Toshiba Satellite L300-149 Booting Loop

[lee2k]

Hey there everybody,

I dug out my old Toshiba Satellite L300-149 to see if I could bring it back to life. (Vista, DDR 2 2GB Ram,Sata 120GB HDD, Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor T2370) Runs off the AC fine as the battery is dead.

The issue is that each time it boots showing the vista loading bar it reboots after that and sometimes it will show messed up graphics where the loading bar is.

I have tested the RAM with Memtest+, Passed. Cleaned out system fan which was very clogged with dust and put fresh thermal paste on the GPU and CPU as the old stuff was hard and crusty. Next I changed the HDD for a new one and tried to install a fresh copy of windows Vista on it but it got as far as the copy files screen and then restarted and boot looping again.

Cant boot into safe mode, again it just boot loops. I have swapped the RAM around and re-seated it gives the same issue, even taken out the CD drive and the Wifi module to see it was that but no.

What it will do is boot from Hirens Live CD but not from a windows recovery disc or vista install disc. I can use Hirens CD and will boot into XP mini and can and have used the tools but nothing seems to work, I'm thinking it maybe a hardware issue I don't know.

I thought I would try to get this working again but my knowledge is limited to what to try next.

Any new suggestions on what I could try?

Thank you in advance.

Lee2k

[Britec]

So you are saying you have messed up graphics on boot screen? what like colour lines, colours flickering? is it still doing this after you replace compound? 

[lee2k]

(08-18-2016, 10:58 AM)Britec Wrote:  So you are saying you have messed up graphics on boot screen? what like colour lines, colours flickering? is it still doing this after you replace compound? 

Different colors green, yellow, red and there is some flickering on the windows vista loading bar which is broken up image and it still did this after replacing compound.

[Timster]

Try removing the battery and attempt to install Windows. I have seen bad batteries cause dirty power issues corrupting writes to the hard drive in older laptops.

[lee2k]

(08-18-2016, 01:45 PM)Timster Wrote:  Try removing the battery and attempt to install Windows. I have seen bad batteries cause dirty power issues corrupting writes to the hard drive in older laptops.

Hi Timster,

Yeah just tried that and still not joy

Thanks

[lee2k]

Update:

Can't in anyway install any copy of Windows, I've tried it freezes on the copy files screen and shuts down.
Also swapped RAM and re-seated it into the 2 available slots and no battery just running on AC.

Have made some progress though, It will let me fresh install Unbuntu Kylin OS (even its unstable) onto the hard disk and I can get to the desktop but only for a minute or so before it freezes and the CAPS lock LED flashes consent, but when I restart the system it tells me that there is no hard drive present or no OS present depending on how many restarts I do.

Going to try the live version of Unbuntu Kylin see if it is stable.


Lee2k

[Britec]

Flickering could be a number of things

• Could be the wires near the hinge, wiggle them and see if it flickers
• Inverters can be troublesome some times
• Loose connection to laptop screen
• Colours could be Graphics issue
• For windows not installing corrupt windows media? 
• Hard Drive test OK?
  

That will get you started

[Timster]

It does not sound to promising to me.

[lee2k]

Hey everyone,

Finally fixed the issue I was having, so the what I did: first I replaced the RAM with new (wasn't that) replaced DVD Drive with known working one and a new HDD (wasn't that) checked CPU and GPU for signs it needed re-balling (wasn't that) New compound on GPU and CPU (wasn't that) tried installing fresh copy of windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 even tried XP (wouldn't install any of them just would cut off and reboot on the install screens.

Now I was at my wits end when I decided to install Unbuntu Kylin, that didn't install either but what I did get was a error message (PCI 000:02:00.0: Unsupported PM cap regs version (7) now I knew that the version of Unbuntu I was using did not support WIFI. So I thought I'd check the WIFI card, so I took it out and tried again installing a OS.

Here's the strange bit, Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 still did not install.

XP did work and it installed without a glitch. So I would put it down to the WIFI card that was faulty and was stopping me installing a OS on my machine IDK but it's working fine with no problems for 24 hours of continuous use without over heating.

[SOLVED]

Thank you to all that helped me with advice and hope the experience that I had helps someone else .


Lee2k

[Double clutch]

Thank you for posting the problem and then actually coming back and telling how you fixed your problem. It was very interesting to me. I was thinking maybe mother board, I'm glad it wasn't.