Toshiba Satellite 320CDS powers up, but POST fails

[6885P5H]

Hi. First of all I know that this laptop is pretty recent for the forum (late 90's, Pentium, Windows 95), so feel free to move it to the off-topic section if its presence here is too offensive.

This laptop worked until I tried it one day and it didn't anymore. When I turn it on the status indicators for the keyboard light up and then shut down, the same thing happens with the HDD activity indicator during the drive's seek test, and that's it, the laptop doesn't go any farther in its boot sequence. The screen never turns on and the keyboard is unresponsive. The reset button works. Interestingly the computer shuts down 30 seconds after you tell it to, and then blinks an error code with the DC IN indicator (represented on the battery's bezel by a power plug). The code is 1 long-4 shorts-1 long-2 shorts. According to the documentation that I have found online for other Toshibas, this either means error code 21h or 84h. 21h is "The main battery charge current is more than 6.05 A" and 84h is either "BGVSNS voltage is not more than 1.62V when the computer is suspended." or "BGVSNS-B1P voltage is less than 0.68V when the computer is suspended.". Of course as my model is 320CDS this information could be erroneous but it seems like it could be a power-related issue, if the error code is correct.

Does someone know what the problem is?

Update: It doesn't blink an error code anymore. Good thing that I documented it.

Update: I have disassembled the computer and found that one of the two internal batteries has corrupted leads. The plug of the battery exploded when I tried to disconnect it. The battery in question is the larger one, with the two-pin plug. The colour of one of the leads of the connector is duller, but I found no other signs of corruption in the circuit.

Anyway, seems like I should scour my things for batteries and remove them.

I wonder why the laptop has two batteries? One for the settings and one for the clock?

 

[modem7]

I wonder why the laptop has two batteries? One for the settings and one for the clock?

If one of those is 7.2V, then that will be the backup/resume battery, there to support resume mode - see [here]. In my Satellite Pro 430CDT, I removed the leaking backup/resume battery and did not fit a replacement, because I do not use resume mode.

The smaller one, 3.6V, is a battery for 'CMOS settings'.

 

[6885P5H]

I see. I tried that mode before and it didn't work. Perhaps this was the fault of the batteries.

So I'm guessing that a laptop from 2022 has two internal batteries too.

It's weird how a 430 is an older, mostly inferior product to a 320, right? I don't understand Toshiba's nomenclature.

 

[darthfury78]

The same problem happened with my Satellite 115CS when both the CMOS and Bios battery leaked. Thus causing my computer screen to no longer work when it turned white.

 

[6885P5H]

115CS? Cool, it looks like an older model. Are there any signs of corruption on the motherboard from the leaking batteries? Our problems are not exactly the same however, as you say that with your 115CS the screen is what stopped functioning properly. On mine, it simply does not boot.

What do the batteries in the 115CS do? What's the difference between the "CMOS" battery and the "Bios" battery?

You seem very knowledgeable about Toshiba laptops.

 

[darthfury78]

115CS? Cool, it looks like an older model. Are there any signs of corruption on the motherboard from the leaking batteries? Our problems are not exactly the same however, as you say that with your 115CS the screen is what stopped functioning properly. On mine, it simply does not boot.

What do the batteries in the 115CS do? What's the difference between the "CMOS" battery and the "Bios" battery?

You seem very knowledgeable about Toshiba laptops.

The CMOS is the clock battery that keeps the date and time accurately. The BIOS battery keeps the computer systems in check.