On Tue, Jul 20, 2004 at 09:22:41AM -0700, Bill Moseley wrote: > I've got a Toshiba Satellite 2508-S302. I'm running a 2.6.5 kernel > with APM (not ACPI -- tried with ACPI but laptop failed to boot).
I have a Satellite 3000-X4 with no APM so I'll skip that bit... :-) > BTW -- anyone have experience opening up one of these laptops? My > power connector seems to have a bad connection inside the laptop -- I > have to wiggle the power cable just right to make the connection. Yes; mine developed exactly the same problem within a year and a half or so. Fixing it is a rather big job: what happens is that the power connector is soldered directly onto the mother board, and that solder doesn't take well physical stess and eventually gives. The problem is that the mother board is exactly rigth at the bottom of the computer, and you have to start opening by the top. It's a long process: it took me about an hour to remove the many layers of components, processor fan etc, and IIRC a grand total of 70 screws. Then, count 25 secs to resolder the connector, and another hour to put it back together. (I only had 4 screws left when I finished, not bad.) One think you'll need that's not obvious is a storx screw driver. While almost all the screws have normal cross-shaped heads, there is a storx one to "prevent" access to the vital parts of the computer (without it, you're stopped at the layer above the mother board.) (BTW, "storx" is an inverted star shape). > Might be time to look for a new (Debian friendly) laptop. Yes... I must say I'm very disappointed by this laptop: the corners on the side of the keyboard have both broken; the original rubber feet are long gone (which lead the laptop to overheat if left on a flat surface); I'm not even sure that the model is because the label underneath the casing is worn out; the battery doesn't age well[1]... and my solder wasn't good enough as the bad contact problem is appearing again *grr*. It certainly looks like Toshiba has decided that laptops are commodities you throw out after a year or so. I hear Apple laptops are *extremely* resistant... hmm. Y. [1] I have a much older Toshiba Satellite 420, that I bought second hand 4 years ago, which still has about 1 hour of battery life... This one has about 5 mins.
