laptop taking a dump?

woodstock

woodstock

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
9,342
Location
Out of a suitcase
Display Name
iTravel
I think my 2005 laptop ate too much.

I added about 40 photos to it last night (not large size) and shortly thereafter it shut off. About 5 reboots after that, and it still won't stay on. I waited a little bit after each shut down, too.

I know it was getting close to full, but it was fine until last night. I should have had at least 8 gigs still free...

thoughts?
 
Good idea, thanks.

I have already backed up these photos, and was going to delete the lot off the laptop but didn't get around to it (I rarely add photos to this one) but last night added a few more... it's like Mr. Creosote. "A wafer thin mint? How are you feeling?" "Better. Better get a bucket, I think I'm going to throw up!"
 
When you get it up, in safe mode or not, empty the recycle bin,. You can also run disk cleanup from the My Computer->Drive->properties which will also get some temp files.
 
Hi
I finally got it to stay on long enough to let me start to empty it out. I managed to get it down to only 75% full. It's still shutting off randomly however! When I tried to defrag it - forget it.
 
That sounds like a power issue - is the laptop plugged in and does it show that it's on AC power?

It's possible that your power supply is not right.
 
Yup, plugged in all the time. The battery has long since stopped holding a charge - if it isn't plugged in, it won't run. The blue battery/charging lights are on even after the laptop shuts down.
 
Buy a battery- if the battery has a dead cell, it can draw down so much power that the computer has inadequate power to run.

In addition, if the battery is as dead as you have described, any minute and momentary interruption in the DC power from the power adapter will cause a shutdown, whereas if it has battery power available- even a little - the battery will "bridge the gap."
 
SCCutler said:
Buy a battery- if the battery has a dead cell, it can draw down so much power that the computer has inadequate power to run.

In addition, if the battery is as dead as you have described, any minute and momentary interruption in the DC power from the power adapter will cause a shutdown, whereas if it has battery power available- even a little - the battery will "bridge the gap."
Click to expand...
Yeah, this never sounded like a disk full issue to me. It could be a combination of a bad battery like Spike hypothesized and a loose connection in the power cord or plug. Try removing the battery and not moving the laptop or cord at all and see if that helps in the diagnosis.
 
If you have 8 gig remaining don't mess with trying to delete photos. That isn't the problem. Most likely you've got some software conflict (drivers) with Windows that is resetting it or you've got a hardware problem.
 
Thanks everyone. This would do it randomly and occasionally, but since Thursday night it's been very frequent. I did jiggle the battery, let's see if that helps. This laptop used to be able to stay up for days at a time (and is that a problem?)

I'm going to try to defrag again and see if that helps.

I don't really do much on this (or any) computer, I just do my photos. I don't download crap from the internet, I don't do games, and I don't really have much software on it either. Maybe I picked something up and wasn't aware of it.
 
woodstock said:
Thanks everyone. This would do it randomly and occasionally, but since Thursday night it's been very frequent. I did jiggle the battery, let's see if that helps. This laptop used to be able to stay up for days at a time (and is that a problem?)

I'm going to try to defrag again and see if that helps.

I don't really do much on this (or any) computer, I just do my photos. I don't download crap from the internet, I don't do games, and I don't really have much software on it either. Maybe I picked something up and wasn't aware of it.
Click to expand...


Based upon your description of the problem, i believe that it is extremely unlikely that your problem is related to software, content or anything of the like. Th eprofile matches precisely what you would get, on the other hand, with a completely hosed battery.
 
Thanks Spike. Did you say I could literally take the battery out and just keep it plugged in? Or should I replace the battery?
 
woodstock said:
Thanks Spike. Did you say I could literally take the battery out and just keep it plugged in? Or should I replace the battery?
Click to expand...
You should be able to run it without a battery, and I'd suggest doing that until you purchase a new battery. A good battery will provide protection from the cord being accidentally pulled out by, say, a cat!:rofl:
 
gprellwitz said:
You should be able to run it without a battery, and I'd suggest doing that until you purchase a new battery. A good battery will provide protection from the cord being accidentally pulled out by, say, a cat!:rofl:
Click to expand...

Yeahbut the battery for a 2005 laptop will cost 1/2 as much as the laptop is worth.
 
mikea said:
Yeahbut the battery for a 2005 laptop will cost 1/2 as much as the laptop is worth.
Click to expand...
Well, moving all the pictures and setting up an alternate laptop would take time, and time = money. I wouldn't necessarily go back to the manufacturer for the battery, either. Shouldn't be more than $50 - $100, IME.
 
I actually have two laptops, and a brand new desktop. The photos are already stored away and on the new desktop too. I just like this laptop. Plus, I am lazy. One is downstairs and one is upstairs. I can watch a movie and surf at the same time. Like now.. hahaha

PLUS, the laptop that is hiccuping has all my iTunes on it.

If I can run it without a battery, I'll do that - it never leaves my desk anyway.

Thanks everyone, I wil report back when I take care of it!
 
Skip Miller said:
Woohoo! Speak to me, Grant! Where do you buy these cheap batteries?

-Skip
Click to expand...
Depends on the laptop, but I just found batteries for two laptops here (Dell Inspiron 600 and a Winbook J1) at $70 and $80, respectively.
 
Hi everyone

Even with the battery out, it's still shutting off randomly. I checked the cords amd connections - all fine. sigh.
 
woodstock said:
Hi everyone

Even with the battery out, it's still shutting off randomly. I checked the cords amd connections - all fine. sigh.
Click to expand...

Liz,

Step one is to figure out if it is hardware or software. When it shuts down does it blue screen or give any error or does it just completely power off? There might be some valuable information in the Event Viewer but it is somewhat cryptic if you're not familiar with Windows.

Otherwise we could try a remote session and I could take a look. These sort of hardware problems are pretty difficult to figure out if you can't see the laptop.

How old is it? Under any sort of warranty? You could always UPS it to me and I could fix it or let you know if it is worth fixing and at the very least could get your data off. Basically the procedure is to determine if it is hardware or software. If it is software we'll fix the software. If it is hardware we'll figure out which component and replace it if it makes sense financially. PM me if interested, no charge.
 
Last edited:
My toshiba randomly shuts down. For the most part, I think it overheats. Easy to diagnose. Check the fan ports. Cluttered with CAT HAIR, not enough cool air getting in. A can of compressed air helps.
In my case, it's a dog. But same deal. A judicious cleaning and it will run for months. (PS: The battery is dead. I might get 30 seconds on it without AC.)
 
silver-eagle said:
My toshiba randomly shuts down. For the most part, I think it overheats. Easy to diagnose. Check the fan ports. Cluttered with CAT HAIR, not enough cool air getting in. A can of compressed air helps.
In my case, it's a dog. But same deal. A judicious cleaning and it will run for months. (PS: The battery is dead. I might get 30 seconds on it without AC.)
Click to expand...

Cat hair? what are you talking about? :D

I just turned it over. No cat hair in any visible openings. (believe it or not). Overheating sounds plausible though - anything else that could cause that?
 
I am about 90% sure this is likely to be an overheating issue. Once the battery has been ruled out, and barring any crazy software installations, for this to happen randomly would be hard to believe software/driver issues.

This is what I do for a living right now, Beth. Does the laptop sound a LOT quieter than it used to? Moreover, does it seem hotter now than it was before? Most often, I find what causes the fan to stop working is that it is simply clogged with dust, pet hair, human hair, grass (yep, found grass a few times), or, worst case scenario, the fan crapped out.

But I bet its just jammed. Might want to try getting some duster, and with the computer off, spraying it into the fan hole on the bottom of the computer. Be sure not to turn on the laptop for a while afterwards, as I've seen duster create condensation on the inside of a laptop.

I seem to recall this being a Toshiba Satellite laptop. In which case, the fan is located on the right hand side when looking at the bottom, right above the FCC sticker. If you need more pointed help, let me know. I'll be more than happy to lend free advice to ya, Beth.
 
Nick, thanks.

I think it may be hotter? Right now it's in hibernation (closed) - I'm using the desktop. Despite the fact that it's closed, when I turn it over, it's pretty warm - at least the part to the left of the FCC sticker when you turn it over. What is "duster" - some kind of spray - can I buy it at Best Buy?

I've got to jump in the shower and get to work so I won't be able to address this until this evening now. But I appreciate the advice!

I don't see anything in the fan - there could be something underneath though, I don't know.
 
woodstock said:
Nick, thanks.

I think it may be hotter? Right now it's in hibernation (closed) - I'm using the desktop. Despite the fact that it's closed, when I turn it over, it's pretty warm - at least the part to the left of the FCC sticker when you turn it over. What is "duster" - some kind of spray - can I buy it at Best Buy?

I've got to jump in the shower and get to work so I won't be able to address this until this evening now. But I appreciate the advice!

I don't see anything in the fan - there could be something underneath though, I don't know.
Click to expand...

Duster = Compressed air, sometimes its some sort of gas (that kids like to huff and get high off of...morons). Its a can, called "Duster" or "Blaster" or a few other brands....one is actually just called "Compressed Air."

Yeah, Best Buy sells it, as do a bunch of other electronic stores.
 
SCCutler said:
In addition, if the battery is as dead as you have described, any minute and momentary interruption in the DC power from the power adapter will cause a shutdown, whereas if it has battery power available- even a little - the battery will "bridge the gap."
Click to expand...

SkyHog said:
I am about 90% sure this is likely to be an overheating issue.
Click to expand...

I'm with it being one of these two issues. Beth, you still having the problem?

As for overheating, it can be a lot of things besides just a bad fan. Being placed on a soft surface can lead to poor air circulation, for example. Cat hair is also a HUGE problem, and it won't necessarily be where you can see it. In fact, the two worst things for computers are smoking and cat hair, and both will be attracted to the charges zipping around your motherboard and stick to it, leading to a "blanket" coating the mobo and all the critical components. Sometimes, extra heat causes thermal runaway (a condition where all the "switches" in the chips turn on) and the computer will quickly crash and/or shut off. Sometimes, components can get so hot that they are permanently damaged.

A good way to test to see if it's a heat problem is to leave it off overnight (preferably with the lid open, as many laptops do dissipate some heat via convection through the keyboard). Then, start it up and time how long it takes to shut off. Start it right back up, time how long it takes to shut off a second time. Lather, rinse, repeat. If the first time it lasts a few hours and it gets markedly shorter each time, it's almost certainly a thermal issue.

If that's not it, I'd guess it's the power adapter. If your battery really is worthless, just take it out. If you do decide to get a new battery and that makes the problem go away, you're probably having intermittent connection issues with the power cord - That's very common on older laptops.
 
Kent

I actually shut it down on the 14th and haven't turned it back on, until about 30 mins ago. It's still on.

I did take out the battery last week - didn't make a difference. It may be the power block, but if so, the laptop would likely be off right now.

It's on my desk. I'll post again later what time it shut off (if I'm here to notice when it does...). Thanks for the advice!
 
Liz, if it is a thermal issue, the laptop will generally get hotter under load; the GPU (Graphics processing unit) generates a lot of heat. Playing a movie or youtube videos on the laptop might help "force" the issue.

Also, here's the easiest way to tell if the heat is increasing or if your fan is running slower than it should. Download hwmonitor (you probably need version 1.11 32-bit) and run it. No install required, you just download the zip file, unzip it somewhere, and run the .exe): http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

Post the results or screen shots here.
 
Hey everyone

I haven't so much as touched the laptop today - it's right next to my desktop - and it's still humming along. Now, if I actually did something with it, it might shutdown - but I'm heading out the door and am going to shut it off right now.

That is 6 hours..

Thanks Troy, I will take a look tonight...
 
OK.

It was on continuously for over 24 hours. All was fine.

I then tried to do the spy-sweeper and it shut down before finishing. It got pretty far into it, but it did ultimately shut down.

I can't tell if it is warmer than it should be - it's warm but not hot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top