Diagnose laptop problem?

November 2, 2007 11:05 AM

Why is my laptop dying?

My laptop (IBM T43, Windows XP) is acting strange. The laptop occasionally shuts itself off spontaneously, or freezes indefinitely, or hangs on startup or shutdown. Recently I got a blue screen of death on startup for the first time ever. Sometimes I get strange errors on startup about a problem with some service. The first time, this error message referred to Java, which I then unistalled. But the problem persists. Today on startup my laptop lost the ability to copy and paste.

I looked at previous questions, the answers to which suggest that the problem could be the CPU overheating. I installed and ran Speed Fan, which says my CPU temperature is 55 C. So it seems that is not the problem.

Can you explain to me--preferably speaking slowly and using small words--what I can do to diagnose and/or fix my laptop?

posted by betterton to computers & internet (11 comments total)

Sounds like a memory issue...you can run a diagnostic tool on your RAM to see.

Another diagnostic check, especially if the RAM test comes up clean, is to reformat your computer by reinstalling Windows from the CD your computer came with (this does erase all the data on your computer, so make sure you have backups of your stuff). If the problem persists after that, then you know it's hardware (or the BIOS, but that's really unlikely).
posted by phoenixy at 11:22 AM on November 2, 2007

It sounds to be like it could actually be a problem with the hard drive reading/writing, possibly due to either bad parts of the disk or a loose connector.

Have you had any problems opening, copying, etc large files (>50 MB)?
posted by There's No I In Meme at 11:34 AM on November 2, 2007

phoenixy: I am trying to run Memtest86+, as you suggest.

TNIIM: No, no problems copying. Although I did drop my laptop a few months ago. Could that make the connector loose?
posted by medusa at 11:39 AM on November 2, 2007

Have you tried running PCDoctor?
posted by Eringatang at 11:58 AM on November 2, 2007

Have you used System Update lately? I've been having similar problems on my T42 since I updated my drivers/software a few days ago. For me, it seems like it's related to the video card, not Java (see thread here).

You may also want to take a look at this thread about T42s shutting down spontaneously after being moved - the symptoms are similar to both my and your situations. I'm not sure if it carries over to the T43s, but the video card was apparently connected in T42s such that too much pressure on the center of the computer can cause a poor connection between the card and motherboard, causing black screens/shutdowns.
posted by stleric at 12:17 PM on November 2, 2007

laptop hard drives don't take a beating well. if you carry it around regularly (and especially if you drop it) you can easily kill a hard drive within a year or two (just ask my ex-gf!). replacement hard drives are inexpensive ($50 or so) and you can get a cheap ide-usb adaptor to copy any files off your old hard drive that you need. the only annoying part is re-installing the os and software.

it's possible that you've also screwed up the motherboard, but it's usually the hard drive that goes first.
posted by noloveforned at 12:18 PM on November 2, 2007

(Hence the drop might potentially cause a related problem...)
posted by stleric at 12:18 PM on November 2, 2007

stleric: I haven't recently used System Update, so that's not it. I'm reading through the thread you suggested about T42s that can't handle movement - I don't know if that's my problem, since my laptop usually turns itself off after sitting on a desk (no movement) for half an hour or so.

noloveforned: is there a way to tell if it's the hard drive besides replacing the hard drive?
posted by betterton at 12:58 PM on November 2, 2007

Eringatang: by PC Doctor to you mean this?
posted by betterton at 1:01 PM on November 2, 2007

I don't know if I mean that. But I do know, if you have an IBM, you can Download PC Doctor for free at their website if you search the downloads and drivers for your system (at least, I can do this with my computer, X41). You can use it to check your hard drive, memory (I think), and run other diagnostics. Then you can call IBM with your error codes and they can tell you what is wrong (sometimes).
posted by Eringatang at 2:38 PM on November 2, 2007

Based on your description it is hard to diagnose the problem. It could be Windows related, or hardware.

As some have suggested there could be a ram problem. Bad or flaky ram will often cause sporadic errors. Follow the advice above to check for errors.

I wouldn't worry too much about the hard drive unless it has been making weird noises or Windows/chkdsk has reported errors. (Still you should backup your data as quickly as possible.)

Personally I think your problem could be Windows related given that you're having issues with services starting, stalls on startup and shutdown, and other issues (such as your JAVA problem.)

You may want to locate your windows cd-rom and try a repair, or do a complete reinstall. A reinstall is a drastic measure but a lot of times it is easier than chasing various software related gremlins.

Also be aware that your system may be compromised by a virus. You should run your anti-virus software and do a full system scan. (Likewise if you reinstall you should immediately install new AV software and insure you have a working firewall.)

Good luck!
posted by wfrgms at 2:50 PM on November 2, 2007