Member Avatar for bimmerguy

I need some help. Today I attempted to upgrade the memory in my daughter's Toshiba Satellite M35X laptop (256 to 1 Gig). Upon changing the memory I noticed the laptop was only registering one of the two new memory chips. I went through the process of trying to determine whether I had bad chips or a bad socket. Well... now the laptop does not boot. It appears to be on but is not going thru the boot-up process. I've tried restarting the laptop several times ( with and with out the battery ) and still it will not boot. The laptop does beep at me. It gives me two sets of three beeps followed by a single beep. So... that would be 7 beeps total with a black screen and indication that the computer is on (based on indicator lights).

If any of you have a solution I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by DenisOxon

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Short summary and practical checklist based on this thread: reported a Satellite M35X that would power on but not POST after a memory upgrade; correctly suggested checking seating and compatibility; the final fix was that a module was not fully seated. Below are clear, repeatable steps and a few extra checks to prevent a repeat.

  • Power down, remove AC and battery, discharge by holding power 15–30 seconds. Ground yourself before touching components.
  • Remove all DIMMs and inspect slots and module gold fingers for dirt, bent contacts, or broken retention clips. Clean contacts lightly with isopropyl alcohol and let dry.
  • Test one known-good module at a time in the primary slot. Try each slot with the same module to isolate slot vs module faults.
  • Fit modules firmly at the 45-degree install angle until the side clips click; intermittent seating can cause odd beep patterns or fans that spin briefly then stop.
  • If still no POST, remove the CMOS (RTC) battery for a minute to clear settings, then retry. If a working stick is available, try it in another machine or borrow a stick to confirm the laptop’s behavior.

Notes and cautions: record the exact beep pattern and consult the BIOS vendor or Toshiba service manual for that pattern before replacing parts—beep codes map to different failures across BIOS types. If modules are compatible by spec (type, voltage, speed) and a single, known-good DIMM still fails, suspect the slot or motherboard and consider professional repair. Keep original modules until a successful test, and avoid forcing modules—damage to the socket is common during upgrades.

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Member Avatar for DenisOxon

Hi,

Have you removed all the memory and tried to boot laptop ? If so what happens ?

Have you put old memory back in and rebooted ? What happens ?

Sounds to me as if new memory is either not seated correctly or incompatable.

Denis

Member Avatar for bimmerguy

I've tried various combinations of memory; Original, no memory, new and old.... Sometimes I get the Beep sequence and sometimes it attempts to boot. The fan will run for about 5 seconds and then it stops. In all cases, the monitor remains totally blank and the computer never boots. I've looked at other forums as will and it appears this is not an uncommon issue with this particular model.

Member Avatar for bimmerguy

Problem resolved: After thinking about what had happened I went back and re-checked how the memory chips were fitting into the memory socket and sure enough they were not fully seated properly. Amazing how things work when you put them together properly !! Anyway thanks for the help!

Mike

Member Avatar for DenisOxon

Glad you hear you have solved the problem. Thanks for letting us know.

Denis

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