Possible Solution for Toshiba Laptop Monitor Blackouts
June 2, 2008 by Jason Bean
Filed under Computers
I may have a solution for everyone experiencing the random screen blackouts on Toshiba laptops. After seeing this comment by Gwendolyn, I decided to go visit the Toshiba website again and see if there was an available update for my wife’s computer. She’s got a Toshiba Satellite A215-S7437 and there indeed was the update as shown in the graphic above.
There’s a BIOS version update of 1.70 available for her machine with the following feature notes specified:
Version 1.70 – 2008-02-28
- Added support for Windows Vista SP1.
- A change was made to an AMD SB600 power management register.
- A change was made to resolve a very intermittent blank screen issue.
- Added LTN154AT07-T01, LP154WX4-TLC8, B154EW08 V1, and N154I3-L03 display information to the Brightness Table.
I’ve downloaded and installed the update but my wife hasn’t been home tonight, she’s out watching the “Sex and the City” movie with a friend. No guarantees yet, but I really think this should fix the problem. I sure hope it does.
The question is if I’m just lucky or not sure what the definition of “intermittent” actually is. Next is to walk my mom through the BIOS update on her laptop. It may just be easier to drive the half-hour to their house and take care of it myself.
No,it is not a solution. :)
I have update the bios to 1.80, and try to play a Game, Transformer
It crash, with the same problem : … ” the computer had trouble communicating with the display driver”, or some sort.
So, what else?
I have a Satellite A200-28M laptop and I have the same problem, i searched the internet but I found no solution, it is shame on Toshiba to have such a problem like that without a solution
I am *around* the age of 15. I have been mowing lawns for a few years now and recently bought a satellite a215-s4747 and i have the same black out problem and my parents are blaming me for the viruses but thats not it at all… I have gone through power settings and all… plz help.
Bob thanks for stopping by the site. Just show your parents these posts so they know it’s not you causing these problems. There are a number of suggestions here for people to try, hopefully one of those will work for you. I’m still waiting to hear back from Toshiba to get official word.
i am having the same problem with my staelite p205d. It started a week after I got it, it is getting worse and happens 2-3 times a day now.
I have the same problem – now it won’t boot at all…i had tried the recovery option and during the recovery option the screen problem occurs (black screen). Nice feature, I am going to try and return it.
My toshiba Satellite S4757 (which is a year old) started about a month doing this. I tried the update of the BIOS on the Toshiba website but it still does it. Tried changing the power options to never hibernate, sleep (as suggested by Toshiba Tech Support) and it still does it. Toshiba just told me to take it to Best Buy, but with everyone having this problem…I don’t want to have to pay them to figure it out. Please help!!
I also have a toshiba laptop which is about 3 years old now. The blank screen has happened a couple of times, but not often enough to be to concerned about. It boots up and i can make out the display however there is no backlight. I dont think I have upgraded the bios in a while, I will try that and see if that helps. Thanks for all the information!
I have had my computer for 3 years and it started doing it occaissionally and now it does it all the time. I can’t run a whole program. I thought I would upgrade the operating system and it can’t get through the upgrade. Now I am going to have to restore the hard drive onto an external one and wipe the system clean. I’ll update if it works.
I have had my Toshiba for 3 years it was turned off for a week while I was on vacation and the screen is now completely black i cant make out anything on the screen and it turns on but does not make a start up sound. I have never had a problem like this before any suggestions as to why it might have happened??????? or should i invest in a new computer….
I also have a 3 year old load of Tosh – Sat A100-049. It probably started blacking out mildly about 6 months ago, but is getting quite bad now. The screen quite often doesn’t return from standby like it did well for the first couple years. Have to shutdown completely and restart to get life back into the screen. Interresting that during one of these blackout moments I plugged in an external monitor and with a few in and out of standby’s the external monitor came on, but not the laptop one. Very frustrating, so about to get a Macbook…