Toshiba Satellite M35X. How to fix most common laptop problems.
Toshiba Satellite M35X is a very popular model in the United States. In general, most Toshiba Satellite M35X laptops suffer from the same problems. Here’s a disassembly guide.
Improperly grounded top cover assembly. If the top cover assembly wasn’t grounded properly, then laptop may lock up or freeze up when you touch it in the speaker area. It happens because of a static electricity discharge. This problem was fixed on some laptops, but still there are a lot of laptops with unmodified top cover assembly. This problem should be covered under warranty even if you laptop is not under warranty anymore.
Poorly designed DC-IN power jack on the system board. Overtime, the DC power jack gets disconnected from the system board. If it happens, you will experience a problem with charging the battery or the laptop may not start at all.
Read more:
Toshiba Satellite M35X and A75 power jack and battery charge problem.
Toshiba Satellite 1900 laptop looses power and shuts down without warning.
Laptop CPU overheating. It is a very common problem for some Toshiba laptops. If a laptop CPU overheats, then the laptop shuts down without by itself without any reason. Read more:
Why my Toshiba laptop suddenly shuts down by itself without warning?
You can use the disassembly guide to take apart Toshiba Satellite M35X notebook and repair it yourself. Do not open the case if your laptop is still under warranty.
September 21st, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Did you install “Toshiba Console for Windows XP/2000″ first?
September 21st, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Hi, I recently installed a regular edition of Windows XP Pro, but it did not have the Toshiba drivers. I went to the Toshiba web site and got almost everything I need downloaded and installed.
I have one problem left. When I press the shut off button the option to put it into standby is shaded out and will not work. I did install Toshiba’s power setting program.
Does anyone know what I can do to restore the standby function?
As always, thanks for all your help. Mary
September 18th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Thanks for the great guides and pics!
Am in the midst of the repair for the DC jack (alternative version using the RadioShack 274-1582) M35X-S3112.
A couple tips to share…
For those having trouble removing the securing strip — mine was very tight though I was able to use a jeweller’s screwdriver to pop the corner. At the top edge of the keyboard (underneath the securing strip, closest to the LCD) you can see where there are about 4 screws securing the keyboard to the base that run underneath the securing strip. I used another slightly beefier flathead screwdriver tip and twisted it away from the corner that I’d popped. This popped another section loose from the base. After trying at the other screw ports, I tried loosening the hinges a bit more as they don’t really lift out straight since the LCD doesn’t lay back enough. So I flipped the laptop over and used the same small jeweller’s flathead and popped the second hinge and loosened the first one more. This allowed the strip to be pried a bit more, eventually releasing first from the edge nearest the LCD, then nearest the keyboard. At that point I was pretty much pulling the strip up from the LCD side first. This made it much easier to remove without putting too much force on it.
The small jeweller’s flathead screwdriver also made it easier to pry up underneath the fan and speaker connectors which have a small lip. Prying on one side then the other back and forth jockeys the connectors enough to loosen them for removal.
I’d expected to see lots of dust in the area of the fan and heatsink since this laptop got very hot when running (hot enough to need to shift it from spot to spot every few minutes when using it in my lap), but the fan and heatsink were relatively clean.
On the oher hand, the speakers were filthy. It seems that this particular laptop design didn’t take into account that placement of the speaker nearer the user increases the amount of lint, dust, crumbs, etc. that can fall into the speaker grille. So I’ve cleaned these areas.
For the audio board cable, I noted that though the connector had a brown section, it does not apparently loosen like the keyboard connector. Instead this cable is just pulled out by pulling it up and toward you (rear of the laptop facing away from you).
Everything went fine for me step by step until the final step to remove the motherboard. It seems to be frozen in place, perhaps stuck by some of the same stuff used for keeping the screws in place? The hex nuts for the serial & parallel port have been removed, and I’ve checked to make sure I didn’t miss a screw removal, but its not budging. Don’t want to force things so thought I’d give a shout here before doing soldering only on the top of the motherboard for the fix. It seems that the board is tight/stuck near the serial & parallel ports on the back as well as near the DC jack and CPU. Ideas on removing the board without breaking it are sure welcome!
Thanks in advance for any help on unsticking the motherboard!
September 16th, 2007 at 6:31 am
Hooray!!! I managaed to find some new plastic ribbon cable connectors in China and they just arrived. Now I can put my Toshiba M35X laptop back together again.
September 16th, 2007 at 1:24 am
Victor I just want to say that i have made everthing, reseating the cable on both sides, but nothing, change drivers, and still the same problem.
Dont know what can it be.
Still looking over the internet to solve my problem, if i find it i will post it.
good luck to all!
September 13th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Hello,
I have been working on my friend’s A70 and it has the same widescreen display problem exhibited in the post by Rodrigo on June 23, 2007. I already attempted to reseat the monitor cable (located under the plastic panel in front of the keyboard) but it had no effect. Did anybody ever figure out a solution to this? I noticed that in the video driver’s monitor panel, the display for some unknown reason was reporting a max resolution of 1024×768 when the native resolution is of course 1280×800. Forcing the screen resolution to 1280×800 simply made the system pan around in 1024×768, so I am thinking it’s a hardware or driver problem.
Thanks for any ideas,
-Vic.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Here’s a really beginner question. I have a M35X-S311 that I bought in 2005, my warranty was up in 2006. I have been reading about all the problems with the battery charger and the connection on the motherboard thingy. About 6 months ago, my battery gave up. It wouldn’t charge anymore. I am wondering before this new warranty period ends, if I should send it in, in case something is wrong? How long does a battery last? Is a year and a half a long time? When I put in my linux hard drive it shows it is charging to 3%, and the charging light doesn’t come on. but now it doesn’t even charge in Linux.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:28 am
My original warranty ran out on my m35x on feb 6, 2006.
Does anyone know if the extra 12 month warranty that started in november of 2006 still applies to me?
September 5th, 2007 at 11:48 am
I called the Toshiba 1-800 number and they gave me a local authorized repair shop. I took it to them and they are going to fix it for free. Our laptops are still under warranty until november 6, 2007. Even if you did not pay for it.
September 5th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Checked the battery using a multimeter and it appears to be ok. Seems the motherboard is able ot charge it. I cannot however run the laptop of the battery. AC is ok. Does anyone know if there is a way to check that motherboard is faulty since it cannot switch to battery only.
Thanks.
September 3rd, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Well, I just took about an hour to read this whole page. There is some good info out there. Thanks for helping. But I am having the same problem as everybody else. The blue power button turns on but it does not boot up my computer. I guess we have not found an answer yet. I just contacted the Lawyer for the Toshiba settlement and hopefully they will fix it. I will continue my search and will post if I fix it, until then any help is appreciated.
September 3rd, 2007 at 8:42 am
Hi,
Has anyone tested the battery using a multimeter. What are the voltage pins?
Thanks
September 2nd, 2007 at 4:23 pm
cj2600 Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it. Mary
September 2nd, 2007 at 6:41 am
Hi,
Is there a way to check if the battery is good using a multimeter and checking the battery pins? If the battery is OK, is it possible I may have forgotten connecting something back when I disassembled the laptop, or is the battery connected directly to the motherboard?
Thanks for your help.
September 1st, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Mary Murdock,
Sure, I’ll help you.
Here’s what you are looking for.
Panasonic – K000015860
Teac – K000015870
Panasonic – K000024880
KME (double layer) – K000029610
All above mentioned drives will be able read/write CDs and DVDs.
September 1st, 2007 at 7:48 pm
John,
That’s a weird problem, I’ve never seen something like this. Test your laptop with an external USB keyboard and see if it works fine. Maybe something is wrong with the laptop keyboard? Make sure the heat sink is clean. There is a chance that this problem is somehow is related to overheating. This is just a guess.
September 1st, 2007 at 7:43 pm
TZ,
This is either a battery problem or there is something wrong with the motherboard. Sorry, the only way to find out what is wrong is testing the laptop with a known good battery.
September 1st, 2007 at 11:19 am
Hey. I have a M35X-S311. I would like to replace the dvd/cdrw drive with a dvd drive that records both cd and dvd. Does anyone know the number for a replacement, or if it can be replaced? As usual, Toshiba was no help. Thanks.
August 31st, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Hello,
One day my I was using my laptop and my after 10 min of use my keyboard started to act strange. It started randomly displaying different characters if I am typing something. I formatted the computer thinking that it was a virus or something but it didn’t work. Every time i use it, it works good for 10 min and then starts to act funny. If anyone can help me I would really apreciate it.
Thanks,
John
August 30th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Hi,
I have a M35x-S349. I have fixed the DC jack problem but when I disconnect the AC power and try to use battery only computer will not start. When connecting the AC power the battery seems to be charging normally and the OS reports the battery as fully charged.
Anyone experienced this problem?. Any solutions?
Thanks.
August 26th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Adil,
I believe on a Satellite M35 (not M35X) the cooling fan will not start when you turn on the laptop. It starts later, when the CPU is hot. So, it’s normal.
Check the memory module, make sure it’s a good memory. Try turning on the laptop without the hard drive and see if it still freezes.
Test the laptop without the CD/DVD drive. Does it work properly without the CD/DVD drive installed?
August 26th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
teri,
Who told you that? Did you try calling Toshiba? If you purchased this laptop in the USA, it should be covered by the extended warranty.
By the way, you might have a faulty memory stick. Try reconnecting the memory modules, test the laptop with a known good memory.
August 26th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Burke,
It doesn’t feet because you need DDR memory, not DDR2. Use a PC2700 memory module (333MHz) and they will fit.
August 24th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
I have Toshiba satellite M35-S359. My unit powers up the fan never turn it on but the screen comes on always
it says press f2 for set up or f12 and freezes after five minute litte pop up window shows boot or setup after clicking one of these I can go the set up screen or boot from hard drive rarely. never read the cd/dvd drive. the bios screen the cpu info. not showing.
Can anyone please help me, thanks in advance.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:37 am
i have a m35x-s111 I am having the same problem first it was the powercord- I replaced that. it came on for about 2 hours than it blacked out and now the fan sounds for 5 secs and nothing after that. I never took my laptop apart so I don’t know what is going on – also my laptop eventhough i is a m35x-s111 it was not part of the class action suit i was told. So please help.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:31 am
I answered my own question. Toshiba doesn’t carry the plastic hold down keyboard cable connector. if you break it, they want to sell you a whole new motherboard. you can’t buy a nickel piece of plastic.
August 20th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
OK – this should be an easy question. Is there a specific type of memory I need to use to upgrade my m35x-s149? I just went and purchased some Kingston 1GB DDR2 PC2-4200 533MHz and it doesn’t fit. It looks like it is just one pin off. This was just the basic notebook memory that was on sale at Circuit City. Does this laptop require a special pin configuration or something that is not standard?
Thanks for the help
August 20th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Jerry wrote:
“The first rule of laptop repair is don’t force anything!!!!!
To remove M35X keyboard, first, with lid closed, on rear side of laptop, push up to unlock backside of hingecovers. There should be a 1/16″ gap.
Second, from front with lid open, pry with a small flat screwdriver between hingecover and LCD cover on right side. Lift off hingecover from right side, there is a tab under left side.
Third, remove 2 keyboard screws,and unlock center clip. Pull off keyboard, remember the ribbon cable is still attached, and lay down forward upside down.
Fourth, remove ribbon cable cover. Pry up ribbon cable lock on back side of ribbon cable connector with fingernails or two small flat screwdrivers simultaneously. They only pull up about 1/32″, any more and they break. Ribbon cable should slide out easily, do not force.”
ooops!! I broke the white plastic ribbon cable connector. does anyone know how I can find this part to be able to order a new one?
in the alternative, can I use use some tape to hold down the keyboard board cable in the motherboard socket?
August 14th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
thanks Gentlemen. I appreciate all your helpful tips. when the new keyboard arrives in another day or so,I will follow your tips and try to get the mission accomplished without breaking this Toshiba Satellite M35X and sending it to its grave.
August 14th, 2007 at 11:41 am
HOW TO REMOVE THE KEYBOARDSTRIP OF A M35X (OR M40X)
Sorry for my bad English but….I easily removed the keyboardstrip starting with the 2 black upstanding hooks that are part of the strip. (They cover the hinges of the lcd panel)
At the backside of the lcd panel these covering hooks can simultaneously be lifted up with you fingernails (to do this, leave the lcd panel upright). The hooks click off the housing. Doing so, you get more space around the hooks. Then stick a small piece of wood (long size cocktail pin) in these spaces between hooks and hinges and carefully lift further. Using a little more force bit by bit and get more space under the rest of the strip, you can just pull off the whole strip (hearing clicks). This way I removed the keyboard strip without any damage, unscrewed and flipped over he removed the keyboard to get access to the wifi card.
Good luck