I have my FC-Datalogit and in my FD all ready to go and the first time I go out to log some data, my laptop just dies. So I unplug the computer from the Datalogit box and drive around. Laptop dies again. WTF!

So I grab my roommates laptop and go to log some data... thing works like a charm! His computer is a Dell Inspirion (not sure of model), mine is a Toshiba Satellite A40-S270. My machine has been good to me so far.

Anyone else have this problem with their laptop shutting off while driving the car? I know this isn't engine management specific, but I'm wondering if anyone has any idea why I have this problem. I know that my laptop has had some previous overheating issues (yeah, it's about 3 years old... so I sprayed out the cooling fans with some compressed air and that took care of that problem), but it's not like the computer is even hot when I start my logging. The second I drive off, it just crashes on me. Perhaps it's a vibration problem (some machines are very sensitive to certain frequencies). Who knows. I'll keep experimenting.

Any ideas? I may just say to hell with it and get another computer. Windows Vista and more RAM sounds nice

 

Anybody have any ideas? C'mon, I know this can't be an isolated case.

 

^^ Anyone? I give up on this crappy computer. I guess it's time for a new one

 

im gonna say you may have to open it up and check for a block of dust on your hs/f, that or your hard drive is failing, it could be ram, but its not likely. 3yr old hard drives tend to be a game of russian roulette.

 

Hm. Thanks for the reply. Last bump for help

 

It only happens while driving around? Your laptop may have a (overly sensitive?) sudden acceleration sensor that shuts it down and parks the HD heads when it detects acceleration consistent with a drop. If it has such a feature, perhaps the orientation of the laptop in the car (eg, the base significantly out of horizontal) might predispose it to think it's in for a sudden impact. Failing that, you could have a bad connection between components internally, and the vibration of driving might cause intermittent contact.

I'm assuming you've run a full scandisk on the HD to verify no bad sectors? Toshiba's website does list an issue with hanging/unexplained app failures, for which it suggests a BIOS update, and/or disabling hyperthreading; that's not likely the issue if this only happens while driving, however. I'd suggest checking out Toshiba's website - many laptop manufacturers will do online "chat"-based support even out of warranty, which could help identify whether your machine does have a sudden acceleration shut-down feature at least.

 

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I've done basic diagnostics on the hard disk (scan disk, defrag) which has not provided any discernable benefit.

However, you may be on to something. I thought back to my recent overheating issue with the computer and noticed that when the computer was in my passenger seat laying (more or less) flush with the seat, it would take no less than 5 minutes of logging before the thing would die (it would die sooner if I drove off, even if it wasn't plugged into my logger on the car). I thought I should try to provide more ventilation to the computer (and besides, it was very clumsy to look at the screen because the angle of the bottom part of the seat is so steep), so I took a 1.5 liter water bottle and put it in the seat (perpendicular to the axis of the car) and then propped one edge the computer up on the water bottle. Seemed sturdy enough. There was ample room underneath the laptop (where one of the CPU cooling fans is), and I decided to go for a test drive.

I drove very gently, as I have before when trying to diagnose the laptop shutting off problem. This time, the computer was still running. I revved the engine up while at a standstill, computer still running. Got on the gas a bit, shifted 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, computer still running. Hm. Satisfied, I plugged the computer into my logger and logged some data No problems.

You may be correct in that if the laptop is equipped with an acceleration acceleration sensor/accelerometer, the orientation of the machine may affect the auto shut off mechanism in some way... but for the time being, it's not clear if it's a cooling/ventilation or vibration issue. I'll take your suggestion and try talking to a support person at Toshiba. I've not had pleasant experiences with them in the past, so we'll see how that goes Perhaps they can shed some light on what auto shut off mechanisms are built into the system and how they work.

I'll report back with my findings, but for now, I don't have to drop the dough on a new machine

 

are u using it with a power adapter? my battery in my laptop is shot so i have to use an adapter. if the plug comes loose, there goes my power.

 

The heat may have been your issue, it sounds like - if either an cooling intake or exhaust port was blocked by the seat cushion it may have been shutting down because of exceeding the fail-safe core temp of the cpu.