How to open Toshiba Satellite M35X and remove the motherboard.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.


260 Responses to “Toshiba Satellite M35X. How to fix most common laptop problems.”

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  1. 180
    cj2600 Says:

    Hey Stuart,
    Thank you for your suggestion. I “fix” broken clips the same way.

  2. 179
    Stuart Says:

    I have broken several of the keyboard clips (Toshiba M30X/M35X) whilst taking these laptops apart. Usually it’s the little retainers on the side that snap. However I have found that if you insert the cable as normal and then put the little white/brown retainer in behind (it’s a bit fiddly) and push down it will usually hold the keyboard cable in place and work fine. You may need to run your finger along the back of it to ensure it is pushed in enough to fully work.

  3. 178
    Georgina Says:

    Hi- I have broken a clip installing a keyboard on my Toshiba- I see a few of you have the same problem. What’s it called and how do I replace it??? Thanks in advance.

  4. 177
    gautham Says:

    hi guys……i have a mx35s329 purchased in december 2004. luckily it hasn’t given any major problems unitl now.

    recently i have observed some screen flicker. the screen sometimes blacks out…….but if i press firmly just beside the “control” key on the left side of the laptop the display comes back on. tapping the computer gently on the right palm rest also brings the display back on. i am thinking its some kind of loose connection, but do not know which wire.

    there is a problem with the key board too. some of the keys done work. i recently replaced the key board, but broke the clip while inserting the ribbon of the new keyboard. do you guys know if the key board clip can be replaced.

    past service history includes a FL inverter replacement and ac adapter replacement.

    i have had no problems with respect to heating shut downs, charging the battery, dc connector pin and system crashes.

    hope you guys can help out.

  5. 176
    allen Says:

    alll you have to do is format your computer then instal windows again

  6. 175
    david Says:

    I have a m35x-s114 my wireless won’t work and the sound won’t work either. HElp!!!

  7. 174
    Umberto Hernandez Says:

    addition to my previous post:

    I forgot to mention that my system crashed once a few weeks ago. when i rebooted the computer gave me a blue screen telling me that the system had a major crash. but then it rebooted with no problems.

  8. 173
    Umberto Hernandez Says:

    Im having the same common problem that everybody else is having. First my DC jack needs to be replaced, I will use the disassembly procedure on a website.

    But the problem that I have is that my Toshiba M35x-S149 does not boot up. I turn the power on, but the only thing that happens is the power button on (blue color) and the fan spins for about 5 seconds but nothing happens. I have a black screen and it seems that power is not getting to the CD drive, hard drive or the screen.

    I took the battery off then reinstalled it but nothing. I will have to try to change memory sticks to see if it is bad.

    Please any suggestions would be appreciated.

    Umbertp

  9. 172
    shawn Says:

    My family has several M35’s — Lucky us. Thanks to this site I have been able to fix the charging problems. But, about six months ago my daughters was repaired under warranty. She just told me it stopped working again. No warranty. I resoldered but no good. Getting voltage on top and bottom. I would like to solder a jumper wire from center pin to motherboard. What location would I solder to?

    Thanks

  10. 171
    JMas Says:

    I used this guide to fix the DC power problem… but after I reassembled, the sound didn’t work anymore. Took it apart again to see if I could find a cable off or something, but everything was fine. DC power is fixed great now, but now the soundcard doesn’t work and the #4 and #6 keys won’t work! ArrrrghhHH!

  11. 170
    cj2600 Says:

    Yes, it’s possible that in some cases there is a problem with solder joints but I’m pretty sure in most cases it will be related to the power jack.

  12. 169
    Stuart Says:

    I had the same problem with a M30X/M35X motherboard which when repaired for the powerjack fault would refuse to boot up. The blue light would come on and the fan spin up but then nothing. However if I pressed down on the 48 pin chip mentioned in Jerry Hirsch’s post(78) then it would boot up and continue working until moved. It would seem that sometimes when the dc jack is loose most people, including myself, would wiggle the jack for a time to get the laptop to charge. I am convinced that this flexing of the motherboard on some of these laptops causes a connection on either this chip or another close by component to break. When you flex/press down on the board again in the right place it will sometimes boot as the component gets a contact. Finding the relevant chip/component and resoldering it is the fun part! Maybe a high powered magnifier would work. If someone could post a guide on component/chip resoldering, for people prepared/able to have a go, this would be very useful to those of us with the same issue.

  13. 168
    Mr.Edo Says:

    If certain keys work and certain keys dont. Thats a cable issue thats not properly assembled. Make sure the cable is thorougly in.

  14. 167
    Mr.Edo Says:

    My sister has a M35X that was having display issue. Same thing…turn on the laptop hear the fan come on for 5second, with no display but power is on. I removed the memory from one module to the other and resolved the issue. So its either 1.) memory or 2.) module. Either way its not a motherboard issue. Usually when motherboard goes bad the computer does not power on at all. Hope that helps out with everyone with display issue.

  15. 166
    Matthew Says:

    Hey my m35x-s149 turns on so the power button is blue, yet there is no hard drive sound and power to the other parts of the laptop. I followed a disassembly guide and took it a part and nothing i wrong. I found out that if you push on the LCD-Motherboard wire, it causes the laptop to boot up! but i cant seem to find out what is wrong

  16. 165
    Ruth Says:

    Richard - you mentioned that you found replacement keyboard cable connectors (the clips) from a place in China. Could you tell us who to contact? I just broke mine!

  17. 164
    Wai Says:

    I have a Toshiba M35x-309s. One day i tried to turn on the computer and it did not work. I pressed the power botton on the computer and the power came on. you can hear the fan running but it has no video. All LED light in the front side of the computer are on.

    I do not know what caused this problem, can someone have any idea how to fix it?

    Please help me, Thanks!

  18. 163
    Paul Says:

    I repaired my charging jack, power lights come on fine but screen is black, what should I do next?

  19. 162
    Stuart Says:

    Toshiba Satellite M35X Drivers:

    http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_modSel.jsp

    Follow the links for your model.

  20. 161
    ibnu Says:

    I NEED DRIVER RECOVERY FOR MY LAPTOP TOSHIBA SATELITE M35X.WHERE CAN I FIND IT.I LIVE IN INDONESIA. PLEASE HELP ME. THANKS.

  21. 160
    Jeff Kerner Says:

    Does anyone have any suggestions on what brand/model# of DVD Writer I can upgrade my Toshiba M35X-S149 with? I noticed that NewEgg had some slimline models for under $60. I really don’t want to spend too much on the upgrade.

    Thanks!
    Jeff

  22. 159
    Tatiana Says:

    Hello,
    I have a toshiba m35x-s149 and I just received it back after having the AC adaptor coming lose and my video connection being faulty (The display was there but it was flickering, the tech said it was just a lose wire) I had been using the laptop for about 3 weeks after it was returned to me and it just all of a sudden turned off after saying that the virtual memory was low.

    I tried to power it on, like others, the fan ran and power light, battery and AC lights are all on but no display. I can get the laptop to boot up and operate normally maybe 1 per 10-15 times of turning it on, the video seems fine when it does power on, but it seems to only be doing it when it wants to. What do you think the problem could be? I tried hooking it up to an external monitor when it decided not to boot and they is not any display.

    Please help… thanks

  23. 158
    Nick Says:

    Hello, I just developed a problem with my Toshiba M35X laptop that sounds like it could be the “improperly grounded top cover assembly” and am looking for confirmation and a possible fix if there is one. I was running the computer, on AC power; I had gotten up and came back to it and as I sat down I hit the front edge of the laptop (not hard) and it shut off. Everything went blank, no LED’s were lit up and attempting to turn back on with the power button didn’t work.

    Did I just fry my laptop? If not, is it something I can fix or should I take it to an expert? I do have some experience building desktops, but I have never taken a laptop apart. I apologize for the length of my story and would appreciate any tips and/or tricks to get me up and running. Thanks.

    -Nick

  24. 157
    Richard Says:

    Jerry
    I managed to get the white plastic lock-in clips through a person in China. No one carried them in the US, not even Toshiba.

  25. 156
    Jerry Says:

    Hey Richard,
    Congratulations! Where did you get the keyboard ribbon connectors for the M35X? Did you get the whole connector, or just the locking clips?

  26. 155
    Ice Says:

    The wifi of my Toshiba M30X suddenly stopped working. The LED next to the hardware switch won’t light, if I switch it off and on, too. I tried a BIOS update, reinstalling the drivers and switching it on with the software and the Fn+F8 buttons. Nothing worked… The card gets recognised by the system and is configurable though. Do you think the switch or the card is broken?

    I couldn’t find any good advice so far…

  27. 154
    Peters Says:

    Hi,
    I have the Toshiba M35sx-s114.
    The power switch comes on each time you press it.
    It makes the booting sound. But nothing comes up on the creen!
    Kindly advise

  28. 153
    cj2600 Says:

    To all,

    Toshiba Satellite M30X, M35X, A70 and A75 notebooks sold in the United States are covered by the extended warranty until November 7, 2007. It means that you can get a free repair even thought the laptop is technically out of warranty. Hurry up! Take your laptop to an authorized repair center or send it directly to Toshiba depot. You still have 2 weeks.

  29. 152
    cj2600 Says:

    Z,

    Sometimes, certain keys will not function. It’s always the same keys. i.e. it’s the( ‘C’, ‘M’, ‘ ‘ ‘).

    Probably bad keyboard but as Richard suggested in the comment 150, try the external keyboard first.

  30. 151
    Gis Says:

    I have a Toshiba m35x-s114 and just finished re soldering the power jack to the motherboard. Your instructions are worth GOLD! In the beginning, after putting the laptop back together, it would start up for about 1 minute and then die. Then I read the post by the person who attached the jack with wires externally. What was happening with my laptop is that the motherboard kept shorting out because my soldering points were “too high”. I covered the points with tape and BAM, the laptop works great now. I can’t thank you guys enough! If I had one simple addition, then that is to clean up the heat sink and the cpu cover and re apply the heat sink compound. If you’ve taken your laptop apart a few times like I did during this process, then the compound is worn off and dried up.

    All the best!
    g-

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