Toshiba Satellite A30 won't start - major screw up?

Hi all,

I have a Toshiba Satellite A30 that was overheating. I then wanted to clean the heatsink and fans.
I have managed to remove, clean and replace the heatsink/CPU block, but now the laptop won't start.

When I turn it on, the fans start spinning, I can hear it access the DVD-R drive and the HDD for a fraction of a second, and then everything stops. It then starts again, same things, and this in a loop, 10 times. The computer then completely stops.
The screen remains completely blank.
The Power LED is on for the whole time the fans spin, and off when everything stops, following the same loop pattern. The drive LEDs flash briefly at the beginning each cycle.
The timing is 3-4 seconds on, 2-3 seconds off.

For information, I also tried to dismantle the laptop to access the fans. To do that, I removed all visible screws on the bottom and 2 screws at the back, the DVD drive and HDD, the 2 RAM modules. I did not manage to open the case, and didn't want to break anything, so I just screwed everything back. I guess I might have stopped too late :-(
I did not separate the CPU and heatsink. They were stuck together, and I left them so.

I have of course tried to remove and replace every component one by one.

Does this ring a bell to anyone? Does it look like a CPU, motherboard or RAM problem?

Thanks in advance!

Ben

Mmm, plenty of ideas, thanks.

I have removed and replaced the RAM a dozen times, and tried every possible combination of slot/module/number of module.

I didn't unplug any of the cables, however I did try to open the case, with could have dislodged a short cable between the two halves of the casing. My problem is that I didn't manage to open it further, so I wouldn't be able to fix it.
I don't think this is it, though, as it would make it nearly impossible to reassemble it properly if it was designed this way.

I have checked all disks and CPU pins. No visible problem here.
I have tried without without disks, and the symptoms are the same. I have even tried without the CPU. Same again...

I have removed about two kilos of dust from the heatsink, so I'm pretty sure that was the problem.
The thermal grease looks pretty dry anyway, though, but I'm not sure what it supposed to look like. I bought some new grease in case I would need it, but there is no sign of movement between the two, so I didn't want to force them.

I didn't think so either...

Oh well...

Thanks anyway. I'll keep looking, but I will probably end up in a shop. I'll let you know.

Hi German,

Sorry, no luck here. But as the laptop is still gathering dust, I'd still be interested to know of a fix.
Cheers,

Ben

Lucky you! ;-)
Good idea, though, I'll have a look at that, then.
Thanks for letting me know.

Ben