Member Avatar for LuminousState

I have a Toshiba Satellite A130/A135 that was working just fine in the morning, but when I went to turn it on today, it wouldn't start. Holding the power button for a few minutes, switching batteries, nothing has worked so far. The only sign that it isn't completely dead is that the AC Power light is on, but nothing else. Any help would be much appreciated.

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Several posters here describe the same symptom — a Toshiba Satellite A130/A135 that shows only the AC power LED and otherwise stays dead (, ). A couple of members noted that simple resets produced a working machine for them (, ). The checklist below is ordered from non-invasive to more intrusive steps and explains why each item matters so the problem can be isolated without needless parts-swapping.

  • Power-reset (discharge): remove all power sources that are user-accessible (battery and AC), wait about 60 seconds, press-and-hold the power button for ~15–30 seconds to bleed residual charge, then reconnect AC only and attempt to power. This clears stuck power-management states.
  • Adapter verification: confirm the adapter’s rated output on its label and the adapter LED. Measure the output with a multimeter or try a known-good, compatible adapter. A marginal adapter or broken cable can leave the system inert while an AC LED remains lit.
  • DC jack and cable check: inspect for looseness, corrosion, or intermittent contact (observe any LED flicker while gently wiggling the barrel). A broken jack is a common failure that mimics a “dead” machine.
  • Observe subtle signs: listen for fan spin, HDD activity, or POST beeps; watch all LEDs and try an external monitor to rule out display-only failure.
  • Reseat removable components: disconnect external USB/PCMCIA devices, reseat or test RAM modules one at a time, and temporarily remove HDD/optical drive to rule out shorts or POST hang caused by peripherals.
  • CMOS/BIOS reset and lid switch: if accessible, remove the CMOS coin cell briefly to clear BIOS settings (clock will reset). Also check that the lid/magnet switch is not stuck.
  • When to escalate: persistent silence after the above points toward DC-jack/charging-circuit or motherboard/PMIC failure. If the machine is under warranty, avoid breaking seals and contact Toshiba support; otherwise a shop can test the adapter, DC input circuitry, or replace the jack.

Safety/caveats: follow ESD precautions, do not open sealed-warranty areas, and remove the drive if the goal is data preservation before any board-level work.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

Try hitting the FN key

Member Avatar for spellingwitch

I am having this exact same problem too. Same model, everything. Was working fine this morning, shut it down properly, when I got home it wouldn't turn on. Only indicator is that the tiny blue AC adapter light is on, but none of the others.

The FN key does nothing.

The laptop is only 6 months old. It was plugged into a surge protector so that shouldn't be the problem.

Member Avatar for cguan_77

try removing the batteries, and ac power supply for about 5 mins. then put back the batt and the ac power supply check if it can work, remove all the external devices attach to the laptop

Member Avatar for Suspishio

I suppose the thing you don't wanna hear is that there may be a bad batch of Tosh laptops.

If the above doesn't work, you know what you're gonna have to do - and it's damn inconvenient.

Member Avatar for Harm315

I had the same problem, and since this thread is popular on Google for "Toshiba Satellite won't turn on" I figured that I should respond.

Taking the advice from this thread I took the battery out (may or not be required) and pressed the FN key as suggested. My laptop turned on right away...

Thank you!

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