First Problem: A malfunctioning SD card reader is preventing me from using my keyboard during the bootloader phase. Confused? So am I. Here's the deal. For the better part of a year or so now, my laptop has produced 3-4 resource conflict errors during POST. It gives me the option to press F1 to continue, or F2 to enter the BIOS. Pressing F1 allows the boot process to continue normally, with the exception of the keyboard. Any press made to any key between this point and the point where the OS takes control causes the system to freeze. The only recourse is to shut it down and try again. Obviously, this presents several problems: I can boot into Windows 7 (my default OS), but cannot boot into Ubuntu or Windows XP If any error occurs on Windows startup or shutdown, I have no choice but to accept the default option Windows presents me with on startup ("Start Windows Normally", etc.) I cannot enter the vast majority of OS discs I could use to wipe my computer and start over, due to having to press any key to boot from the disc OS discs that do *not* require a keypress to enter still lock up when they reach a point in the boot process where keyboard input would otherwise be required. This prevents me from booting to the Ubuntu live environment, and has also halted a Windows XP install disc (specially modified to not require a keypress to boot into) at the final setup message ("Setup is loading Windows..."). Through the Device Manager, I have narrowed the problem down to a Texas Instruments chip. It presents itself as four interdependent devices: Texas Instruments 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (under IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controllers) Texas Instruments PCIxx12 Integrated Flash Media Controller (under Memory Technology Driver) Texas Instruments PCI-8x12/7x12/6x12 CardBus Controller (under PCMCIA Adapters) SDA Standard Compliant SD Host Controller (under SD Host Adapters) Regardless of whether or not the devices are uninstalled, disabled, enabled without drivers, or enabled with all drivers installed correctly, at least three of them will continue to give resource conflict errors on boot (the PCMCIA adapter being the inconsistent one), and any SD card inserted into the slot will not show up in Windows Explorer. Every couple of months or so, the problem will disappear for a few reboot cycles and then reappear again. The source of these temporary fixes is entirely unknown to me. Sometimes Windows will report having messed with automatic driver upgrades, but sometimes it will report having done nothing at all (the fixes have never been permanent regardless). I have once managed to take such an opportunity to wipe the system entirely and reinstall all three OSes; however, enough reboots into Windows 7 eventually reignited the problem. Attempted repairs so far: Uninstalled/reinstalled various drivers in various combinations: Failed, as per above. Disabled AHCI/Plug and Play/the SD reader itself/etc. in the BIOS: Failed, due to Toshiba's BIOSes being highly locked down. Plugged in an external keyboard: Worked the first time, never since. Booted from my secondary hard drive with Windows XP installed on it: Failed, due to the GRUB loader booting into Win7 by default. Booted from my secondary hard drive with my primary drive removed: Failed, due to the GRUB loader not finding the primary drive. Diassembled the entire laptop in an effort to remove the SD reader: Failed, due to its being embedded directly onto the motherboard. Cleared the CMOS via battery removal and replacement: Failed for unknown reasons. --- Second Problem: Graphics card randomly goes berserk or causes bluescreens during notable display changes. This appears to be a manifestation of the relatively infamous atikmdag.sys problem. This problem first cropped up about a week ago, for unknown reasons. When the GPU undergoes major display changes, it (inconstistently) causes display problems. Bluescreening is one symptom, but equally common is a sort of "fritzing" - the display blacks out, and then reappears with chunks of pixels arranged in a seemingly random pattern. Sometimes those chunks resemble parts of the intended display output, other times they are apparently unrelated. Stimuli that have produced the errors include: Launching a fullscreen game (errors ranged from game freezing and continuing every few seconds with no other problems to bluescreening) Launching a windowed game (has worked once, but errors otherwise ranged from fritzing to bluescreening) Opening an application in a maximized window (fails inconsistently - Firefox usually works, but Photo Viewer usually fails - and it does seem to vary based on whether or not another program such as WMP is already maximized in another monitor) Closing an application from a maximized window (has failed once) Plugging in an external monitor (bluescreened, though it works fine if the monitor is already plugged in before booting) Since I did not (knowingly) change anything in my software environment before this problem first cropped up, it would seem on the surface to be a hardware error - and one that would likely warrant laptop replacement at that - but I cannot tell for sure. The only method I can think of to give a conclusive diagnosis, whether hardware or software, would be booting into another operating system (preferably Windows XP) and stressing the graphics that way... but unfortunately, due to Problem 1, this has not yet been a viable option. Attempted repairs so far: Uninstalled/reinstalled graphics drivers using official OEM drivers: Failed Uninstalled/reinstalled graphics drivers using drivers direct from AMD modified with Mobility Modder: Failed (although I'm not entirely convinced this process worked at all) Started the computer using each stick of RAM individually (since the GPU shares RAM with the main reserve): Failed - both sticks of RAM are clean --- There is one possible repair I have not yet attempted, and that is adding another OS to my Windows 7 bootloader and setting it to default. If it works, it would allow me access to XP or Ubuntu, and possibly straighten out the resource conflict mess at the same time (repeatedly booting into other OSes besides Windows 7 has not triggered the error in times past). However, if for any reason the other OS fails to load, I will have essentially locked myself out of my laptop entirely - hence my reluctance to go through with it. Any suggestions? - Diosjenin -
If you want to try going for another OS, why not pick up a cheap HDD and install on that, at least that way it'll rule out any possibility of trashing anything and also if the if it all goes well and with no errors then it might be time to reinstall, with the 3 OS's you got on already you might be creating a bit of a mess on the HDD or it could be the originak HDD it self causing the problems....just a thought.
If I could wipe and reinstall anything, I'd have done it a long time ago - but the whole "not having a keyboard between BIOS and OS" thing has been letting a very decisive hammer down on that plan. - Diosjenin -
Have you tried an external keyboard, plug it in when the laptops booted to let the drivers load and the try rebooting an see what happens. I have to admire our persistence with this one. I'd have gone for it with a hammer by now, I hate niggley laptop problems.
As I'm sure you know... You've got hardware issues, which on a laptop really sucks as swapping out the MB for another one isn't as simple as on a full size rig. I hate to say it but it sounds like your laptop is well and truly borked. Do you think it's worth getting it fixed? It could be expensive... if it's even possible.
Agreed. Sounds like the south bridge chip has had it(2nd time I've said that today) All the problems you're having point to it.
It's certainly possible, but no, it's not worth it. I've seen a couple replacement mobos floating around in the $300 range, but the laptop itself is old enough now that at that cost I'd much rather just buy a new one. Out of curiosity, what makes you say the southbridge? - Diosjenin -
The main symptoms of the south bridge on the way out, would be hard drives, usb ports, and the DVD all playing up all stuff that your mobo seems to be suffering with. You've even said the SD reader is giving probs and the 1394 host controller , again all linked to the south bridge chip. If the PC isn't blue screening and it's booting ok, then all the software and hardware much pretty much be working ok. Which means it's a mobo problem. And to make it sound like I'm a court room judge. I can see from the evidence presented in front of me that there can only be one conclusion, and that is that the south bridge has committed the afore mention offences and it is there fore guilty. It should be removed at once and taken to a suitable recycling facility where it will remain until melted down and turned into a frying pan.
I presume you've already thought of this, and the option most likely won't exist since you mention that the BIOS doesn't present many options, but if possible disable "Assign IRQ to USB", then try your external keyboard. But I'd echo previous posters in that if these problems have only manifested later on in the lifetime of your laptop the hardware is on the way out.
A fair point, although after having disassembled and reassembled the entire thing twice in the last week, I can tell you that the resource conflict problem is much more likely a large TI-made chip than it is the southbridge. The resource conflict-inducing hardware is all TI-controlled, whereas everything else that the southbridge typically controls (USB, etc.) is working just fine. Unfortunately not an option. Toshiba locks their BIOSes down hard. Thanks for the help, guys. Given that I have no real way to test recurrence of these problems in another OS, I'm probably just going to give up and say the mobo is dying. Hopefully I can scrape up the money for a new computer... - Diosjenin -
