Toshiba Satellite A70 and A75. Taking apart notebook.
I repair Toshiba Satellite A70 and A75 laptops almost every single day and I like to work with this model. I think that Toshiba Satellite A70/A75 is one of the easiest Toshiba laptops for disassembly. Unfortunately, this model has some issues. About 90% of all laptops we repair have one of the following problems:
- Not properly grounded top cover. The laptop will shut down or lock up when you touch it around the speaker or touchpad area. This problem could be fixed by replacing the top cover assembly.
- Overheating problem. The laptop will shut down by itself without any reason. To fix the overheating problem you have to take the laptop apart and clean up the heatsink.
- The power jack issue. The laptop will not charge the battery. The laptop LED flicker when you wiggle the power jack. To fix this problem you have to replace or resolder the DC jack on the system board.
May 21st, 2006 at 6:16 pm
I just finally reassembles my toshiba Satellite A75. I can’t get the thing to boot now. The problem appears to be the same as todd had in an earlier posting. I was just wondering if there was any resolution with that.
Nathan
May 18th, 2006 at 9:38 am
how do i remove card reader from a70 laptop.Do i have to dismantle whole computer
May 14th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
i am really scared i took my Satelite 75 to a computer shop because my laptop battery would not charge up. it would if i put it in wierd position. the store resolder my internal power point but it still didn’t work. i called toshiba service center and the first thing they said was that it will probably need a new motherboard because microchips can not be replaced on a laptop. could it be anything else i am dreading the call from the service department problem telling me to scrap it or pay as much as a new computer to have it fixed
May 13th, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Thanks for the great instructions! I fixed my Toshiba A70 DC power connector problem (a loose solder connection on the motherboard, like most people’s problem) by soldering a 4″ piece of wire from the rear of the center pin (behind the connector) to the other side of the motherboard where the lead from the center pin appears. Hopefully, this will bypass the stress point where the connection tends to fail.
I had a real hard time (90 minutes!) getting the keyboard connector strip to seat correctly. I kept ending up with one or more columns of keys dead. I finally realized the little black plastic support was not providing enough upward pressure to keep the strip in contact with the connector. I doubled over a strip of blue Scoth tape and laid it where the black support goes, then taped it down with another piece of tape. I slid everything in place, added another piece of tape over the connector strip to keep it in place, and all keys work! Hopefully this idea may help someone else.
Paul
May 13th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
CPU is in tight and locked…no bent pins. Got the heatsink firmly attached and the fans mounted. No other extras.
It still just spins the fans and shuts off, spins the fans and shuts off. Will repeat for ever I expect.
Any further ideas before I turn it into a monitor stand?
May 11th, 2006 at 10:50 am
LOL I think I know what you are talking about now. The cables ARE the wifi antenna…Ill find out when I get home from work if they are Im gonna smack myself in the head cause I sat stairing at the mobo for an hour last night trying to find a connection close to the video card for what I assumed was a monitor input.
May 11th, 2006 at 10:48 am
Hey Chris,
I think you are talking about Wi-Fi antenna cables. That’s only black and white cables with round clips I know, I haven’t seen any other cables coming from the LCD screen that looks like wi-fi antennas. These cables follow the route on the top cover and then go through the hole on the system board to the other side. You connect them on the other side of the laptop to the wireless card.
White – main and Black – aux.
May 11th, 2006 at 10:35 am
Got my A75 apart just fine. This is the second time I have had to resolder the DC plug. But this time I am having a serious problem putting it back togeather again. ON the LCD there are 2 sets of cables one goes to the inverter and is on the right side of the LDC as you look at the screen. The set of cables I am having issues with are on the left side. It is 2 seperate cables a black and a white cable with connections simular to the wifi connects. Little round clip ons. They follow a route showed very good in step 15 on CJ’s website. Now I cant figgure out where they clip back on at. Any help would be appriciated.
May 9th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Todd,
I think your laptop will not boot because it has a loose connection, something is not seated properly. Check if the CPU is seated correctly and if it is LOCKED in the socket. If you have an extra memory stick installed, try to remove it. Check connections.
May 9th, 2006 at 11:32 am
After reassembly, it powers on for second and a half, powers off and repeats. The light on the power button illuminates and the fans kick on. Any suggestions?
May 6th, 2006 at 10:05 pm
Hey Nathan,
Sorry for a late response. ProGold is a good stuff and I usually apply it on the FL inverter board connectors when I’m replacing it. I’m not sure if ProGold will help you to reduce the stress on the power jack.
May 4th, 2006 at 5:13 pm
I just recently resoldered my power jack to my motherboard on my Satellite A75. This is a pretty wimpy connection and I was thinking about using some sort of conductive lubricant to apply to the power jack to help reduce friction and thus the stress on the wimpy soldered connections. Anyone out there tried this or know of any product I can use? I have seen a product by CAIG Laboratories called ProGold contact conditioner. Has anyone had any experience with this product or have any recommendations otherwise? I am reposting since it seems to have been overlooked.
Nathan
May 3rd, 2006 at 3:03 pm
CJ2600, ignore my last message – mission accomplished. In reality changing the LCD really turned out be an easy job. If anyone is interested I can go through it step by step.
Thanks again
Richard
May 3rd, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Richard,
I guess you are talking about the FL inverter board connector. You just have to pull harder, but do not pull for the wires. Pull the connector by the edges using fingers. I noticed that in some cases this connection is very tight. Sorry, cannot help you to disconnect it over the Internet.
May 3rd, 2006 at 2:24 pm
Attn: CJ600
Well I’ve finally started on the LCD replacement and already stuck on the first step. I’ve exposed the old LCD rather easily but can’t remove the power lead from the computer to the LCD. The small two prong plastic plug seems to be wedged in so tight it won’t move and I don’t want to force things too much. Any ideas???
Richard
May 2nd, 2006 at 7:34 pm
Kathy,
Toshiba Satellite A75 has two separate connectors for left and right speakers. I think it is unlikely that you connected both cables wrong. Moreover, the connector is keyed, so there is only one way to plug in the speaker. I guess it is possible that you have damaged the volume wheel during disassembly, check if the wheel spins. Try to connect headphones into the plug on the side of the laptop and see if you can get any audio there.
May 2nd, 2006 at 3:10 pm
I have done both of those. Is it possible I connected the speaker cables wrong, or messed up the sound card on the motherboard?
April 30th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Kathy,
Also make sure that the sound is not muted in Windows you can check it in the control panel if you click on the sound and audio devices icon.
First of all make sure that the volume wheel on the right side is not all the way down.
April 30th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
I love your instructions. We repaired the ac jack and it works great. But my sound is not working after putting the notebook back together. I know we plugged the speaker cables back up, so what else could be the problem?
April 28th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
I just recently resoldered my power jack to my motherboard on my Satellite A75. This is a pretty wimpy connection and I was thinking about using some sort of conductive lubricant to apply to the power jack to help reduce friction and thus the stress on the wimpy soldered connections. Anyone out there tried this or know of any product I can use? I have seen a product by CAIG Laboratories called ProGold contact conditioner. Has anyone had any experience with this product or have any recommendations otherwise?
Nathan
April 28th, 2006 at 11:10 am
Richard,
$249 is a great price for Satellite A75 LCD screen. If you take the laptop to a Toshiba repair center they will quote you somewhere between $500 and $800 for a new screen, depending on the model of the screen needed.
April 28th, 2006 at 9:39 am
Thanks (cj2600). I’m not going to get a chance to work on it until early next week – I’ll keep in touch if I have more questions.
I spotted an online store on ebay where the lcd is $249.00 – is this the best price around?
Thanks again
Richard
April 28th, 2006 at 9:05 am
Richard,
There are only two screws on the bottom. After you remove these screws you are ready for removing the LCD mask. Put your fingers between the mask the screen and carefully release latches securing the mask. Do not use a screwdriver, only fingers.
April 28th, 2006 at 8:58 am
Can someone help with LCD replacement on the A75 S209? Are there just two small phillips head screws on the bottem of the bezel and a snap in on top or are the more than two screws???
April 27th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
Todd,
To separate the CPU from the heatsink I usually use a flat head screwdriver. You can insert the screwdriver between the CPU and the heatsink surface and slowly ROTATE the screwdriver. It is enough just barely lift up the CPU with a screwdriver to separate it from the heatsink, after that you can remove it with your fingers. Be careful with CPU pins.
April 27th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Ok. Got it apart. Any suggestions on how to remove the CPU from the heatsink. They appear to be fused.
April 26th, 2006 at 8:14 pm
This site is great. I had the problem where the laptop would not charge when the computer was running and plugged in. I followed the instructions on how to take it apart and what to solder. Problem fixed! Thanks a very much for your helpful site.
April 21st, 2006 at 7:43 pm
To clean the laptop heatsink and fans with a can of compressed air, just blow inside the openings on the bottom until the dust stop coming from the openings on the side. After that you can switch the direction and blow some air inside the openings on the side.
You can use this method to prevent laptop overheating. It will work if your heatsink is not completely clogged. If it is clogged, then most likely you will have to take it apart for cleaning.
April 20th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
hi, i have a Toshiba A75 and i was wondering how to clean my laptop computer’s fans. i know i have to get a bottle of compressed air but their is a fence-like structure in front of the fans, so i cant get to the fans.
Please Help Me…
April 17th, 2006 at 7:54 pm
Hey Trisht,
Even though the system board was replaced, I think you still have a problem with the power jack on the system board. It is a know issue with Toshiba Satellite M35X, A70 and A75 laptops. To fix the problem you have to resolder the power jack on the system board .