As above really.

Yesterday I tried turning on my laptop but it's not working. I could hear the hard drive working, but aboslutely nothing on the display. I get a various amount beeps each time I turn on the computer which searching on t'internet reveals it's a BIOS code. But as I don't know makes the bios program for Toshiba, it is of not much use to me.

The laptop is a US spec Toshiba Qosmio f45.

I have a bad feeling it is a display/graphics card problem which means a new motherboard, which means I might as well buy a new computer given it costs £280 before shipping, import taxes and VAT.

Jeff, I guess the vga out is also dead?

I know that some toshiba machines have overheating problems which can cause the graphics card to lift off the motherboard and cause all sorts of funny problems and the the way they are fixed down doesn't help.

If this is the case and you are happy to open up the machine you may be able to reseat the graphics card and I believe there are simple mods to hold it down better in future.

Xav, yes the external out is also dead.

Trundlenut, i'll have a look at that, but it has not happened before. Although it did go through a spell of shutting down at random which I took for overheating.l

The problems with the graphics card happens gradually, the motherboard flexes as it heats up and cools down and eventually the graphics card is forced up and at some point loses it's connection. The bracket that is supposed to hold it down is rubbish and allows too much movement.

The problem is caused by a lack of cooling within the laptop and the poor fixing of the card.

I stripped down the laptop when I got home form work, the heat generatiing processors were fully seated and were also covered with heat sinks that were connected to the fan unit.

I had only tested the external out with a HDMI cable, so I went out and brought a PC VGA cable to connect to the tv, but that does not sort it.

Also the hard drive no longer boots up, but I've tried a known good HDD and that does not work in it either.

Edited 30 January, 201016 yr by roo