Toshiba Satellite M45 Troubleshooting

The laptop is unresponsive and won't turn on after pushing the power button.

• The power button is broken. Reference the tear down guide for signs of breaking or malfunction.

• The battery is malfunctioning. Try removing the battery and plugging it into the power supply to see if it turns on.

• If it still does not turn on the problem may be in the:
  • Hard Drive
  • Memory Card(s)
  • Motherboard

Make sure your battery is locked into the laptop.

• Make sure the battery is attached properly, if not follow these steps:
  1. Disconnect the A/C power supply.
  2. Shut down the computer.
  3. Remove the battery.
  4. Connect to A/C power supply.
  5. Start the computer.
  6. Under Battery... (Control Panel, then System, then Device Driver, then Battery)
  7. Click on Battery (at the top), and then right click on all entries that say Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery, and select uninstall.
  8. Shut the computer down.
  9. Disconnect the A/C power supply.
  10. Insert the battery.
  11. Insert the A/C power supply.
  12. Start the computer.

Check to make sure the hard drive indicators (top right) show activity.

If they do:

• Look very closely at the display (screen) to see if you can see a very faint image on the screen. If you can, this would indicate a problem with the display’s back-light.

• Plug an external monitor into the VGA port (right bottom) Enable the external display (Fn+F5)
  • If an image appears, the computer is OK, and the back-light is the problem
  • If it does not, the problem may lie with the video card.

The computer is unable to connect to wifi using the wifi button on the keyboard or by enabling wifi through the settings options.

• Check the wireless router: If the router is off, plug it into a power socket. Make sure it is plugged into the modem (which also needs to be on). If both are on and the light status for both products is not green, consult your troubleshooting manuals for the router and modem.

• Connecting to Wi-Fi Network: If both products are labeled as "online" according to the online status lights. Try connecting to the Wi-Fi through the Control Panel. If any errors occur or if Wi-Fi network is not displayed you may be facing Wi-Fi card issues such as the Wi-Fi bands are not supported by your Wi-Fi card. If the Wi-Fi network pops up in the list, connect to it (password prompt may come up if one has been set).

• Once connected, open a browser on your computer (ie. Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox) and try viewing a typical website such as google.com. If it loads without problems then the problem is solved. If you are still encountering issues it can likely be resolved by setting default preferences on these devices by following product manuals.

• Make sure your ethernet adapter is enabled in Windows' Device Manager.
• Make sure the connectors in the ethernet port are intact.
• Make sure your modem is on and has an active connection.

• Make sure the phone line is not currently in use.
• Check to see that the modem card is connected correctly and completely.
  • The modem card may need to be replaced.

• Check your CD for fingerprints or scratches on the surface.

NOTE: If you attempt to clean your CD, avoid using chemical cleaners not designed for CD/DVD's, and wipe with a soft cloth from the center outward. Avoid paper towels.

• Try a different CD, preferably one that can be verified to work in a different device (CD player, DVD player).
  • If the drive still is not reading the disk, it may be a problem with the optic laser in the drive, requiring disassembly.

• Check for If you cannot find the CD drive itself in My Computer, open your systems Control Panel.
  • From there, open the icon labeled System.
  • Click the Hardware tab at the top, and then open the Device Manager
  • Check to see if the CD/DVD drive is listed. If it is, click the + sign next to the drive.
    • If there is a yellow exclamation mark next to the drive it may be defective.
• If no CD drive is visible, click the + sign next to IDE Controllers.
  • Check to see if there is a primary and secondary IDE controller.
    1. If one is not visible, it may be a problem with the system bios

The CD Drive is unable to open when the laptop has power, and you press the eject button.

• While the laptop is turned on, attempt to push in the CD Drive. If this doesn’t open then turn the laptop off and insert a straightened paper clip into the manual release hole.
• This will release the stuck CD Drive without damaging the laptop.

Feel the battery and/or bottom of laptop itself to identify where the majority of heat is coming from.

• Check to make sure that the vents on the bottom of the laptop are not blocked.
  • If they are, unblock them.
    • NOTE: Avoid operating the laptop on blankets or other soft surfaces that can easily block the vents, as they may cause the laptop to overheat.

• Turn the laptop over to check the fan port (right) to make sure that the fan is spinning.
  • If the fan is not spinning, the problem is internal.

After running the computer for an extended period of time, your computer is hot and the fan is not humming.

• Check the fans by running a resource-intensive program. The amount of power being used will activate the fans. If the fans are not making noise or visibly moving, they are likely not working..
• Check for dust. A large amount could prevent the fans from turning on. If this is the case, take a small can of compressed air and gently blow off the area surrounding the fan. Be very careful while using the compressed air, as forcing the fans to move could potentially cause damage.
• Once the fans begin to spin, test them out by running a CPU intensive program. If everything is consistent and running smoothly, the fans are likely fixed.
• If this does not fix the problem, the fans are likely damaged and require replacing.

• Check your external volume dial for being turned up (on front of laptop).
• Make sure the mute button wasn't hit.
• Make sure you haven't muted the volume in your operating system.
• Check your headphones'/speakers' volume/mute dials (if they have any).

Otherwise your speakers or audio jack might need replacing.

• Plug an audio device into the jack and GENTLY wiggle it to make sure the connection is tight.
  • NOTE: Use caution when doing this, not much force is needed and excessive force could cause more damage.

• If you can boot at all, try running Window's defragmenting software.
• If you can't boot your PC past the "Blue Screen of Death" it may be a software problem requiring professional help.

• Your computer may have one or more viruses affecting your operating system.
  • NOTE: You should update and run all anti-virus and anti-spyware programs routinely.
• If you have access to another computer, you can remove your hard drive from your machine, and attach it to an external hard drive port on the second computer. You can then scan and clean the drive through the anti-virus software of the second computer.

• If you strike a key and it does not register, check to make sure nothing is caught under the key.
  • If the key still does not function it may need to be replaced.

• If you strike a key and a different input registers, there is a problem with your keyboard and the system may need to be replaced.

The touchpad is unresponsive and you are unable to use it.

• Check to make sure the touchpad option on the laptop’s keyboard is on.
• Try using an external USB mouse to verify that you can still use a mouse with the laptop to ensure it is just a touchpad issue.
• If none of these options work, and you are unable to operate the mouse, the touchpad must be replaced.