Issue with Toshiba A100

[Syr0]

Hey. A while ago I dropped my laptop.

Yup.

And ever since, if I bump the table, move the laptop screen too much or put it in it's bag and walk around with it for too long, the laptop ceases to work.

The laptop is outside any of it's warranties. So I opened it. I thought it was the hard-drive because it pretty much directly plugs into the mobo (motherboard) but I'm just not sure.

I've only just realised that if i move the laptop screen to about 45 degrees shut, the laptop freezes.

The laptop also freezes every now and then from the wireless card inside it (Atheros) ceasing to work (which has been an issue I've suffered with since the beginning of my Ubuntu experience).

I've also bought a D-Link PCIMCIA wireless card that operates better than the internal Atheros card. (at least I can SEE when the laptop has crashed from the wireless drivers by looking at the lights.)

I *love* Ubuntu, but this is causing me a bit of greif - both the wireless card crashing/disconnecting and the random laptop freezing.

I'm turning to you guys first - these forums are brilliant - and I'm aware this is definitely a hardware issue, but I'm just inquiring to see if anyone here has an opinion or any expertise.

Thanks guys/girls.

[techdude2007]

Several possibilities from dropping the laptop: A cable could be loose inside the machine, something was damaged or a piece on the motherboard may be loose, the powersupply could be damaged and overheating (thus turning it off) & (don't open the powersupply inside the laptop)

Describe what happens when
the laptop ceases to work.

[Syr0]

Either:

a) When the laptop is operating, and I move the laptop for any reason, the mouse on the screen will not respond, and neither will the keyboard make any effect to the elements on the screen. The screen remains static - when the laptop freezes, the screen shows all the windows, but nothing else works. ( I can still, however open the drive bay.)

b) When the laptop is OFF and i try to turn it ON, the dvd-rom drive whirrs and i can SOMETIMES hear the powersupply working (although when the laptop boots normally it often works for long periods of time without the sound of the powersupply) but nothing else changes on the screen. The screen remains un-illuminated AT ALL. It doesn't 'glow' black.

Sometimes when I boot the laptop up after a week of not using it, I have to re-input the time and date into the BIOS.

[prizrak]

Sounds like a hardware problem to me. Toshiba's are kinda crappy in that department. Easiest thing you can do to make sure it's not an Ubuntu problem is put Windows on it. Reinputing time and date into CMOS is indicative of the CMOS battery being dead. If Windows shows the same problems then I suggest going to repair shop and getting a quote on how much it would cost to repair it. Hate to say it but it seems it might be a time for another laptop.