Toshiba Equium P300 laptop BIOS update fail

**katana** · 17th September 2012

Have an Equium P300 laptop that crashed while having the bios updated, the bios update was in xp and I think it should have been in vista but didn't have a copy of vista but a copy of XP to hand. The reason I was updating the bios was that the dvd drive wasn't seen in the bios. The Drive was tested in another machine and worked. More of this later.

So what was left that the laptop does not do anything, no lights no nothing. Having taken the Laptop apart, here is where I found the drive was not connected at the motherboard and the laptop had been apart before as there were missing screws. Have taken the laptop apart and left it with all the batteries off the motherboard including the RTC battery. Having put it back together and its still the same, no lights.

Have looked in to prices to repair and Toshiba wanted �180 whilst other repairers wanted at least �40 just to look at the laptop and then any repairs on top. Have obtained the toshiba manual which seems to offer field repairs which are replace the power board, then the motherboard and then the CPU. Have checked the powerboard, which is the power switch, and this connects as a push switch should.

Would the lack of/corrupt BIOS mean that the board has no instruction what to do hence nothing. I can get a replacement programed bios chip for a �10 ish but not so sure I can unsolder and resolder a bios chip. Previously have replaced the power sockets on toshiba laptop motherboard and replace caps on amps and computer motherboards for people. Also concerned that the motherboard is dead and I'm just wasting time and destroying the motherboard more.

Any advice? Can anyone explain a way to confirm if it is the bios or a dead motherboard. Thank you

**evilsatan** · 17th September 2012

Well from what you have described it is corrupt BIOS. When you first turn the machine on the BIOS is loaded, without it the machine will be inoperable. There are recovery procedures you can try which require the use of a USB floppy drive, I haven't had any luck with these but others have. I ended up replacing the BIOS chip on a Sat L300 the other day and straight away it came back to life.

If you plug the PSU in whilst battery is connected does the charging light illuminate?

**katana** · 17th September 2012

Have tried the blind flash method with usb drive and no where. All the computer does with the power supply plugged in the little power on light, the plug with a lead comes on, but nothing if the battery is added. No battery charge light.

**evilsatan** · 21st September 2012

I had no luck with BIOS recovery so cut my losses and proceeded to chip replacement. You just need to take your time, main thing is not to lift the PCB tracks! I lifted them and it was a nightmare exposing the right tracks and soldering to them.