Posted on 09/29/2010 9:06:48 PM PDT by hsmomx3
Her computer randomly shut down and she cannot turn it back on. Her battery was running low and she started charging it and everything was plugged in. She tried turning it on several times and nothing. What could it be?
She could have a virus sent internally by a fellow classmate whose pc is infected too via shared files.
Of course when the adapter connection randomly connects/disconnects....there is a "beep" tone, and the screen either lightens up(connected) or darkens(disconnected).
*sigh*
we ignore me at your peril.
She is surrounded by capable technicians. The problem will work itself out, without you.
giggled=jiggled(bedtime)
You may need to advise her to stop covering the air vent holes when it is running. And not to abuse the power cord connector.
Modern Apple MacBooks do not have removable batteries. Hold the Powerbutton for ten seconds... and then follow these steps:
Note: Portable computers that have a battery you should not remove on your own include MacBook Pro (Early 2009) and later, all models of MacBook Air, and MacBook (Late 2009).
Shut down the computer.
Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
Press the power button to turn on the computer. Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter does not change states or temporarily turn-off when you reset the SMC.
Done.
Put in a plastic bag and put in a frig for 5 minutes (not freezer). My daughters laptop overheats and some friends told her to do this and it seemed to work.
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A cooling pad under a laptop is a must...about 17 bucks at BestBuy.
Just make sure it blows air in the right direction. I bought one of those pads which took air from its top (computer bottom) and blew it out the side. The problem was my notebook took in air from the bottom and blew it out its sides. Thus the cooling pad was stealing air from the computer and the computer heated up even faster.
One other thing I didn't see was to borrow a friend's monitor and hook it to the laptop's video output (if it has the right connection). The backlight/screen is the most fragile part of the laptop and it might just be the video not working.
Does the hard disk light flicker while it is trying to start up? If so, let it run that way for a while and then see if the Caps Lock key works. If it does, then the computer is working but the screen isn't. Another check is to get a very bright flashlight and shine it on the screen during bootup to see if you can see anything happening on the screen, which you couldn't see if the backlight is broken.
Oops. Post 28 was meant for you.
Cheers!
First, when you plug in the power cord there will be an indicator light on the computer illuminated. This then tells you the power cord is NOT the problem as the light is saying it is getting wall power
On many laptops if the batter is completely discharged or defective they will not start up. Try leaving the wall plug in to the computer and remove the battery and see if it will power up. If so she needs to either try letting it charge overnight and try again. If this does not work get another one and maybe a spare as well. She can of course run in this configuration as long as she can plug in to a wall plug.
As to all of the comments on overheating if you let it be powered off for 2 hrs or so (depends on room temperature) the thermal protection in the unit will reset and it will start up. There are micro fans on the edge and or bottom of the computer, make sure they are not clogged with dust which can happen more frequently in carpeted or other high dust/lint areas. Also, get one of the new devices on the market that lifts the unit up approx 1/2 inch or so and may even have a fan, it fits under the laptop and helps keep the indie parts cool
I she has it plugged in and sees no no light on the unit then try moving the power plug gently to see if the indicator light comes on. If it does she should take it to an authorized repair location and have them check the pins on the motherboard where the connector plugs in, they may be bent and need only be straightened
I own a toshiba. The fans are a weak link on them.
Wait a half an hour. Try to boot it up.
If it boots up, and then quits after about 5-10 minutes, you’ve got a heat problem, likely the fan is out.
If it’s not charging, the problem is with the laptop jack. Toshiba is cheap with the jack and it’s really easy to have a bent/broken jack.
Grey whiskers; why would you want to hijack this ladies thread about fixing her daughters computer with an attempt to start a flame war? You are well aware Jim has asked that to stop.
Thanks for the info. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford a new MacBook (big sigh).
Hi driftdiver. I'm virtually certain that grey_whiskers' silly comment was meant humorously, satirically if you will; not as a serious attempt to hijack the thread. But lest your (and now my) comments start a meta-flamewar, I'll consider this reply the end of the exchange. Of course, you are welcome to disagree with my assessment of grey_whiskers' intent, but neither of us has enough information to argue meaningfully about it. :)
Meanwhile, hsmomx3, given that it's a Toshiba Satellite, my guess is that it's either a problem with the AC power adapter (battery ran down and adapter isn't working), or the power management hardware in the laptop is hung or busted. In either case you'll need a working AC adapter to make any progress, so my first advice is to get the adapter checked out and replaced if necessary.
THIS is the right answer. My GM has a Toshiba and it constantly overheats and just shuts down. My Dells and HPs I've had never do that...
Of course, she also runs a ton of stuff constantly, including Kapersky Virus Scanner (the worst possible option) which pegs the CPU all the time.
So open the task manager, sort processes by CPU usage, and start working there. REMOVE any 3rd party virus scanner and install Microsoft Security Essentials instead. It's extremely good and barely uses the CPU as well - VERY resource light.
That was the biggest improvement in performance for my GM; once we got rid of that Kapersky crap, 90% of her overheating issues went away. Now it only has a problem if we're out on a factory floor in Southern China, where the air temp may be 100+ deg F to begin.
Thanks for your advice/opinions.
She charged it overnight and this morning it worked just fine. Sounds like she ran the battery way down.....
Does her college have a computer lab? My son used to go to those guys for his computer problems when he was in college. They know so much it was scarey!!
Great! Note that some cell phones can be “run down too far” as well, so that they cannot boot up so they cannot control charging. LIon batteries can be run down too far, but they do rebound if you let them sit for 12-24 hours, so that you can often power them right back up.
Either way, make sure she’s not running some 3rd party virus scanner, but is using MSE - it’s a great tool and very light on the CPU and memory use.
I haven't been an active participant in the computer religious flamewars, since everyone knows the only computer and language worth persuing on this earth are Cray / Fortran.
Cheers!
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