Weird problem with laptop....

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 09:03 AM

I just did a bunch of horsetrading, wound up with a Toshiba Satellite laptop (model number A75-S211). I don't know about all the specs, was still messing around with it when this problem arose. I do know it has a P4 processor(3.2GHz, IIRC) and 512 megs of ram. It's running a legit copy of Windows XP Home. It's giving me a really weird problem...

When I start up the laptop, it posts and begins loading Windows fine. It winds up switching to using the battery (which is dead at the moment), whether it is plugged into an outlet or not. Since the battery is dead, it immediately shuts down due to lack of power. It seems as if Windows is trying to control how the battery is charging, or something like that.

Anyone ever heard of a problem like this? What could it be? While the battery was charged, I did get some use out of the computer. It runs pretty quick, booted up nicely without any issues. Could this be a problem with the PSU? I'm not a laptop guy by any means, and really don't know how the battery systems are configured. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, guys!

~Will Courtier~

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 09:06 AM

Oh, also. I just removed/reinstalled the battery, and now it will charge as long as the laptop is shut down. This is really irritating!

~Will Courtier~

Justin3 · 07-06-2008, 09:26 AM

Ok well since its charging we know the power supply isn't your problem. How long does it take for it to shut down? Is the fan working because it sounds like it may be getting too hot and kicking off.

MSP · 07-06-2008, 09:36 AM

So it charges with the laptop powered off? That's really weird. Maybe try booting to a Linux Live CD to see if the weird behavior is OS specific? One thing is for sure, the guy who traded it to you knew the damn thing was doing this when he gave it to you...

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSP

So it charges with the laptop powered off? That's really weird. Maybe try booting to a Linux Live CD to see if the weird behavior is OS specific? One thing is for sure, the guy who traded it to you knew the damn thing was doing this when he gave it to you...

Yeah, I expected problems. I only have ~$150 wrapped up in it. I was figuring that I would have to buy a few odds and ends to get it up and going again. I need to get another Linux livecd, and I'll give this a shot. I'm pretty much sure it's something OS specific. I just don't know how to get past this!

~Will Courtier~

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin3

Ok well since its charging we know the power supply isn't your problem. How long does it take for it to shut down? Is the fan working because it sounds like it may be getting too hot and kicking off.

I know it isn't a heat issue. The low battery alert in the BIOS was sounding. The small AC power light in the front of the laptop illuminates when it's plugged in, and the amber battery light does when it is charging. Both are on when the laptop is shutdown and plugged in. When it starts up, the amber light immediately goes out when Windows begins it's boot sequence. Then, whenever I unplug and plug back in the ac adapter, the amber light flashes for an instant, Windows recognizes it is on ac power, then the light goes out and it resumes on battery power. When in the BIOS, it will charge the entire time. This shit is weird!

~Will Courtier~

MSP · 07-06-2008, 10:47 AM

Here you go: Download Ubuntu | Ubuntu

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 11:05 AM

What do you think should be done in the event that it charges fine using a live-cd? Think I should do a fresh reinstall of Windows? I do have a copy of Windows Vista Home Edition that I could toss onto it. I'm just trying to avoid it, as I know the computer isn't really up to the minimum hardware requirements...

~Will Courtier~

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 11:36 AM

OK, just ran the livecd, and it has the exact same problem. Nothing different. I went out on a limb and flashed the bios with the most up to date version. Do you guys think this might be an issue with the battery itself? This shit is pissing me off!!

EDIT: The battery is now charged, and it starts up and works fine until it dies. This is some weird shit. It will run for just over an hour before the battery reaches the point of dying.

~Will Courtier~

NoPunIntended · 07-06-2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigwill51534

I know it isn't a heat issue. The low battery alert in the BIOS was sounding. The small AC power light in the front of the laptop illuminates when it's plugged in, and the amber battery light does when it is charging. Both are on when the laptop is shutdown and plugged in. When it starts up, the amber light immediately goes out when Windows begins it's boot sequence. Then, whenever I unplug and plug back in the ac adapter, the amber light flashes for an instant, Windows recognizes it is on ac power, then the light goes out and it resumes on battery power. When in the BIOS, it will charge the entire time. This shit is weird!

~Will Courtier~

So the battery will not charge when the laptop is on running Windows or Ubuntu? Sounds like you might need a replacement battery. Is there anyway you can contact the previous owner and just tell him you don't want a refund, but ask him/her how long this issue has been around for?

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoPunIntended

So the battery will not charge when the laptop is on running Windows or Ubuntu? Sounds like you might need a replacement battery. Is there anyway you can contact the previous owner and just tell him you don't want a refund, but ask him/her how long this issue has been around for?

Exactly. No charging when the computer is running any OS at all.

I just e-mailed him, waiting on a response now. I asked him how long this has been a problem, and if he has ever had it diagnosed at all. I guess we'll see what he says!

~Will Courtier~

Justin3 · 07-06-2008, 02:37 PM

I don't think the battery is an issue if its charging unless theres some kind of short in it somewhere. I would suspect the charger being the problem, maybe it doesn't like powering the laptop and charging the battery at the same time? This is a new one on me.

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 03:06 PM

I just completely recharged the battery, and it started off doing the exact same thing when it opened Windows. Then, I unplugged and plugged back in the power cord. Seems to be working now. This is juts blowing me away... I've never seen or heard of anything like it. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't just me.

The laptop seems to work flawless, now. It has some damage to the case (front right-hand corner has a 1" long chip of plastic missing, latch doesn't work, numerous scrapes and scratches) but it does have a good screen, a 75gb hard drive, 512megs of ram, wireless, and a DVD-Rom. I dunno what it has for video, but I'm sure it's nothing too great. I just figured it might be a good choice for a cheap underway laptop to mess around with.

EDIT: I guess it has a Radeon 9000 Mobility for video. Not too terribly shabby...

~Will Courtier~

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 03:27 PM

OK, it's back to doing the same thing again... Seems like it could be a problem when the laptop is thoroughly heated up. Anyone ever replaced a PSU in a laptop? Are they able to be replaced?

I've looked up a battery, I can get one for about $75 from eBay. Just would be angry if that didn't fix the problem.

~Will Courtier~

Phant0m51 · 07-06-2008, 04:57 PM

the PSU on a laptop is usually the power brick/AC adapter that plugs into the wall. It sounds like an issue with the AC adapter. Is the green LED on all the time? Or does it flicker on/off when the computer switches between battery/plugged-in?

MSP · 07-06-2008, 05:28 PM

It could be the battery, or the charge controller on the motherboard. Either way you're looking at a hardware problem that's going to cost at least 100 bucks to fix and that guy fucked you. A laptop that won't run on battery is a desktop, and that one isn't even worth the $150 you paid.

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phant0m51

the PSU on a laptop is usually the power brick/AC adapter that plugs into the wall. It sounds like an issue with the AC adapter. Is the green LED on all the time? Or does it flicker on/off when the computer switches between battery/plugged-in?

There is no light on the wall adapter. I guess I could spring and buy another. They are fairly cheap through eBay. It seems to only be a problem when the computer is warmed up, running in the operating system (maybe increased demand on the HD/Video is causing it to overload and drop?).

That's a really good diagnosis. I'll have to look into it a little deeper. If it's a capacitor that has gone bad in the adapter, it could dump at higher loads and drop voltage... This would give the indication on the laptop that the AC adapter is plugged in, but that it isn't providing enough voltage/amperage to charge.

Thanks, man!

~Will Courtier~

bigwill51534 · 07-06-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSP

It could be the battery, or the charge controller on the motherboard. Either way you're looking at a hardware problem that's going to cost at least 100 bucks to fix and that guy fucked you. A laptop that won't run on battery is a desktop, and that one isn't even worth the $150 you paid.

It doesn't look to be worth that much, in the end... I just wanted to get something out of an old R/C car that I have had for a while, which I traded him for the laptop. I think I might have been screwed over, but we shall have to see. I've seen this specific model of laptop running for $175 on eBay, and I could sell it for more to someone on the boat needing a cheap laptop. I might still be able to come out above water on the deal.

~Will Courtier~

MSP · 07-06-2008, 05:58 PM

They're going for $175 on eBay working. With a power supply / battery problem it's worth much, much less. I'd beat that guy's ass.

EDIT: That said, you could try switching the battery but it's ultimately going to be the motherboard. We know the battery works because it will charge powered off, and we know the charger works for the same reason. It's the motherboard.

Phant0m51 · 07-06-2008, 08:42 PM

Take the battery out and just try to run the laptop without it in there. If it does, then the problem is more pointing towards the AC adapter, because without the battery in there, there's nothing to 'switch' to.

But MSP is on to something with the motherboard. You could be looking at a bad mobo, and you'll be royally fucked.

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07-06-2008, 09:26 AM	permalink #3
Justin3 Balls of Steel Sep 2005 Last Seen: 10-03-2008 Location: Shelton, CT Posts: 456 (#124) Thanked 0x in 0 posts x1	Ok well since its charging we know the power supply isn't your problem. How long does it take for it to shut down? Is the fan working because it sounds like it may be getting too hot and kicking off.
	I was a Dragon force fan before Guitar Hero..

07-06-2008, 11:36 AM	permalink #9
bigwill51534 Saint, Church of Ryanism Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 1,958 (#49) Thanked 4x in 4 posts x123	OK, just ran the livecd, and it has the exact same problem. Nothing different. I went out on a limb and flashed the bios with the most up to date version. Do you guys think this might be an issue with the battery itself? This shit is pissing me off!! EDIT: The battery is now charged, and it starts up and works fine until it dies. This is some weird shit. It will run for just over an hour before the battery reaches the point of dying. ~Will Courtier~ Last edited by bigwill51534; 07-06-2008 at 12:52 PM.

07-06-2008, 03:06 PM	permalink #13
bigwill51534 Saint, Church of Ryanism Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 1,958 (#49) Thanked 4x in 4 posts x123	I just completely recharged the battery, and it started off doing the exact same thing when it opened Windows. Then, I unplugged and plugged back in the power cord. Seems to be working now. This is juts blowing me away... I've never seen or heard of anything like it. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't just me. The laptop seems to work flawless, now. It has some damage to the case (front right-hand corner has a 1" long chip of plastic missing, latch doesn't work, numerous scrapes and scratches) but it does have a good screen, a 75gb hard drive, 512megs of ram, wireless, and a DVD-Rom. I dunno what it has for video, but I'm sure it's nothing too great. I just figured it might be a good choice for a cheap underway laptop to mess around with. EDIT: I guess it has a Radeon 9000 Mobility for video. Not too terribly shabby... ~Will Courtier~ Last edited by bigwill51534; 07-06-2008 at 03:08 PM.

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07-06-2008, 09:06 AM	permalink #2
bigwill51534 Saint, Church of Ryanism Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 1,958 (#49) Thanked 4x in 4 posts x123	Oh, also. I just removed/reinstalled the battery, and now it will charge as long as the laptop is shut down. This is really irritating! ~Will Courtier~

07-06-2008, 09:36 AM	permalink #4
MSP Globe Trekker Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Posts: 17,056 (#1) Thanked 7x in 7 posts x92	So it charges with the laptop powered off? That's really weird. Maybe try booting to a Linux Live CD to see if the weird behavior is OS specific? One thing is for sure, the guy who traded it to you knew the damn thing was doing this when he gave it to you...

07-06-2008, 10:47 AM	permalink #7
MSP Globe Trekker Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Posts: 17,056 (#1) Thanked 7x in 7 posts x92	Here you go: Download Ubuntu \| Ubuntu

07-06-2008, 11:05 AM	permalink #8
bigwill51534 Saint, Church of Ryanism Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 1,958 (#49) Thanked 4x in 4 posts x123	What do you think should be done in the event that it charges fine using a live-cd? Think I should do a fresh reinstall of Windows? I do have a copy of Windows Vista Home Edition that I could toss onto it. I'm just trying to avoid it, as I know the computer isn't really up to the minimum hardware requirements... ~Will Courtier~

07-06-2008, 02:37 PM	permalink #12
Justin3 Balls of Steel Sep 2005 Last Seen: 10-03-2008 Location: Shelton, CT Posts: 456 (#124) Thanked 0x in 0 posts x1	I don't think the battery is an issue if its charging unless theres some kind of short in it somewhere. I would suspect the charger being the problem, maybe it doesn't like powering the laptop and charging the battery at the same time? This is a new one on me.

07-06-2008, 03:27 PM	permalink #14
bigwill51534 Saint, Church of Ryanism Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 1,958 (#49) Thanked 4x in 4 posts x123	OK, it's back to doing the same thing again... Seems like it could be a problem when the laptop is thoroughly heated up. Anyone ever replaced a PSU in a laptop? Are they able to be replaced? I've looked up a battery, I can get one for about $75 from eBay. Just would be angry if that didn't fix the problem. ~Will Courtier~

07-06-2008, 04:57 PM	permalink #15
Phant0m51 From Utah, NOT mormon Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Location: Utah, USA Posts: 1,177 (#80) Thanked 1x in one post x18	the PSU on a laptop is usually the power brick/AC adapter that plugs into the wall. It sounds like an issue with the AC adapter. Is the green LED on all the time? Or does it flicker on/off when the computer switches between battery/plugged-in?
	"We both got fucked over on that part and not in the rememberable go brag to your friends way, no, no, this is the you cry tears and try to pretend you are someplace else sodomy type." -Joe "Women are odd like that... one day they confess to love you, the next day you wake up to a beep beep beep sound of a garbage truck backing up and picking up the garbage can she put you in." - Joe

07-06-2008, 05:28 PM	permalink #16
MSP Globe Trekker Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Posts: 17,056 (#1) Thanked 7x in 7 posts x92	It could be the battery, or the charge controller on the motherboard. Either way you're looking at a hardware problem that's going to cost at least 100 bucks to fix and that guy fucked you. A laptop that won't run on battery is a desktop, and that one isn't even worth the $150 you paid.

07-06-2008, 05:58 PM	permalink #19
MSP Globe Trekker Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Posts: 17,056 (#1) Thanked 7x in 7 posts x92	They're going for $175 on eBay working. With a power supply / battery problem it's worth much, much less. I'd beat that guy's ass. EDIT: That said, you could try switching the battery but it's ultimately going to be the motherboard. We know the battery works because it will charge powered off, and we know the charger works for the same reason. It's the motherboard. Last edited by MSP; 07-06-2008 at 06:10 PM.

07-06-2008, 08:42 PM	permalink #20
Phant0m51 From Utah, NOT mormon Jan 2005 Last Seen: Today Location: Utah, USA Posts: 1,177 (#80) Thanked 1x in one post x18	Take the battery out and just try to run the laptop without it in there. If it does, then the problem is more pointing towards the AC adapter, because without the battery in there, there's nothing to 'switch' to. But MSP is on to something with the motherboard. You could be looking at a bad mobo, and you'll be royally fucked.

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