# Toshiba laptop freezing when charger is pluggded in



## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

I have a Toshiba Equium A200 that work excelent while on battery but the moment i plug in the charger it freezes. When the laptop is off and i try to power it on with the charger plugged in the power led turns and stays on but that's all that happens. Even in BIOS it freezes instantly when i plug the charger. I used another Toshiba charger with no result ( both chargers are original so is the Windows Vista home Premium installed on my laptop) Any solution would be great. Thx


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Hello radu_andy,

Try removing the battery and starting the laptop with only the power adapter plugged in.

Does the Power Adapter charge the laptop's battery (when not powered on)?


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## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

i tryed starting the laptop without the battery but still the same result.. the power led turns on the coller is running the dvd led flicks.. but the laptop freezes. The adapter charges the battery ok. Earlier when the alert for the battery appeared i plug the charger in the icon indicating the laptop is charging appeared but the laptop freezed and after a few minutes turned off. Sorry for my english.. hope you understand. thx


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

No problem, I am just tryint to ascertain if it is a adapter issue or a battery issue.

I would like you to inspect the area around the power jack (the port where the charger plugs in) for physical damage, including any bent or broken pieces...


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## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

the area around the power jack is ok nothing bent or broken.. only a pin inside and something in a side probabbly for contact. i found a bios update on toshiba site for my model after i introduced the laptop serial no.. should i try that?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

No, you won't be able to Flash the BIOS on battery power, even if the program will let you it is a very bad idea.

The fact that your laptop is freezing in the BIOS screen has me worried. This leads me to believe there is a faulty component on the board itself, possibly a circuit that regulates power, or the circuit that switches power from the Battery to the Adapter when it is plugged in.

The first thing I would check at that point would be the adapter/charger itself, but you stated you already did that. Does the test adapter have exactly the same specifications as the original?


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## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

yes the other adapter had exactly the same specifications as mine(which is original)


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

My best guess would be that there is an issue with the power distribution circuit on the motherboard. Possibly a failed component that is allowing and over-volt condition or there is a short. 
Are you still in warranty?


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## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

no..


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

radu andy said:


> no..


I didn't think so. I would suggest taking your laptop to a shop that specializes in PCB testing and repair. They will have the proper equipment to test and locate the issue, and possibly repair it.


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## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

thx for your answers.. i bought the laptop from england and i live in romania; in my town there is no toshiba service.. it's gona be a little hard to solve the prob, but thx


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

I am sorry to hear that. 

One more thing to try. Plug the adapter into a different wall outlet and see if it causes the same issue.


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## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

already did that.. no succes.


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## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

hy. i found out some stuff.. as you maybe know the laptop has 3 power plans: balanced, power save, high performance (all at default settings). Until now it was on power save and as you know the moment i plugged in the charger it freezed. Today i changed it on High performance and i can plug it in without freezing and it stays like that for about 20-40 minutes. I also tried to change the power plan when the laptop was plugged in and as soon as i checked the other power plan it instantley freezed. Also if i try to power the laptop on when charging it does exactly like i explained yesterday(the power led turns on the coller is running the dvd led flicks.. but the laptop freezes.) It freezes also when i'm in bios and plug it in or when it starts to boot if i plug the charger. Now i don't think so much that it's a motherboard problem.. Any ideas? thx


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

It is still sounding like it may be a motherboard issue.

If it was an operating system issue, then the computer would not freeze in the BIOS.

The only other thing to try is to enter the BIOS and reset the default settings and try again. I highly doubt it will do anything.


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## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

you were right nothing happened.. I found some other solutions:

1. In the bios setup, under the 'Advanced' tab Dynamic CPU Frequency: Mode = Always Low (NOT DYNAMIC)
2. Set the power plan to high performance
3. Set the power plan to "Minimal Power Management" (1 and 2 do conflict)
4. Start -> Control Panel -> Device Manager --> Processor -> disable one of two processors -> reboot normally
5.Do this: Only plug battery into laptop Turn on the laptop and start Windows normally Plug AC adapter into laptop, the screen will freeze Leave the laptop the way it is for 12-24 hours After 12-24 hours, turn it off the hard way Once it is turned off, turn it back on.
I want to try no. 4 but i'll have to uninstall the driver i don't have the disable option.. or is it the same?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Why would you want to disable a processor?

Where did you get this information from?


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## xopa18 (Mar 8, 2011)

hi, I have the same problem with my toshiba A305-S6898, in windows and with the charger plugged in freezes and in safe mode with the same scenario is ok. I found a temporary fix for that:

With the computer plugged in first set the bios to default. after that boot in safe mode, and go to device manager, look for the "procesors". choose any core and right click on in to disable it (no uninstall). After that restart the computer and boot windows in normal mode. Then in windows go to device manager and enable the core that you disabled in "safe mode". Now it should work with no freezes and restart, unless you install Windows update and restart again to complete the installation. for that scenario you have to do the whole process again. and if you want to turn it off, just put it to sleep or hibernate. hope its fix your problem!! WK


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## xopa18 (Mar 8, 2011)

radu andy said:


> I have a Toshiba Equium A200 that work excelent while on battery but the moment i plug in the charger it freezes. When the laptop is off and i try to power it on with the charger plugged in the power led turns and stays on but that's all that happens. Even in BIOS it freezes instantly when i plug the charger. I used another Toshiba charger with no result ( both chargers are original so is the Windows Vista home Premium installed on my laptop) Any solution would be great. Thx


hi, I have the same problem with my toshiba A305-S6898, in windows and with the charger plugged in freezes and in safe mode with the same scenario is ok. I found a temporary fix for that:

With the computer plugged in first set the bios to default. after that boot in safe mode, and go to device manager, look for the "procesors". choose any core and right click on in to disable it (no uninstall). After that restart the computer and boot windows in normal mode. Then in windows go to device manager and enable the core that you disabled in "safe mode". Now it should work with no freezes and restart, unless you install Windows update and restart again to complete the installation. for that scenario you have to do the whole process again. and if you want to turn it off, just put it to sleep or hibernate. hope its fix your problem!! WK


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## lovelace (Sep 14, 2011)

i'm a professional technician and i have discovered how to solve toshiba freezing problems when adapter is inserted into the power jack.the problem is caused by the core regulatory chips on the motherboard when they become faulty.so these chips being faulty fails to regulate the appropriate volts needed by the processor, there by causing the processor to malfunction when an adapter is inserted into the power jack.


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## zi3k (Sep 24, 2011)

finally i found the answer thanks lovelace by the way do you have a photo or any diagram or what does it look like? i'm a newbie tech for laptops. i do know the basic but still want to know more :smooch:


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## radu andy (Aug 6, 2009)

lovelace said:


> i'm a professional technician and i have discovered how to solve toshiba freezing problems when adapter is inserted into the power jack.the problem is caused by the core regulatory chips on the motherboard when they become faulty.so these chips being faulty fails to regulate the appropriate volts needed by the processor, there by causing the processor to malfunction when an adapter is inserted into the power jack.


thx dude! but you said you discovered how to solve the problem but you don't mention anything about solving.. you just described the problem. So what shouldwe do? Thanks!


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## zi3k (Sep 24, 2011)

@radu



> i get them from dell motherboard scraps,hp dv6000 scraps. and sony motherboards, they all use the same regulatory chips.but after taking out the chip i check the resistance in the chip before i use it. -Lovelace


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## fddizon (Sep 11, 2011)

lovelace said:


> i'm a professional technician and i have discovered how to solve toshiba freezing problems when adapter is inserted into the power jack.the problem is caused by the core regulatory chips on the motherboard when they become faulty.so these chips being faulty fails to regulate the appropriate volts needed by the processor, there by causing the processor to malfunction when an adapter is inserted into the power jack.


is it the NEC/TOKIN chip?


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## zi3k (Sep 24, 2011)

@fddizon

i need 3 post to be able to reply i will forward you the message.


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## KRoot (Oct 14, 2011)

zi3k said:


> @fddizon
> 
> i need 3 post to be able to reply i will forward you the message.


I would like to have this information as well as I am having the same issue and would like to fix it. Thanks


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## adsalto (Oct 17, 2011)

I´d like to have such information too! having the very same problem!


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## Pacman49 (Oct 25, 2011)

I would like to have the information as well as I am having the same problem with my A200. Thanks you in adavance for your assistance


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## yburey (Oct 27, 2011)

ohh bro you need to replace the NEC TOKIN capacitors or go to the nearest technical expert or you can go to my shop hehehehe but its kind of expensive cost $100


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## KRoot (Oct 14, 2011)

yburey said:


> ohh bro you need to replace the NEC TOKIN capacitors or go to the nearest technical expert or you can go to my shop hehehehe but its kind of expensive cost $100


Oh bro, it is not an expensive repair nor very difficult to do if you have the time to do so. 

From this thread: Toshiba Satellite - Locks up when plugged in - Badcaps Forums, it is shown that it is indeed the NEC/TOKIN capacitor that lays behind the CPU, as it has a terribly low lifespan for the high temperature which it is subjected to. The best bet is to not replace it with an exact replacement, but with 4 330μF tantalum capacitors. If you know how to solder, it is an easy fix. I fixed the problem in this way a few days after my post here, and it has been working great since then.


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## Notsosure (Dec 7, 2011)

What lovelace has said above is actually the permanent solution for this problem. One has to get the NEC/Tokin Proadlizer Capacitor replaced. I have explained below how this can be done:
Toshiba Satellite A200 Random Shutdown - Page 2 - General-Laptops-Notebooks - Laptops-Notebooks


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## Townsville Tech (Jan 11, 2012)

radu andy said:


> you were right nothing happened.. I found some other solutions:
> 
> 1. In the bios setup, under the 'Advanced' tab Dynamic CPU Frequency: Mode = Always Low (NOT DYNAMIC)
> 2. Set the power plan to high performance
> ...


im a computer technician and i have been given a200 toshiba with the same problem works fine on battery soon as u connect the AC the laptop freezers up i followed 1 step and changed dynamic cpu to always low in the bios saved and exit
laptop is now working on charge it is a bit slower but atlease it works


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## Notsosure (Dec 7, 2011)

Townsville Tech said:


> ..... i followed 1 step and changed dynamic cpu to always low in the bios saved and exit laptop is now working on charge it is a bit slower but atlease it works


What you have essentially done is reduced the load on CPU, which may work for few months. As the Proadlizer deteriorates further with time the problem will return again. Replacement, though tedious, is the best solution I am aware of (see the link in previous post).


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