Toshiba should be held accountable.

Toshiba gives their customers the runaround before telling them to go f*** themselves in a closet. It’s vile business behavior, and I am no longer a Toshiba loyal because of it.

I would have shared this earlier, but couldn't register because I had a free e-mail address, and then I forgot about it.

In any case; after 6 months of twisting, bumping, and using the machine, there are no video glitches. So, good luck to the rest of you".
For me it's dificult becouse of my english and no skill for pc.
I wish you too good luck.
Let's hope.

 

My dad's friend was able to get inside of the notebook, and simply checked the connections on all of the parts. Apparently there were some loose connections with the screen and the notebook's VCard, which may have lead to problems with the screen. He says that the computer is running like new, but I will have to test out the laptop until I can finally declare it cured of this "disease".

 

I've got the exact problem.
It's very hard for me to find this forum in which we got the same problem. I tore my laptop apart also. But I couldn't find something wrong. So I assembled it and then it worked well. Very strange, ah?
I am sure that the VRAM problem will go back. But when?
I am not a skilled person and how can I change the graphic memory like a pal upstairs?
I am seeking a perfect solution.
HELP!

 

Same problem here on a 5105-S501. Video artifacts, blue screen crash. Especially when you physically move the screen. Of course this happened 7 days after my 3 year extended warranty ran out! I was able to talk toshiba into an extension to cover this... whew.

I just got word from the local authorized repair station that they replaced the video card and are burning it in, so far with no problems after a couple of hours. The video card was on a 3 week backorder, hmmm, sending a lot of them out lately?

Am I correct in understanding that the problem experienced by some is not the video card but the memory on the montherboard? That would be good to know before I accept my now out of warranty computer back.

Thanks,
Tim

 

And oh yea, I ended up speaking with the Customer Complaints B!#$h too. After Toshiba extended my warranty a week I was pretty convinced I would continue to be their customer with future purchases. But after speaking with that woman... Woh!

 

Ok, my dad turned his laptop into Toshiba so they can take a look at the notebook, which costs $70. If they find anything else wrong with the laptop, it costs $160 for labor plus part costs. After they're done with repairs, it gets a one-year warranty. I thought that it was an OK deal, but I still think that if they find anything seriously wrong with it that a new notebook would be a better choice.

 

Oh. Now I prefer IBM than Toshiba. By the way, who can tell where goes wrong with the laptop?

 

In laptops, usually the CPU, the Harddrive and the small other components like RAM usually last the longest (at least with my experience with laptops). The most short lived part of any notebook would be its battery or its screen being blown out after 5+ years of use. Again, this is only what I have experienced with the laptops I've seen. About the Toshiba 5105 series: The video card/video card related problems seem to plauge this series for some weird reason. None of the other major notebook manufactures have had problems with their notebooks with the GeForce4 440 Go card. My experience with Toshiba's Tech support has been pleasant, not as good as HPs, but not as bad as companies like Alienware.

 

As far as I know, the IBM T23 laptop with the S3 video card has got the same problem. The reason is mostly related with overheating. But in Toshiba's case, I don't think it is the heat doing so. It's a weird problem I'd admitted. But can not Toshiba Tech find out why?

 

Cheers to the info about the VRAM issue. I reinstalled windows yesterday and mistakely thought I had the problem beat, not so it seems. I'll take my 5100 to work and when I'm feeling brave give the fix a try.

Thanks again!

 

My laptop has gone through several pixelating phenomenon recently. When it freezed, I had to shut it down by pressing on/off button over 10 seconds. After a while, I started my laptop, it worked well for a few hours, or maybe a flew minitues and then the pixelating happened again. I don't see why.

 

It depends upon what program you are using. For example, if you're just doing ordinary tasks like surfing the internet or word processing, the computer should be just fine - for a few hours. On the other hand, when you do more graphic intensive tasks such as gaming and watching movies, the laptop will lock up/pixelate faster because it using VRAM, all or some of which may be faulty. In addition, I have noticed that when you move the laptop around from place to place, the screen seems to pixelate. I don't know as to why this would happen, its just what I've observed. BTW I'm supposed to getting my "repaired" laptop from Toshiba in the next two weeks; I hope everything turns out O.K.!

 

I am looking forward to your answer about how your laptop being repaired. I hope you could share it with us.

 

I'll tell everyone more once I get the notebook back, but I still have to wait about 11 more days

 

I have a new idea, pal. Could we change the VRAM? For example, change the Geforce4 440 go to the Geforce4 460 go? Is this possible? Has anyone of you done this before?

 

You can upgrade the GPU in its own line (for example upgrading an ATI X700 128MB version to an ATI X700 256MB version), but you cannot upgrade outside the line, (for example, upgrading the ATI X300 to an ATI X600). So to answer your question, yes, although unless you can find the part, it will probably be much more expensive and not worth the upgrade. The GeForce4 440 and the GeForce4 460 are pretty old GPUs and won't do you that much good when it comes down to games. The thing you want to do is replace the card, so you can still operate the laptop.

 

Hi Mirceac

"After my second video card failed, I decided that there was nothing left to lose, so I tore the laptop apart, pulled out the video card..."

Can you give a bit mroe on this? My two year old 5105 went out two days ago Nvidia GeFroce 440GO causing system instability... and everything everyone else has said... I tried to open it up last night thinking lose joints (praying actually) but egads!

How does one open up to get to the system board? Do all the other thigns, like battery and the other compartmented thing on the underside have to come out first? Some don't seem like they want to...

And then is the VRAM and or vid card easily recognizable? I have never opened alaptop before but I am rather competent... and the heat gun thing... did you just hold it under the (removed?) system board and watch until the solder melted?

Anyother helpful hints? Can't afford any other solution and I NEED my baby back!



Jud

 

You're going to have to pay a premuim to replace that card, as a demand is starting to come for it as many other Satellite owners want their VCards replaced as well. Nvidia stopped manufactuing this card about 2 years ago, and its not comming back, so get your hands on one while you still can; there are probably only a handful left. About opening up your laptop, I have not located a site that will show you yet, although there probably is one. Unless you know what you're doing, I wouldn't risk opening up your laptop, as you could possibly damage other internal components in your attempt to fix the problem. For now, I would hunt down that Video Card!!

 

I just got my old Satellite back, and its running like its brand spankin' new! I'm very happy that I only had to pay $350 to get the video card repaced, as well as all new wiring inside of the notebook!! I hope it can keep this up!

 

So the video card has been replaced by a new one, right? And then your laptop worked well? So we can get a conculsion that it is really the VRAM's problem that cause the laptop freezing. Right?

 

Well, since our friend actually did all this, he took $250 off his normal cost; it would cost $600 without his "discount". He replaced the video card with the exact same one, and sent it to Toshiba to overhaul the internal wiring in the notebook. Every wire in my Satellite had been replaced from the screen on down, to ensure that there were no loose connections.

 

Put me on the list of the bad video card list. I have a toshiba 5105-s501 and i was having the same problem with the video card. I turned it on from a cold start and the laptop was working fine for about 5 minutes. After that though, the screen started to become wacky. It became pixelated then it just went white. I was reading the post by Mirceac about heating the video memory with a heat gun to try and reflow the solder with a heat gun. I thought what the hell, I got nothing to lose. So I tried reflowing the solder and when I tried putting the card back in it was working well. It's been the third day and I still haven't had any problems with the video. So I wanted to say that reflowing the solder on the video chips worked for me. I'm gonna keep monitoring it to see if the problem comes back, but I thought I let everyone know. Thanks Mirceac for the info. Saved me about $300.

 

That's good to hear; at least you got you're problem got fixed with minimal cost and not too much headache. To all others: I have found a webpage that shows how to dissasemble the Satellite 5000 series and gain acess to the Video Card.

Link: http://www.janerob.com/rob/ts5100/disassembly/index.shtml

 

Hey All,
So I started having the same problem yesterday of the SCREEN FLICKERING and then turning WHITE/GREY after a while (half an hour to two). Needless to say I looked but can't find the same card I have Nvidia GeForce4 440 GO 32MB DDR. My question is can I put in a GeForce4 440 64MB card in it?

Thanks for your help!

Cheers,
RP

 

I'm not going to say yes or no, because I'm not exacltly sure if you can or cannot do that. The only thing that's holding me back from saying yes are two things:

1. These laptops (yours/mine/other owners) were built when in a time period when there were no PCI-E cards, MXM, etc. so I'm weary about that.

2. The Satellite 5000 series ONLY had the 32MB version of this card - this means that you won't be able to flash the BIOS to support the new VCard.

I'd also be worried about it being pin-compatable, but other than that, I'd say its good to go - if you can get your hands on such a card. Oh and BTW, you won't see much of a gaming advantage of going to a 64MB card - the GeForce4 440 is an outdated model, meaning it won't support new technologies such as Pixel Shader and such.

 

I just want it to work for 6 months or so then get a new one...have been using this for 3+ years with no problem until now.

Thx for your input.

 

Same here - I've used my Satellite for 3.5 years before the VCard finally blew out. I'd say just get the 32MB version and stick with that until Merom comes out.

 

So I called Toshiba and they told me to call nationalparts.com who says that they need to replace the "VGA board" for $341. They won't give me a part number or anything. No use spending that much on this when I can find a used laptop of the same model cheaper then this. But any help?

 

I don't think that it'll get any cheaper than that - it's a pretty good price. The most you'll be able to buy is a low-end used notebook. Just replace the VCard and stick with that notebook.

 

Hello to all the 5105 users,

Several weeks ago, my 5105 S501 gradually died of the Nvidia bad solder joint death and at first, I went with the Toshiba help lines repeated reccomendation to uninstall the drivers, then to downlaod new drivers etc. I then discoverd this forum and read how this was a manufacturing defect and noted that at least since October Toshiba had been aware of this, but had been telling people basically, too bad. So I again, laptop still barely functioning, called Toshiba, looking to speak to the service manager aas mentioned in one of the posts here, and was not allowed through until I explained once again the problem to the regular person, so I kinda let loose, epxlaining that though they were infact wuite aware of the actual problem, they had wasted my time and efforts telling me to reload drivers when they knew **** well it was a manufacturing defect and I wanted this taken care of and *that's* the problem thank you very much. I was put through to the manager. I didn't get the woman noted here, but a fellow, who after about three minutes and my repeated insistance, finally spelled his name, Eray, and I told him the problem, and though he didn't make it clear at first, eventually, he did tell me to return the laptop to them and they would fix it. By this point, it had completely died, with the harddrive whirring with great abondon, and wouldn't show any signs of starting at all. I told him so, pointing out that they should have been honest with me form the beginning given that I had learned on this forum that they were in fact aware of this problem. In any case, I was given a return number and told to bring it to the local UPS store, where said number was all they needed to take it from there.

Good news!

So, a few days later, I get it back, all excited, having been without my puter for a week, that hurts ya know... only to find it with a slip stating "returned unrepaired" and a warrently statement.

I called Toshiba help again, and got the manager, and she said basically it was an admin error in that the repair shop had not been alerted, gave me a new return number *and* a repair shop job number. Back to the UPS store, and back to Toshiba.

After a week, I called and was told that they had to order a new mother board, and that would take a week; a week later, I called and was told that they had got it in and would get to it by the following week: I protested that I had now been without my puter for 5 weeks and this was a problem. They confirmed that it would be another week. But apparently someone took pity on me and I in fact received it fully repaired and fully functional two days later- all fixed, no charge.

Of course, the bad news is that it was reloaded with the software form the time it was sold, so I have had to spend many many hours downloading updates but, the good news, which I haven't seen mentioned here was that they did take responsibility for this defect and fixed it at their cost.

My great appreciation to those who reported here their experiences, without which I would not have pushed the issue with Toshiba, and would now be without a computer as I could not afford to either fix or replace this thing!

And I hope this will help others in getting their 5105's fixed!

Thank you,

Jud

 

Good for you! I didn't really feel like haggling with Toshiba too much - they seemed intent on not doing anything. Anyways, I don't think I'm going to be buying another notebook from them anytime soon, that is until they get their customer service/tech support straightened out, which should be happening very, very soon.

 

I got the same problem with the Nvidia card (Toshiba Satellite 5105-s501), I have not fix it. BUT if you desactivate the Nvidia card the laptop will work with the VGAsave.
-Turn on the computer
-Press F8
-Select VGA mode
-Then in Windows go to Display/Properties/Settings/Advanced/Adapter/Properties/General/Do not use this device

This will unable the Nvidia Card and enable the VGAsafe mode. So you can use the computer without video card, at least you dont lose all.
I will try your advices when I get some time.

 

Nice tip. Although you're going to get a horrible res. in this mode (something like 600 x 800 or 400 x 600), so you should only use this to access the computer's data files to move them to another location, or to back them up.

 

In the VGAsave (Toshiba Satellite 5105-s501) you can used the 800X600 and 1024X768 at 32 bits
and
1280X1024 and 1400X1050 at 16 bits.

The 1024X768 works more or less OK the only problem is that it does not refresh the screen a lot so you get wrong pixels (like salt noise) but if you move the windows it get normal.
Small videos plays perfect like the movies trailes but forget about DVD or >30 Mg mpgs and of course forget about games.

 

Hey Guys....so after my repeated problems I ended up going back to the old software for the video card that is in toshiba's website. Also decreased my screen resolution to 1024x768 and color quality to 16bit and decreased hardware accleration and screen refresh rate. This seemed to clear the problem. If I shake the laptop too much specially on the right side the distortion comes back. So maybe some of you can work with the above till the new laptop. The quality sucks but better then no work at all.

Cheers,
R

 

The VCard's RAM seems to be the problem in these notebooks, most likely due to heat from the laptop itself. However, sooner or later, all of the RAM in the VCard will go bad, rendering the card useless, forcing you to use basic screen settings (when I say basic, I mean basic).

 

Dear friends,

This is my first post here, but I've been a bit more active at the corresponding threat over at notebookforums.com where we have a sizeable community of afflicted 5105 users.

Some of you may know that sometime ago, satellite 5005 users got a settlement. Just this week satellite 6100 users got a settlement for basically the same type of display problems that we've been experiencing.

I just wanted to make you guys aware that I'm in touch with a lawyer and we're looking into the possibility of a lawsuit. I will be posting all my updates over at http://groups.msn.com/TOSHIBA5105DISPLAYPROBLEM

Do sign up there so that we can organize ourselves and move ahead with a lawsuit.

Thanks and good luck guys.

Vij