Tosh A2OO reboots when both battery and PSU plugged in

I get all my driver downloads from here:
Support :: Toshiba :: Computers, Laptops/Notebooks, Tablets, Televisions, DVD and Blu-Ray Players, Camcorders, Storage, Accessories, and more

Note that the BIOS version says NEW and the version is 2.50

I have already played with the Win 7 power mgmt settings. Tried all the different plans,
tried changing sleep settings and all the stuff in advanced settings etc etc plus tried setting
all plans back to default and trying all again with no success.

The Vista with battery and PSU both in was actually going to be my next port of call.
I have booted into Vista and so far it has been charging the battery for about 10
minutes now, which is about 9 minutes and 50 seconds longer than if I
boot to Windows 7 - quite an improvement! I'm pretty sure that the same thing has happened
when booted in Vista though, it just seems to handle it a bit longer.

Although I'm not worried about the webcam, Windows 7 finds Chicony 2.0 Webcam and reports
it as functioning correctly in both device manager and through devices and printers. The problem is that
there is nowhere to open the webcam - a shortcut is placed on the desktop but if double clicked
it only opens shortcut properties. There is no Chicony Camera Assistant Software to open the webcam view
and settings - it is not listed in programs? WT?

This happens on a Win 7 install without applying any other drivers or software to the system and stands
that way now after I completed the system restore (shutdown problem still persists). That is why I uninstall that webcam
device driver configuration from device manager and then install the older version I found - then I am able to open
the webcam and it works.

Anyway - I think I will try running killdisk over the hard drive again and just installing Vista
on the next run. At least that way I will definitively be able to say that it is Windows 7 causing a problem
on older hardware. Very annoying really if that were to be the case.

Will report back - cheers

Final report I feel

So I wiped the hard drive with Active Kill Disk and did a fresh install of the Vista only.
All was going well but it did a shutdown half way through an install. Started a fresh install once again
and got it finished, installed all the drivers that I have used in the past for Vista installs
on this machine and again I get shutdowns at random intervals.

Seems that Vista will run longer than the Windows 7 installs I have had on it,
so I can't figure that out, seems odd to me.

Well I've done a 360 again and am back to thinking this is a fried motherboard - bother!
Shutdowns are randomly occuring - no method in its madness so I guess something is extremely awry unfortunately.

Ahh well - looks like my trusty old A200 is bound for the great recycling factory in the sky.

I can say that along the way I have learnt how to dissassemble a laptop and put it back
together. I never would have dreamed of doing that a couple of years back so it is good
to walk away from it with the confidence to crack a lappy , clean the heatsink and apply thermal paste.

Thanks for all your help on this one Fred - much appreciated

Have you checked Event Viewer for any errors under System & Application?
Do you have SP2 and all the latest Vista updates installed?

Checked Event Viewer - please read further on.
Don't have the SP'S or any other updates on. I can't see this being an issue for a fresh
install of the original OS on the hardware it came on with drivers compatible to that version.

Have you tried another power supply from another laptop? I rescanned this thread but didn't see an answer. As long as the voltage and amperage are correct & it has the same diameter plug, it should work.

Haven't tried that yet but will be contacting the local computer shop come Monday
to see if they may be able to hire out/lend me a compatible PSU to FULLY eliminate that as an issue.

If you're feeling adventurous.... Have you tried any of the Linux versions, just for test purposes? There are some you can run off a bootable cd like Puppy Linux, or you could try a full install to a spare hard (or image your current install to an external drive so you can go back to it quickly). What bugs me is that you were able to keep it running with a Memtest cd.

Have booted Knoppix and it ran no problem whatsoever. Have had a look in Event Viewer and there are HEAPS of
warnings and a few errors. I did get an error when installing the driver for ATI Mobility Radeon 2600 (display) and
know this to be the correct driver for the Vista install.

The system is now shutting down occasionally on the battery as well even if it is say 3/4's charged. Due to the
errors witnessed in Event Viewer relating to the display driver (+ other errors which I don't get why there are so many after a fresh install??) I am still sticking with the mobo as the cause. I have noticed some intermittent flicker in the display (even prior to the errors) and, along with the Event Viewer reports I am thinking now that this may be due to the onboard graphics being fried somewhat and on it's way to fully kapoot.

Why this would happen with a much greater frequency with PSU in is beyond me, why the shutdowns seemed to happen way more frequently booting into Windows 7 when I had the dual boot setup is beyond me. I have uninstalled the graphics driver now and am still having the problems, but that doesn't mean that it isn't the onboard card causing the problem (I guess it doesn't mean that it is either) but it's very hard to be 100% on that due to the fact that I can't just slot another in there as I would be able to with a desktop machine.

If trying another install of the display driver causes another error then I will try another power supply and if that doesn't
work then I feel I may be whipping a dead horse so to speak. I can only fresh install so many times to eliminate software as the issue and then basically I'm back to square one being:
1) Battery (eliminated as cause due to new battery purchase)
2) PSU (Charges the machine when powered down but causes shutdowns if system is booted - could be faulty)
3) Motherboard problem (Possibly graphics chip but could be other prob and very hard to diagnose without electronics experience)

I used to do a show at a local community radio station and there is a very cluey guy who does all the maintenance on the equipment, so thinking of electronics and experience reminded me of him. I may yet contact him and see if with the right tools and knowledge he can test my mobo for faults.

I'm gonna leave it alone for the rest of the weekend otherwise it will be firmly planted against a wall!
I am over it a bit now and thinking of a cheap machine without an OS that will handle my licensed Win 7 Pro.

Will report back with progress/ results.

PS: In the meantime my Qosmio is working a treat!

OK -never surrender!!!!!!!!!!

I just came across some very interesting information here:
Toshiba Satellite A200 Random Shutdown - Page 2 - General-Laptops-Notebooks - Laptops-Notebooks

Look for the posts, links and images supplied by Notsosure.
Apparently this problem has been directly linked to NEC/TOKIN OE128 Proadlizer Capacitor
and references this particular model. If this information proves to be true, then this guy is a f*****n legend
(any mods out there i said freakin!). This may be the crucial info I have been looking for.

I have not researched how much the part is as I was to excited to get back here and report,
but I cant see it being any more than say $20 and considering I know an elctronics nut and can
dissassemble my lappy down to mobo anyway this may be a cheap fix if it is the problem.

The instructions I used to dissassemble the A200 in the first place came from here for anyone interested:
Taking apart Toshiba laptops and notebooks. DIY guides. Disassembly instructions.

Click on the "Go to Dissassembly Guides" link once there.

This site was also referenced in Notsosure's posts and for anyone requiring dissassembly info for
Toshiba lappys it is quite a treasure trove of information.

Fred - wish me luck - I'm going to find out how much that part is and make a phone call to my tronics mate.

LOL - I might buy bulk!

Ahh yes - Toshiba forums. Like a novice (such as me) is going to find out about a tiny little
capacitor in the battery and power section. Maybe if I sat there for three or four days, read every
thread I'd get around to it but seriously, shouldn't that be listed at the top of a search for
random shutdowns on Toshiba A200 laptops - it's a well known issue - the information on how
to fix it is not well listed - ridiculous.