Solved! Toshiba laptop won't boot

[Maria_78]

Hi, i have a Toshiba laptop that will not boot up. The first three lights come on, mains power, laptop power and battery charging, you can hear the cd/dvd tray engage but nothing after that. Screen is black. I have removed and replaced both the ram and hard drive, thinking it may be a memory or connection problem with the disk, but still nothing. Whilst detached i have tried the hard drive in an external caddy and it reads, so i can presume it's spinning and not the problem??? Would be grateful of any advise before i pull my hair out. Many thanks, Maria

 

[webworkings]

If you actually hear internal sounds, it may well be starting and just not showing on the display.

Try this...

1. Turn the laptop off (not sleep or hibernate but off).
2. Connect an external monitor to the laptop.
3. Turn on the external monitor.
4. Turn on the laptop.

NOTE: You may have to press an "external monitor" button. Could be the f4 button or a button with two monitors on it, for the external monitor to work.

If you can see fine on the external monitor, then your attached display, or the ribbon cable that connects it, are your problem.

If you can't see on the external monitor at all, or the problem occurs on the external monitor as well, then it is probably the graphics card/GPU that is the problem, which may require the motherboard be replaced.

 

[Maria_78]

If you actually hear internal sounds, it may well be starting and just not showing on the display.

Try this...

1. Turn the laptop off (not sleep or hibernate but off).
2. Connect an external monitor to the laptop.
3. Turn on the external monitor.
4. Turn on the laptop.

NOTE: You may have to press an "external monitor" button. Could be the f4 button or a button with two monitors on it, for the external monitor to work.

If you can see fine on the external monitor, then your attached display, or the ribbon cable that connects it, are your problem.

If you can't see on the external monitor at all, or the problem occurs on the external monitor as well, then it is probably the graphics card/GPU that is the problem, which may require the motherboard be replaced.

 

[Maria_78]

Thank you for your time and advise. I will try that, but it'll be days before i have access to a monitor sadly. Last Wed night/Thurs morning i shut down the laptop properly from the start menu, but lost patience waiting for it complete, and i closed the lid down before it had finished (stupid, because i do know better, i was just knackered)...and now wonder if it was performing a Windows update download or install, as that is usually when it happens and wonder too if i have corrupted the O/S. I hear no musical sounds on boot, just the mechanical sound of the tray. I am d/lg an iso of W7 as i type, to burn as a recovery/repair or re-installation disc, as i have none. Obviously with no display i cannot get into the bios to change the boot menu, so am not sure that'll work, but seeing as the disc tray seems to sound functional i thought i'd give it a go, wondering if the display drivers had been corrupted?? and maybe if it's just the O/S that is corrupt that that is maybe why it still reads as an external drive once put in a caddy?? Tried with and without battery, and fully discharged by repeatedly pressing power button but made no difference. I'm not great with pc repair and know very little, but keen to learn. I have found the key you refer to, it's F5 on mine, cheers for that. Is it very difficult to fit a motherboard, or graphics card?...as i do fear that you're right and it is one of those two options. Could it be a processor problem, would that stop it booting up, or would nothing engage if it were the chip, not even the tray?? Sorry to bombard you with questions, just i feel like crying at the moment as all my 45K music files are on there :-( Kind regards and much gratitude, Maria

 

[webworkings]

I think you are over thinking this at the moment. Wait until you can test it with the external monitor and that will give you a much better picture.