anyone have a toshiba 5105 'spare' geforce4 440 video card? - Page 3

If you look a few posts back in this thread, I gave high-level instructions to someone else.

Hello Rich and thank you kindly. But if I understand this correctly, I can gain access to the video card from the TOP and notthe bottom of my notebook? Or do all screws from the bottom also need to be removed as well as those found underthe keyboard from the top. Thank you for your patience.

The case splits in half, and the video card plugs into the motherboard from above. The card itself is held by 3 screws Most of the screws holding the care together are on the bottom; 4 are under the keyboard. Taking a laptop apart is much harder than a desktop computer. The ribbon cables are delicate. It is one of those projects where you come away thinking that it will be easier the second time. Unless you feel comfortable, you might be better off paying someone, if you have someone you trust.

The problem is....

I am an ex-laptop design engineer, and I just purchased a used S901 that has this same problem. Here is what I have found out:

1) Due to the syptoms seen on the display, it is obvious that there is a problem with the RAM, the RAM controller, or the solder or traces and vias between the RAM and the GPU. This would exclude a problem with the connector or bus, as a problem in that area would prevent the machine from booting at all.

2) Not having a hot-air chip removal tool in my shop, I used a small torch to remove one of the BGA RAM chips from the board, and then replace it. This improved the situation. I am waiting on a smaller torch to try the rest of the RAM chips, and the GPU. If, after removing and replacing all of the RAM chips and the GPU, the problem still exists, then there is a problem with the vias being separated, likely caused by loss of PCB lamination due to excessive GPU/RAM heat(which also likely caused the solder problem in the first place).

3) The reason that a different video card is not working in a given laptop is this: Unlike desktop video cards, laptop video cards do not have their own separate ROM containing the GPU's firmware, the card's firmware is stored in part of the system ROM, along with the system's BIOS routines. Were you to flash the system ROM with a version from a system that originally contained the replacement card in question, a different card would likely work just fine.

4) This is definitely an issue with the construction of these particular video cards, or the lack of cooling around them, and this should be covered under Toshiba's consumer protection policy, if they will admit that there is a problem.

My replacement 64Meg card will arrive tomorrow, and in preparation I have already added significantly more internal heat dissipation than was originally designed into the laptop.

Hitek

Hitek146: What do you plan to do to improve the cooling? My problem was certainly caused by heat. The lady that had the machine (I got it after it was broken) reported some sort of "scraping noise" in the morning before the video went crazy. When I tested the fan, it was dead. The machine seems fine since I replaced the video card, but I am afraid that the video is still a weak link. In order to be able to support a different video card, Toshiba would need to develop a BIOS that would support the rest of the 5105 hardware, plus a different card. This shouldn't be a big deal, but it is contrary to Toshiba's official position that the video cannot be upgraded - you need to buy a new machine.

I cut a out a piece of aluminum in the shape of the video card and attached it to the underside of the top half of the chassis. I then added heat sink compound to transfer the heat away from the GPU.

When I spoke of flashing the system with a different BIOS, I meant a BIOS from the same series of machine. For example, I had a bad 64 Meg video card in an S901 model. Had I only been able to find a 32 Meg version of the video card, I likely could have used it. Since the 5105-S501 and the 5105-S901 have the same motherboard, but the 5105-S501 has a 32 Meg video card, I could have flashed the S901 machine with an S501 BIOS, and then the motherboard would have been ready to accept a 32 Meg card.... Doing this might require one to deal with bypassing checksums, etc, and there is a chance that it may not work for other reasons, but I know that it is possible, as I used to mix non-standard video cards and motherboards on Texas Instrument's laptops when I worked there. I'm probably one of the only people that actually tested an old 386SX-16MHz laptop motherboard with a laptop active-matrix TFT color display....

Hitek

Hitek146: Actually, what you are saying is not quite true. THe motherboards for all the 5105 models have assembly number FMZSY2, but the part number is P000346550 for the models that use the 64MB video chip (s701, S702 and S901), while the others use part number P000341750. This is parallel to the video card, where all the models use assembly number FMC2G1 (both 64MB and 32MB) but the part numbers are different (P000341430 = 32MB and P000349220 = 64MB). I first got the wrong card, 64MB, for my S607 and when I found out what was going on, I was afraid to try to flash the BIOS with the image for the motherboard that uses the 64MB card. Now, I got a 32MB card and everything is fine. I don't know what the other differences are.

Well, when I said "same motherboard", I really meant "same chipset".... The differences in the Toshiba part numbers is likely the BIOS... Are there any physical differences, that you know of?
I am also hesitant to try flashing the BIOS, but I will when I get a spare 5105 board.....

Hitek

I went thru the comparison of the specs before I was able to get the 32MB card. The S607 (the one I have) just says it has an Intel 845 chipset, without being more specific. The later machines say they have the 845MP. I wish I had actually looked at the chip when I had it open. While I was doing the comparison, I got a phone call back from someone who told me he had a card I could get. I lost interest and I just put the card in and closed up. The S607 also said that the HD interface is ATA-5 and the interface to the CD/DVD is ATAPI, without saying ATA-4 or ATA-5. The S901 says specifically that both are ATA-5.

The S501 spec sheet says that it has an 845MP chipset, and the 32MB card. What I was actually thinking of doing, though, is trying a 5005 series Geforce card on a 5105 motherboard by attempting to isolate the code for the video card in the 5005 firmware, and merging it with the system board firmware from the 5105...

Hitek

BTW, what did you do with the 64MB card?

I bought it on eBay. It was described as from a "5105" and at the time I didn't realize that 64MB was a later option. I tried it and it found it didn't work. When it started up in character mode, before it went into windows, I got every other character on the screen (black vertical stripes) and the screen turned to crap when windows started. When I figured out it was a 64MB card (with the same FMC2G1 stamped on the card as on my old card) I assumed that the 64MB chip was using every other byte in the buffer when it was in character mode. I returned the card and was given a refund. I explained the difference to the seller, but I don't think he understood. It sold again on 2/20. I don't know what went on, but it seems to be for sale again. I never could tell if the card was good. The item now says it came from a 5105-S702 (which has 64MB) but the description says it is compatible with all the 5105 series, which is untrue.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

Wow... I only paid $80 for my 64MB card on eBay... I knew it was a good deal, as one sold just before it for $175, maybe to someone here.... Maybe the guy with the auction means that the card will work with those other systems if you flash the BIOS...

Hitek

Now that I think about it, I hope I didn't buy an old card from someone here....

Hitek

If you look closdely, the $175 card was the same card from the same seller, which also was the same one I bought in January for $150.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6739253622

Here's the one I bought:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6747817271
It should be here tomorrow. The same guy also sold this motherboard:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6747826726

$180 seems a little expensive for that card, and sparepartswarehouse.com claims to have them for $140 after trade in. I doubt they would take one of these defective boards as trade-in, though, siting heat damage....

Hitek

Good luck with your card. Sparepartswarehouse.com said they have the 64MB cards, but all the places that sell spare parts say they cannot get the 32MB ones. I actually found a dealer that could get one and took my old head-damaged card back for exchange. The new one came in a Toshiba box and has their regular 12-month parts waranty. although I don't know what a waranty means if there are no parts available. THe rule for exchanges is basically "no obvious physical damage". That includes obvious, visable cracks and coffee spills

Update: The card did not work, and exibited the same problems with the other cards in question here. I have contacted the seller, but he has not contacted me back. After resoldering the original board, removing and replacing RAM chips, and then seeing absolutely no change in performance, I have determined that the vias on the board have separated. In one final effort, I will attempt to resolder the vias on the old board, and hopefully this will correct the problem.

RichK, where did you get your new card, and how much did you pay for it? I am almost fairly sure at this point that both motherboards will take the 32MB or 64MB card(the BIOS is the same for all versions of the motherboard), and the card that you originally bought on eBay was defective, just as mine was....

Send me a private email.

I'm a little late to this conversation, but have all the same problems all of you mentioned (in previous posts) with a 5105 s901. Has anyone found any resolution from Toshiba, or a good source of working video cards?

I am having exactly the same problems with my Satellite 5100-603 (UK name for same model?) Keeping the laptop cool seems to help, but moving it can start the problem off. Playing any sort of graphics intensive game really kicks the problem off but at its worst I've had distortion from the very start of the boot process