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[SOLVED] External Graphic Card failure?!

2K views 14 replies 3 participants last post by  Done_Fishin 
#1 ·
Hello guys,

I have an toshiba a350d-10y, and i am getting some sounds not from the sound system of the laptop but some kind of buzzer on the motherboard, accompanied with dvd driver lights, the sound emitte is two short beeps. I am getting loops of these two short beeps with an delay of 5 secs +-.

I have uploaded an video to you, to listen the sound emitted by the MB, in the end you can hear better because you get lower noise from cpu fan:

External Graphic Card failure?! Pictures, External Graphic Card failure?! Images, External Graphic Card failure?! Photos, External Graphic Card failure?! Videos - Video - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

Motherboard feature: External graphic card from ATI

Things that i have made:
Remove battery and try turn it on without it.
Switch RAM's on one ram slot
Clean cpu fan an his exhaust
Change is motherboard to a new one

Now the problem has been resumed to, or it is the processor or the external graphic card.

I think, that the problem came from graphical card, because if these was a problema from the processor, i would get beeps from the sound system of the laptop, and not from a buzzer in side of the MB.

Anyone here can help me?
 
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#2 ·
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

First of all those aren't beeps, it sounds like and looks like your DVD drive is being accessed and possibly failing to find or getting an error while trying to read the disks TOC. try ejecting the drive sled and see if it stops buzzing. If there is a disk inside remove it. It sounds like something (possibly the head) has jammed
 
#3 ·
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

First of all those aren't beeps, it sounds like and looks like your DVD drive is being accessed and possibly failing to find or getting an error while trying to read the disks TOC. try ejecting the drive sled and see if it stops buzzing. If there is a disk inside remove it. It sounds like something (possibly the head) has jammed
You are correct, the sound just come from the dvd drive.
I open it and the loop stops.
No dvd or cd on it.

I totally forgot to say that i am having a black screen, power on but no image.
 
#4 ·
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

You can replace the DVD drive for about $35 on ebay, and it's usually just 1 or 2 screws holding the drive in place. No need to completely take apart the laptop. It's going to be a $100 repair at most repair shops in the US. This would considered a FRU repair, and most people who own computers could do it themselves. :smile:

Also, there is no "BUZZER" inside the laptop, it is a SPEAKER, a mini-audio speaker works the same as a speaker in any radio or stereo. If you receive "beeps" from the internal speaker, we call these "beep-codes", then most likely you did not reconnect your Motherboard cables correctly and need to take it apart again and carefully reseat all cables and connections properly. :rolleyes:

It sounds like you personally replaced the Motherboard yourself, eh? :confused: Or did you mean to say you paid a professional to replace it for you? If you did yourself, did you wear an ESD wriststrap?:confused: If the professional did it, you should take back to him and make him fix it correctly or get your money back and take to a different licensed shop to do. :rolleyes:

I've never seen a Toshiba that uses an External video card, so I don't know what you are referring to there. Most laptops except the very expensive gaming laptops do NOT have this feature. If you did the Motherboard replacement yourself, and physically removed the External video card then I guess I would have to believe you, but I'd still like to see a picture of it. Are you sure you didn't mean an External monitor connection (SVGA)??

On the Black screen on the internal display, have you tried connecting the laptop to an External Monitor as I mention above?:confused: If the display is correct on the external monitor, then the video onboard chip is OK, and it's most likely a faulty Backlight or Inverter on the LCD assembly. This part is $15 on ebay; but it's a $100 US or more due to the labor to completely disassemble the laptop to get to that part. :cry:

If there is NO display on the external monitor only, then your GPU chip on your replacement Motherboard has failed and the entire Motherboard must be replaced. :cry:There is a possibility that you simply didn't reconnect it correctly as I mention, so if you yourself did the repair, take it apart and reconnect & reseat everything, power back on and retest. If that still fails, you either bricked the replacement Mobo or you may have fried it if you didn't take ESD precautions; also mentioned above. If you took to a computer repair shop, they may have bricked it also.:facepalm:

Answer me this; did you buy the replacement Motherboard yourself?:confused: Was it NEW or USED(refurbished)?? If you had the work done by a Tech or a shop, did you ASK the Tech if he used a NEW or USED Motherboard? If you don't know or didn't ask, it's quite likely the Tech used a USED Mobo to jack up his profit margin on your repair. If you bought a USED one, then you are at risk of getting a bad part from a shoddy seller, and oh well, live and learn.:uhoh: Try to get a refund and buy from another reputable seller.

Like I said, if you did this repair yourself, there are lots of ways that you could have messed things up, from improper reassembly, to ESD damage, to buying a broken Mobo from a shoddy seller. No way to know what you did or didn't do, but, it's an obstacle course that requires ALL correct decisions along the way.:smile: We who repair computers for a living, know where all the potholes and bumps are in the course and navigate around them for the most part. :wink:

For your situation: I would disassemble, reassemble as advised to do above. Remove battery from laptop, DVD drive completely from laptop, remove all RAM sticks, remove the hard drive. If you have a video daughterboard, make sure to connect that. Use only the AC charger (MAINS) and power on. You should get audio "beep-codes" as mentioned above. If you don't that Motherboard is bricked (however it happened at this point isn't important), and must be replaced!!!:cry::cry:

Looking forward from some clarification and answers back to our questions. We can then advise you further.

<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>:thumb:
 
#6 ·
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

You can replace the DVD drive for about $35 on ebay, and it's usually just 1 or 2 screws holding the drive in place. No need to completely take apart the laptop. It's going to be a $100 repair at most repair shops in the US. This would considered a FRU repair, and most people who own computers could do it themselves. :smile:

Also, there is no "BUZZER" inside the laptop, it is a SPEAKER, a mini-audio speaker works the same as a speaker in any radio or stereo. If you receive "beeps" from the internal speaker, we call these "beep-codes", then most likely you did not reconnect your Motherboard cables correctly and need to take it apart again and carefully reseat all cables and connections properly. :rolleyes:
I am getting an black screen also, and i have assumed before that the sound that came from the drive was sending any kind of beep code, but i think that he is just rebooting but he only does that when i start pressing his keyboard keys.

It sounds like you personally replaced the Motherboard yourself, eh? :confused: Or did you mean to say you paid a professional to replace it for you? If you did yourself, did you wear an ESD wriststrap?:confused: If the professional did it, you should take back to him and make him fix it correctly or get your money back and take to a different licensed shop to do. :rolleyes:
I already replace some motherboards from laptops, but is my first time with one that has an external graphic card ... so i dont know the symptoms of one getting an failure, and i am almost 100% sure that these is the problem. Beyond that i didnt have switch the processor but i think that is almost bullet proof, and these laptop was used just to work without any overclocks.

I've never seen a Toshiba that uses an External video card, so I don't know what you are referring to there. Most laptops except the very expensive gaming laptops do NOT have this feature. If you did the Motherboard replacement yourself, and physically removed the External video card then I guess I would have to believe you, but I'd still like to see a picture of it. Are you sure you didn't mean an External monitor connection (SVGA)??
No, i am not. Me neather, he have these external graphic card, take a look:

Toshiba Satellite A350 ATI HD3650 512MB K000065590 Ktkaa LS 4571P K000065580 | eBay

On the Black screen on the internal display, have you tried connecting the laptop to an External Monitor as I mention above?:confused: If the display is correct on the external monitor, then the video onboard chip is OK, and it's most likely a faulty Backlight or Inverter on the LCD assembly. This part is $15 on ebay; but it's a $100 US or more due to the labor to completely disassemble the laptop to get to that part. :cry:
Yes, i have tryed, but nothing apper.

If there is NO display on the external monitor only, then your GPU chip on your replacement Motherboard has failed and the entire Motherboard must be replaced. :cry:There is a possibility that you simply didn't reconnect it correctly as I mention, so if you yourself did the repair, take it apart and reconnect & reseat everything, power back on and retest. If that still fails, you either bricked the replacement Mobo or you may have fried it if you didn't take ESD precautions; also mentioned above. If you took to a computer repair shop, they may have bricked it also.:facepalm:
Since i have changed the mobo, and i am still getting the same problem, i assume that there is not problem with the mobo, the new one and the old one.

Answer me this; did you buy the replacement Motherboard yourself?:confused: Was it NEW or USED(refurbished)?? If you had the work done by a Tech or a shop, did you ASK the Tech if he used a NEW or USED Motherboard? If you don't know or didn't ask, it's quite likely the Tech used a USED Mobo to jack up his profit margin on your repair. If you bought a USED one, then you are at risk of getting a bad part from a shoddy seller, and oh well, live and learn.:uhoh: Try to get a refund and buy from another reputable seller.
Yes, i bought a new one, without any signs of has been worn.

Like I said, if you did this repair yourself, there are lots of ways that you could have messed things up, from improper reassembly, to ESD damage, to buying a broken Mobo from a shoddy seller. No way to know what you did or didn't do, but, it's an obstacle course that requires ALL correct decisions along the way.:smile: We who repair computers for a living, know where all the potholes and bumps are in the course and navigate around them for the most part. :wink:
I am computer technician, and also an electronic engineer doing an master degree. I dont disassembly computers for live but i didnt have a case that i cannot resolve, but these computer, has i said before, is my first one with an external graphic card, so i dont know if i have received an broken mobo or if the problem is with the graphical card or hiven with the processor, but these last one, i think that if there was a problem, he would do some beeps.

For your situation: I would disassemble, reassemble as advised to do above. Remove battery from laptop, DVD drive completely from laptop, remove all RAM sticks, remove the hard drive. If you have a video daughterboard, make sure to connect that. Use only the AC charger (MAINS) and power on. You should get audio "beep-codes" as mentioned above. If you don't that Motherboard is bricked (however it happened at this point isn't important), and must be replaced!!!:cry::cry:
I already have made that, unless removing his dvd drive and removing his hdd, but i will do that just in case, but that dont seems to be the problem, i dont see anything of that, that can stop the laptop to show some image on the screen ...

Looking forward from some clarification and answers back to our questions. We can then advise you further.

<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>:thumb:
Thanks a lot BIGBEARJEDI for the huge advices, i will remove the hdd an the dvd reader, and i will say the result.
 
#5 ·
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

Since you now tell us that the laptop is not giving a display I would say that you are having power problems. You have changed the motherboard so it won't be a question of a broken power socket on the mainboard, nor a power problem on the mainboard. That leaves us the battery and the charger.

First off I would suggest try changing the charger since it is quite possible that your battery has discharged and doesn't have any power left in it to allow your laptop to start up even with the charger attached. If you change the charger and the symptoms still persist then there is something happening inside the laptop that is drawing too much current.

The conditions you showed us in the video coupled with the fact that you are getting no image on your screen tells e that your power supply is motor-boating and the laptop is looping in the power on sequence. Either the battery, the charger or both can't deliver the current required to power up the laptop. So either you have a power supply / battery failure problem or something in the laptop is faulty and causing the voltage to drop drastically.

Start by removing hard disk drive, DVD drive and memory to see if the laptop will at least power on and make beeps to tell you that items are missing. If the symptoms remain you will have to slowly remove any cards (Wireless Network, Bluetooth, LAN, Modem etc) that are easily accessible and removable to see if any of those are causing your problems. I am assuming that the board you put in came in bare and you populated it with items from the old board. If the symptoms still persist remove the cable that feeds the Display.

Having removed everything that can be removed including the processor yet nothing is found to stop the symptoms you are seeing you have most likely replaced the motherboard with a similarly faulty board.
 
#7 ·
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

Since you now tell us that the laptop is not giving a display I would say that you are having power problems. You have changed the motherboard so it won't be a question of a broken power socket on the mainboard, nor a power problem on the mainboard. That leaves us the battery and the charger.

First off I would suggest try changing the charger since it is quite possible that your battery has discharged and doesn't have any power left in it to allow your laptop to start up even with the charger attached. If you change the charger and the symptoms still persist then there is something happening inside the laptop that is drawing too much current.

The conditions you showed us in the video coupled with the fact that you are getting no image on your screen tells e that your power supply is motor-boating and the laptop is looping in the power on sequence. Either the battery, the charger or both can't deliver the current required to power up the laptop. So either you have a power supply / battery failure problem or something in the laptop is faulty and causing the voltage to drop drastically.
He can charge the battery, and he can work only with battery or on current without battery.

Start by removing hard disk drive, DVD drive and memory to see if the laptop will at least power on and make beeps to tell you that items are missing. If the symptoms remain you will have to slowly remove any cards (Wireless Network, Bluetooth, LAN, Modem etc) that are easily accessible and removable to see if any of those are causing your problems. I am assuming that the board you put in came in bare and you populated it with items from the old board. If the symptoms still persist remove the cable that feeds the Display.

Having removed everything that can be removed including the processor yet nothing is found to stop the symptoms you are seeing you have most likely replaced the motherboard with a similarly faulty board.
I didnt try to disconnect the cable of the display, i will try that to.

Thanks!
 
#11 ·
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

The link you showed is to a board that is an internal replaceable graphics card



and mounts internally on the mainboard.
ah yes, i am talking about a laptop, so that for me is an external graphic card. since is not integrated on a mobo. =/

I know that you have these: http://cdn10.mixrmedia.com/wp-uploads/ziggytek/blog/2011/10/external-video-card-dock-diy.jpg

But on these cases you still have the graphical card of the laptop to test.
 
#12 ·
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

An external Graphics card is one that is located outside of the laptop .. All laptops have "ONBOARD" graphics chipsets, most of which are fixed devices and there a few manufacturers that have "INTERCHANGEABLE " graphics cards.These are NOT EXTERNAL cards by any means. Use of wrong terminology gives the reader a totally different picture of the equipment with problems.
 
#13 ·
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

An external Graphics card is one that is located outside of the laptop .. All laptops have "ONBOARD" graphics chipsets, most of which are fixed devices and there a few manufacturers that have "INTERCHANGEABLE " graphics cards.These are NOT EXTERNAL cards by any means. Use of wrong terminology gives the reader a totally different picture of the equipment with problems.
I know, sorry about that :ermm:
 
#14 · (Edited)
Re: External Graphic Card failure?!

1º step:
- mobo
- cpu
- gpu

Same problem

2º step:
- mobo
- no cpu
- gpu

Same problem

3º step:
- mobo
- no cpu
- no gpu

Different reaction, still no beeps, toshiba logo on the case appear and show some white light on the screen, dvd driver responds in a diferent way, and 5 seconds after i power on, logo disappear and the white light too.

4º step:
- mobo
- cpu
- no gpu
- ram

Same as 3º step.

So it was the graphical card, and the worst is that these card have the same value as the board on ebay =/ next time i have to be more accurate, until start buying equipment... :banghead:

Thank you all guys. I hope these tread could help more people :grin::grin:
 
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