Hardware Failures

Hardware Failures

Document number: 29056

The error message similar to " Hardware malfunction. Call your hardware vendor for support. The system has halted..." is another kind of "Stop" error message. In general it means your machine or hardware will need repair.

You should first look carefully at the error message and see if you can tell exactly what hardware is malfunctioning. If you can determine what hardware is malfunctioning try troubleshooting to see if you can resolve the problem. The most common cause of this problem is with the Tecra 9000 and bad system boards. This is the most likely problem if the issue occurs only when using battery power. However, the issue has also been resolved by replacing a bad battery, or merely by deleting then reinstalling bad drivers for the particular piece of hardware.

A similar error message is " Unsafe Removal of Device. You have unplugged or ejected a device without stopping it. Unplugging or ejecting devices without first stopping them can often cause your computer to crash and loose valuable data. To safely unplug or eject any of the following devices, first use the Hardware wizard in the Control Panel to stop the device. [Device type] If you frequently need to unplug this device, Windows can give you an icon on the taskbar to quickly unplug or eject your device. If you would like to use this option, check the following: Show Unplug/Eject icon on the taskbar." This message is supposed to occur if you unplug a device from the machine, or eject a card, while the machine is on and while the services and devices drivers have not been stopped. So either shut down the machine or stop the services before unplugging. Sometimes, however, the message will appear if there is a problem with the device.

The steps below will walk you through the troubleshooting process.

Resolving a "Hardware malfunction" error:

1. Reset Your Machine.

2. Remove all sources of power, restore power and try again.

3. Use the appropriate troubleshooter

4. Submit a Ticket

1. Reset Your Machine.

Using the reset button to restart your computer:

Locate the reset button on your computer.
- In the Toshiba Tecra 500 it is a small hole above the power-on switch.
- In the Toshiba Tecra 510 it is a small hole below and slightly in front of the power-on switch.
- In the Toshiba 8000 series it is a small hole on the front to the right of the volume dial.
- In the Toshiba Equium 7000 series it is a small button on the front above the power switch.
- In the Toshiba Portege 3100CT is is a small hole on the front to the right of the volume dial.
- There is no reset button on the Toshiba 9000 (9xxx series). Use the power button in the same way.
For the Toshiba Tecras use a thin, unbreakable instrument such as a straightened paper clip to push the button in that hole. Do not use something that may break off inside the hole, such as a pencil tip.
Push the reset button to restart the computer. Note: Sometimes a "10 second reset" will solve the problem. This is the same as a normal reset, but involves holding the reset button in for 10 seconds.
Watch the screen carefully as the machine reboots to note any unusual messages.

If you succeed in getting your machine operational, take the time for a backup. For more information on backups see Eureka! document 11225 How to do a manual backup.

Resetting your machine may restore normal operation or it may work only temporarily. If you continue to get errors and need to reset frequently, submit a ticket for a rebuild.

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2. Remove all sources of power, restore power, and try again.

Remove all power sources and restart

If none of the above methods work to shutdown your computer then press the power switch.
Unplug the machine, remove all cables.

If it is a laptop remove the battery from the machine.
Disconnect all external devices such as Jaz Drive, external CD-ROM, Floppy Disk, Palm Cradle, etc. That includes the port replicator bar, dongle, etc. This is important to reset device status and force the machine to actually poll for the devices later.

Press the power switch (yes, with no power attached) to complete circuits and clear all memory.
Reinstall the battery, reinstall cables, and power source.

Reconnect ONLY what you need to power up and control the machine.
For laptop replace the battery and connect your plug in power source but do NOT reconnect network, mouse, monitor or keyboard.
For desktop plug in machine and reconnect mouse, monitor and keyboard but do NOT reconnect to network.

Read the next set of instructions now because the screens move too fast to read them as you go. Once you have finished reading the instructions and know what to look for, turn on the machine.
In Windows 2000
1. Reset the machine to start the bootup process.
2. When you see the message Please select the operating system to start, OR the message Starting windows ...press the { F8} key.
  - This will be white lettering on a black background. Press the F8 key for ANY white lettering on a black background. If you've taken the time to read it you will be too late.
  - If you aren't catching that message try holding down the { Esc} key and tapping the { F8} key rapidly.
3. Use the arrow keys to highlight Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER.
  - NUM LOCK must be off before the arrow keys on the numeric keypad will function.
4. Use the arrow keys to highlight an operating system, and then press ENTER.
5. At the log on screen, press { Ctrl} + { Alt} + { Del} but instead of logging on select the Shut Down ...button. Then select Shutdown and Power Off.
6. After the shutting off the machine wait 10 seconds. Reconnect only necessary peripherals such as dongle or port replicator bar (or modem ) and log into the network normally.
If that resolves the problem but the problem returns when a device is reattached, use the troubleshooter.

If the problem occurs only when the machine is operating on battery power, but is fine when plugged in then it is likely a bad system board. Is there a known good battery you can borrow? If you substitute a battery known to be good and the problem goes away you need to order a replacement battery. If the problem does not go away then the machine needs repair. To replace the battery or repair the machine submit a NorthStar ticket.

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3. Use the appropriate troubleshooter

Modem troubleshooter

Mouse troubleshooter

Monitor troubleshooter

If the hardware causing the problem is not one of these devices then submit a ticket for repair

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4. Submit a Ticket

If the steps above did not correct the problem, or if it reoccurs, then the machine will need repair or rebuild. To make an appointment for service open a NorthStar Ticket. Be sure to leave a contact number and describe the problem. You will be contacted by the appropriate party. To open a NorthStar Ticket, click here or see document 70001 — How to create a service request in NorthStar.

If you had external devices such as a Jaz drive, external CD-ROM, palm cradle, etc. attached at the time of the blue screen you should be sure to bring whatever you had attached when you take your machine in for evaluation.

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