Laptop shuts down.

[Metspitzer]

I have a friend that replaced her power supply with another PS that is
supposed to be the exact speck. The PS came from Walmart. It worked
for a few weeks before her problems started and it may still be
working. I only mentioned it because it is newish. The charge
indicates that the battery level is full so it may be working fine.

According to her, she can be using the computer for a while and it
just turns off. Also, she says that when she shuts the lid and leaves
the computer for a while, opening it will not turn it back on.

When either of these two things happen she has to push the power on
button to get it to come on again. When that happens, she gets the
screen that says......... start Windows in safe mode or normally.

Suggestions please?

The computer is a Toshiba laptop.

 

[Auric__]

The PS came from Walmart.

There's your problem.

 

[BobbyM]

I have a friend that replaced her power supply with another PS that is
supposed to be the exact speck. The PS came from Walmart. It worked
for a few weeks before her problems started and it may still be
working. I only mentioned it because it is newish. The charge
indicates that the battery level is full so it may be working fine.

According to her, she can be using the computer for a while and it
just turns off. Also, she says that when she shuts the lid and leaves
the computer for a while, opening it will not turn it back on.

When either of these two things happen she has to push the power on
button to get it to come on again. When that happens, she gets the
screen that says......... start Windows in safe mode or normally.

Suggestions please?

The computer is a Toshiba laptop.

It's probably not the power supply; if that was the cause it should
still keep functioning on battery power. Try running it solely on
battery supply & see if it still shuts down. Why did she replace the
power supply?

Could be a faulty CPU fan causing it to overheat or some other issue
with the motherboard.

 

[Nil]

The computer is a Toshiba laptop.

I think that may be your problem. You don't say what model it is, but
it sounds just like the symptoms my old Toshiba had. At first it was
shutting down just occasionally, but it steadily worse over time.

I discovered after some research that this was a common problem with
Toshibas of that era. It was due to a design flaw that placed an IC on
the main board in such a place that it would eventually be cooked to
death. It may be fixable if you have the specialized equipment to
unsolder and resolder the IC from the board, but not with conventional
tools. I eventually scrapped the laptop.

 

[Paul]

I have a friend that replaced her power supply with another PS that is
supposed to be the exact speck. The PS came from Walmart. It worked
for a few weeks before her problems started and it may still be
working. I only mentioned it because it is newish. The charge
indicates that the battery level is full so it may be working fine.

According to her, she can be using the computer for a while and it
just turns off. Also, she says that when she shuts the lid and leaves
the computer for a while, opening it will not turn it back on.

When either of these two things happen she has to push the power on
button to get it to come on again. When that happens, she gets the
screen that says......... start Windows in safe mode or normally.

Suggestions please?

The computer is a Toshiba laptop.

"exact speck" ?

Obviously not :-(

Note that, some "generic" adapter makers, cover all laptop voltage needs,
with just two adapter designs (i.e. just two possible voltage values
covers everything). And there's a possibility they'll
even cover a particular laptop, without staying within the +/- 0.5V
operating range on voltage. (That is a typical allowed tolerance
on voltage.)

You can check the voltage coming from the adapter, with some
care. And then, look up what the laptop is expecting. And
see if the design of the generic, is "centered" on the requirements
or not.

I don't have all the documentation to pass judgment on these
things, so this is speculation on my part, using what
I've been able to learn. It is possible to design power
circuits, with a very loose tolerance on voltage. The
practice of setting the tolerance that tightly, is
done to save money (shave off cost) on the design
of the laptop motherboard. If they added another stage
of switching regulator for example, they could have a wide
operating range like all the way from 10V to 19.5V. But
instead, they expect the adapter to operate on a
tight tolerance (within half a volt of the nominal value).

And that's where the generic replacements sometimes fall down - they're
not a close enough replacement in terms of output voltage.

Paul

 

[Metspitzer]

It's probably not the power supply; if that was the cause it should
still keep functioning on battery power. Try running it solely on
battery supply & see if it still shuts down. Why did she replace the
power supply?

She replaced the PS because she dropped the computer on the power
supply connector and the end of the connector to the laptop broke. The
very tip of the connector was plastic and came off inside the socket.

Could be a faulty CPU fan causing it to overheat or some other issue
with the motherboard.

Thanks

 

[Metspitzer]

"exact speck" ?

Obviously not :-(

Obviously your definition of "exact" and mine are different.
It has the same voltage and ampere rating.

Note that, some "generic" adapter makers, cover all laptop voltage needs,
with just two adapter designs (i.e. just two possible voltage values
covers everything). And there's a possibility they'll
even cover a particular laptop, without staying within the +/- 0.5V
operating range on voltage. (That is a typical allowed tolerance
on voltage.)

You can check the voltage coming from the adapter, with some
care. And then, look up what the laptop is expecting. And
see if the design of the generic, is "centered" on the requirements
or not.

I will check.

I don't have all the documentation to pass judgment on these
things, so this is speculation on my part, using what
I've been able to learn. It is possible to design power
circuits, with a very loose tolerance on voltage. The
practice of setting the tolerance that tightly, is
done to save money (shave off cost) on the design
of the laptop motherboard. If they added another stage
of switching regulator for example, they could have a wide
operating range like all the way from 10V to 19.5V. But
instead, they expect the adapter to operate on a
tight tolerance (within half a volt of the nominal value).

And that's where the generic replacements sometimes fall down - they're
not a close enough replacement in terms of output voltage.

Paul

Thanks

 

[John Williamson]

She replaced the PS because she dropped the computer on the power
supply connector and the end of the connector to the laptop broke. The
very tip of the connector was plastic and came off inside the socket.

It could be that the joint between the power input and the mother borard
was also damaged. Open the unit and check with a good magnifying glass
that the solder isn't cracked and the tracks aren't damaged, or just
re-solder it anyway.

 

[Paul]

Obviously your definition of "exact" and mine are different.
It has the same voltage and ampere rating.

I will check.


Thanks

If the jack is broken on the motherboard, that's not going to
help matters. A cracked PCB can go open circuit on occasion,
which is only a problem if the laptop is run without the battery
present.

Some laptops, the internal power jack is on a removable PCB. A
subassembly. The manufacturer does that, to make repair easier.
In that case, if the PCB under the jack is broken, you buy a
new subassembly. This is a pretty weird looking example, and I've seen
some that don't have a cable on the end. Just a connector where
the subassembly plugs into the main motherboard.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/impactcomputersmiami_2255_4652315710

On older motherboards, the jack is soldered to the main PCB. And
then, you're in for a real repair job with soldering iron, and
potentially epoxy to strengthen anything which still isn't strong
enough. The alternative in that case, if you get it repaired locally,
is they replace the whole motherboard.

http://www.laptoprepair101.com/wp-images/dc-jack-repair/2-power-jack-top.jpg
http://www.laptoprepair101.com/wp-images/dc-jack-repair/3-power-jack-bottom.jpg

A laptop can shut off at any time, if there's circuitry inside
protected against overheating. And something is overheating. If
the adapter is actually out of spec (higher voltage than the
laptop normally uses), that might translate into something
heating up more than usual.

The adapter itself is also protected against overheating. And,
against a gross overcurrent situation (like a dead short). If
the adapter has a LED on the exterior, indicating operating
status, that might give a hint the adapter is not happy.
The LED going off, means the adapter shut down to protect itself.

Paul

 

[JFG]

I have a friend that replaced her power supply with another PS that is
supposed to be the exact speck. The PS came from Walmart. It worked
for a few weeks before her problems started and it may still be
working. I only mentioned it because it is newish. The charge
indicates that the battery level is full so it may be working fine.

According to her, she can be using the computer for a while and it
just turns off. Also, she says that when she shuts the lid and leaves
the computer for a while, opening it will not turn it back on.

When either of these two things happen she has to push the power on
button to get it to come on again. When that happens, she gets the
screen that says......... start Windows in safe mode or normally.

Suggestions please?

The computer is a Toshiba laptop.

I thought I might add to this discussion. While all of the posts suggest
possible issues with the laptop, I think overheating is the likely cause. I
would ask her how she uses the laptop. If she places it on her lap (hey,
it's a laptop, right?) she may be blocking the air intake and causing the
overheating. Likewise, if she leaves the laptop on a soft surface while not
in use- like say a chair or sofa or carpet- it may overheat there as well
and then turn itself off. The solution would be to use a usb cooling pad or
even just a hard surface like a book to allow proper airflow. HTH

 

[Metspitzer]

I thought I might add to this discussion. While all of the posts suggest
possible issues with the laptop, I think overheating is the likely cause. I
would ask her how she uses the laptop. If she places it on her lap (hey,
it's a laptop, right?) she may be blocking the air intake and causing the
overheating. Likewise, if she leaves the laptop on a soft surface while not
in use- like say a chair or sofa or carpet- it may overheat there as well
and then turn itself off. The solution would be to use a usb cooling pad or
even just a hard surface like a book to allow proper airflow. HTH

Good suggestion. I think she does leave it laying on the bed. The
thing is that she has not changed any of her habits. I am afraid the
drop (slid off bed) or the new power supply is the most likely cause
even though she said the problem did not start happening until weeks
after getting the new PS.

 

[Ken Blake]

She replaced the PS because she dropped the computer on the power
supply connector and the end of the connector to the laptop broke. The
very tip of the connector was plastic and came off inside the socket.

Then it's very likely that more than the power supply was damaged.
There's probably a connection somewhere that separates when the
computer heats up.

One of the biggest disadvantages of a laptop is that it's easy to drop
and if it gets dropped, it gets badly damaged--often badly enough that
the cheapest thing to do is replace it entirely. That's one of the
reasons I recommend against using a laptop as your main computer. As
far as I'm concerned, for almost everyone the only time you should use
a laptop is when traveling.

 

[Metspitzer]

Then it's very likely that more than the power supply was damaged.
There's probably a connection somewhere that separates when the
computer heats up.

One of the biggest disadvantages of a laptop is that it's easy to drop
and if it gets dropped, it gets badly damaged--often badly enough that
the cheapest thing to do is replace it entirely. That's one of the
reasons I recommend against using a laptop as your main computer. As
far as I'm concerned, for almost everyone the only time you should use
a laptop is when traveling.

I agree with that. I don't have a pad, but I bought my laptop (17")
to use in the waiting room of the hospital when I was getting a 3 hour
drip. The way the keyboard is, I have to hunt and peck to do any
typing. Also the touch pad is also very hard to control. It is also
very heavy. I don't even carry it to the hospital anymore.

I may try a pad next. (Not that the pad will hold up any better to a
drop)

BTW portable technology should be made where you can have a battery
charging and using another one. (Batteries should be a standard size)

 

[mechanic]

I may try a pad next. (Not that the pad will hold up any better to a
drop)

It's worse for typing.

 

[Ken Blake]

I agree with that. I don't have a pad, but I bought my laptop (17")
to use in the waiting room of the hospital when I was getting a 3 hour
drip. The way the keyboard is, I have to hunt and peck to do any
typing. Also the touch pad is also very hard to control. It is also
very heavy. I don't even carry it to the hospital anymore.

And my choice of a laptop is one as small and light in weight as
possible. I don't want to have to lug a 17" around with me when I
travel. I like the netbook format best of all, and since I use it for
almost nothing but e-mail, it's fine for me.

And I hate touchpads. I carry a small mouse with me when I travel.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Good suggestion. I think she does leave it laying on the bed. The
thing is that she has not changed any of her habits. I am afraid the
drop (slid off bed) or the new power supply is the most likely cause
even though she said the problem did not start happening until weeks
after getting the new PS.

I'm still voting for heat, especially after you described how she uses
it...

If it had been my laptop, I would have just replaced the plug tip, if a
new one was available. Two leads to solder...