New Laptop Issue

markb5900

markb5900

Line Up and Wait
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Feb 23, 2005
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Mark B
Bought a new laptop a few days ago.
Spent HOURS getting software loaded on it from the old one.
First couple of days no issues.
The last thing I loaded an older version of Word and Excel on it.
About two hours later it shut down for no reason, I was typing and it just shut down.
By the idiot lights, it just shows power light on, like it is in sleep or hibernate.
Both of those are set to never.
I restarted it. Ran fine for another couple of hours of use then did the same thing again, out of the blue, no warning at all, just shut down.
Not sure if this is a Vista problem or a "laptop/hardware" problem.
Before I call someone I can't understand (tech support) was just looking for any ideas or suggestions.

If I hadn't already spent all the time putting my files and programs on it I would probably just take it back right away. But would like to "try" and save it if I can.

Laptop Brand = Toshiba
Model = Satellite P205D
Processor = AMD Dual Core 2.0
Ram = 2 Gig
Operating System = Vista (with all updates as of yesterday)

Thanks

Mark B
 
Mark:

While it could well be vista, I haven't had this problem. What version of Word Excel did you use (?).

Also were you using the same program both times?

Finally, did you try "clicking" the power button once to see if the system "un-hibernated". Also, what are your power management settings?

~ Christopher
 
jwriteclub said:
Mark:

While it could well be vista, I haven't had this problem. What version of Word Excel did you use (?).

Also were you using the same program both times?

Finally, did you try "clicking" the power button once to see if the system "un-hibernated". Also, what are your power management settings?

~ Christopher
Click to expand...

Work/Excel is 97

Both time I had multiple Firefox windows open and was at my usual place, chat here.
Yes, tried the power button once, didn't respond.
Had to "hold" it for xxx seconds to completely shut it down and restart.

Power setting are 1 hour for both HD and screen. (When I have it on I am USING it, don't need them really)

Thanks again
 
Well, I have noticed that FF can be a nasty memory hog. However, I'm afraid that I cannot shed any useful info on your situation (although I use Word 2k7).

~ Christopher
 
I had a problem with a laptop overheating because the fan stopped working, it did just what you are describing....might be worth looking into.
 
Does the battery run down? Could be something simple like an under-voltage power adapter. Could also be a flaw with the battery that's causing an incorrect signal to be sent to the laptop and shutting it down. Another possibility is heat. There could be some sort of heat-related issue that kicks in when something inside heats to a certain temperature. Or it could be something as mundane as a bad capacitor, the bane of motherboards.

These problems can be tough to diagnose on laptops because it's difficult (or sometimes impossible) to look in there or to run them with the guts exposed so you can get probes in there to diagnose possible hardware problems.

It also could be software, perhaps a problem somewhere in the power-management subroutines. It's also possible, in theory, that some file that Office 97 "updated" is somehow involved, although off the top of my head I can't think of any particular file that Office 97 would install that would cause the machine to sleep or hibernate, if that's what it's doing.

Does the machine throw an error? Have you checked the Event Manager? Does it create a memory dump? All things to look at. Also, I would look at the hard drive, run a CHKSDSK, maybe rebuild the pagefile... that sort of thing. A lot of mysterious problems somehow go away with ordinary tune-up type maintenance.

You might also want to run CCleaner on it and see if there are any registry issues that show up. There are other registry tools, but CCleaner is one of the few automated ones that usually does more good than harm, in my experience. Always make a backup, though, any time you play with the registry.

If I had the machine on my bench, the first thing I would check would be the output of the power adapter, mainly because it's easy.

I would then check the Event Viewer and look for dump files to see if there were any clues in there. Then I would get on the manufacturer's Web site and see if there were any updates to the power-management software or any of the drivers for the core components of the system (chipset, bus controllers, etc.), or any BIOS updates that mention similar problems as something they address.

If there is a BIOS update, that presents a conundrum. BIOS updates can solve a multitude of problems, but there's a certain risk involved. They sometimes go bad in a very big way, so I tend to only do BIOS updates when they purport to correct a particular problem that I'm having, or to enable a particular functionality that I need.

Good luck.

Rich
 
I got in touch with a friend of mine who is Toshiba-certified, and he says this is a known issue in that and several other Toshiba models, and that they just released a BIOS update to fix it last week.

I checked the site, and indeed, there is a BIOS update dated 03 March 2008.

Whether it will fix your problem, I can't promise; and unless you are familiar with flashing a BIOS, I suggest you get a tech to do this for you, this way if it dies during the flash (not a common occurrence, but it does happen on occasion) it's on someone else's dime.

Rich
 
Last edited:
Thanks

All the help and effort is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!!!

Mark B
 
I did the upgrade a couple of hours ago. So far so good.

Mark B
 
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