Rebooting in circles – Laptop overheats
Name: Christopher Smith
Hi,
My computer a Toshiba Satellite A35-S159 very often over heats and
shuts off. horrible design by Toshiba engineers. fans on the bottom
to get air by the heat sink?
anyhow i usually just restart my computer.
this time however when i restarted, it went to a safety mode restart.
i choose to restart normally, which it started to do. however, it only
got to the Windows XP screen, where the little bar at the bottom
starts to show the OS loading, didnt even fully start the OS, and then
it shutdown and the blue screen of death showed up for a split second.
it then went right back to the safety restart screen and the process
keeps going in a loop. ( there is a 30 time limit set my Microsoft i
guess)
suggestions?
Thank you,
Chris
First off, what kind of surface are you using the laptop on? As I’ve pointed out in this Q&A, the machine needs to be used on a surface such as a table or something similar to allow air to circulate. Carpet, blankets, even your lap can constrict the airflow enough to make the modern processors overheat in a hurry.
The fact that it keeps rebooting on you is a safety precaution built into the BIOS to prevent damage to the hardware. When the machine is started up so soon after shutting down to overheating the processor is obviously still very hot. It’ll run for a bit until it gets over it’s safety threshold and then the machine shuts off to prevent the CPU from cooking itself.
Almost all laptops have vents on the bottom, so the design while perhaps not the best, it pretty common. (I mean, where else are they going to put the vents anyway? There’s not a lot of room on the sides of the laptop, and the keyboard just happens to be taking up the top… :) )
Ensure that nothing is clogging the vents. You may want to attempt to blow it out with some canned air, and if there’s a more substantial blockage have a professional open the machine up and clean it. The CPU’s heatsink as well as any other heatsinks in the computer very likely at this point are jam-packed full of dust bunnies and dirt.
If this is not the case, it could be a faulty battery that’s overheating the computer, or some other component that happens to be running too hot due to a defect. In this case, you’ll likely have to RMA the machine, but that tends to be a MAJOR pain in the butt, and may not be possible if the machine is more than a year old, depending on the warranty.
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I have the same computer, the problem is that the fan isnt getting circulation to cool off the motor (just like he said above) it happenes to me all the time. That’ll clear up the problem.
I have a Toshiba Satellite Pro laptop. When I turn it on, the Toshiba splash screen comes up, and then it shuts itself down. Then it turns back on….goes to the splash screen again and shuts down. Its an endless loop of startup and shutdown.
I tried the F8 key to go into Safe Mode and every other option on the screen,
nothing will work.
(my cd drive doesn’t work so I can’t use anything from that to reboot)
Try going into the BIOS initially (Usually F1, F2, DEL, or F12 during the splash screen) and see if you can see what the CPU temp is at, or if the fan is spinning. Modern motherboards will quickly shut the computer down if the CPU fan is not detected spinning much like you’re describing.
I have the same problem as that, but Its for a home pc, not a lap top.
I’ve tried everything, it seems to work fine in safe mode.
But, none of my programs work in safe mode, so hence is useless.
Is there anything else you can do to help my problem?
I’ll give my comp a good clean with the canned c02.
But if the problem should persist, what am I to do?
Hey I just wanted to add that I had the heat problem with my Compaq lap top, I had the fan go out, after replacing the fan I also made some custom feet for the bottom so I get more clearance for air to circulate, this also tilts the laptop slightly for better ergonomics use. I use a chill pad also if I am am going to use it on the floor or bed, I know that chill pads are a drag to move around with our laptop but try going without your laptop or spending time and money to repair it and you will not think that $19 investment and the hassle of using a chill pad it is that big of deal.
Hi,
One of my relatives had the same exact problem with Toshiba Satellite A75-S209, he also tried everything. From downloading a CPU Manager where he can control the temperature to the every single advice that could be found online, or advices from PC Tech’s websites.
The problem is that much needed air to your Laptop is not getting in/out at all.
Your heat sinks are most likely completely shut, when I opened his laptop I was shocked with the image, one sink was 90% shut with dust and second on all the way.
Basically, you will need to take your Toshiba apart and clean the heat sinks along with cooling fans as well, after that you will have no more overheating and your Toshiba will not shut-off by itself.
To clean your air ducks (heat sinks) you can use a Can of Compressed Air (Air Duster) that can be purchased at Wal-Mart, K-Mart or for better brand in your local Computer Store.
PLEASE NOTE THAT TOSHIBA SATELLITE DOES NOT HAVE A LID WITH ACCESS TO HEAT SINKS, YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE VERY MUCH EVERYTHING APART, SO IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, GET SOMEBODY ELSE DO THIS.
Suggestions to use vacuum in reverse to blow it out is temporarily solution, meaning that in month or so you will get the same problem all over, trust me he tried it all and nothing works.
After you done cleaing, go to your power management and set your CPU speed to quite mode, this suggesstion is from a Toshiba Tech, who explained in a weird way that PC will operate much better if fans are set on quite mode than full max speed.
DO NOT TAKE YOUR COMPUTER TO GEEK SQUAD, THEY WILL RIP YOUR WALLET OFF!
When you blow the dust out from the outside, blow it out from both directions. (I mean, blow it backwards through the fan, too.) Afterwards you MUST do a visual inspection to make sure the impeller still spins. If necessary, use tweezers to pull the dust bunnies out of the impeller and grill.
About Toshiba Satelite Laptop, I had problems with that (loop of start-restart) sometimes, and the 3 times it happened it was the Hard Drive that went to space (laughs). I tryed to format it, but it didn’t work out. So I Bought a new one, and reinstalled all. After 3 HDs, I must say that my Toshiba travels inside a confortable bag, and in my car it has even 2 pillows to not let it go bad again. Do u believe???
Finding your page on “IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL” was my salvation! After spending 3 days, updating drivers, removing crap, etc… I finally found your page. I opened the CPU, cleaned the heatsink and fan assembly (it was PLUGGED WITH DIRT) and BOOM – all was good in my world again. Thanks! PEACE.
today Aug 03 my Laptop Toshiba Satellite got the same problem, when I turn it on , only a few minute later it shutts off itself. I found that the position where CPU is very hot. I just read what you recommend such above. I ‘m trying to take it apart to see the Heat Sink.. But I have to look for the Tools, because the Screws are not Slit(-) or Cross(+) like normal…Anyway ,thank you your Tips..