My laptop doesn't turn on

[Tales2011]

Hey there! I hope you're all doing well and can lend me a hand with this little predicament I'm in. So, here's the deal: I've got this old but trusty first-gen Intel Core Toshiba Laptop that's giving me some trouble. It's refusing to turn on properly - the fans spin, but it won't boot up, and there's no video signal either.

Here's the backstory: initially, it had this recurring issue where it would try to boot up, display a CMOS battery error on the first attempt, show the Windows logo briefly, reset itself, and then get stuck in a frustrating loop. To tackle the problem, I decided to experiment a bit. I swapped out the RAM modules with different ones, opened up the laptop, replaced the CMOS battery, gave it a fresh coat of thermal paste, and put everything back together.

 

However, here's where things took a turn for the worse. After my tinkering session, the laptop no longer shows any video signal when I try to turn it on. It just spins the fan for a bit and then shuts down. Oh, the disappointment! As part of my troubleshooting, I even removed the CPU from its socket to see if another CPU I had would fit. Surprisingly, it did fit, but the internet tells me it's not compatible because it's socket 2. I didn't actually attempt to boot it up with that CPU, though.

So, now I'm left wondering: did I accidentally break the CPU? Or maybe it's the motherboard that's giving me grief? Is there any way for me to figure out which component is causing the problem without having to fork out cash for a new CPU?

Any assistance and advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated, my friendly tech-savvy pals! Thanks a bunch!

 

[ItTakes2ToMango]

27 minutes ago, Tales2011 said:

 first-gen Intel Core Toshiba Laptop

 

I'm incredibly amazed that a LAPTOP running a first-gen intel is still working well enough for you that you want to repair it

[Tales2011]

50 minutes ago, ItTakes2ToMango said:

I'm incredibly amazed that a LAPTOP running a first-gen intel is still working well enough for you that you want to repair it

If it can stream video, run office, be snappy and run Overcooked 2 it's good enough for me  

[ItTakes2ToMango]

20 minutes ago, Tales2011 said:

If it can stream video, run office, be snappy and run Overcooked 2 it's good enough for me  

Guess so! Welp, either way - it sounds like your motherboard is crapping the bed to me. This could be CPU technically but the downward spiral of issues makes me think it is the motherboard. Not really sure there is much more I can discern than that it's probably not fixable without significant work and parts sourcing

[Tales2011]

1 hour ago, ItTakes2ToMango said:

Guess so! Welp, either way - it sounds like your motherboard is crapping the bed to me. This could be CPU technically but the downward spiral of issues makes me think it is the motherboard. Not really sure there is much more I can discern than that it's probably not fixable without significant work and parts sourcing

Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks, though