How to Troubleshoot a Tecra 2100

The Toshiba Tecra TE2100, an older product released in early 2000 and marketed for business, sports a 14-inch display, a 20- to 40-gigabyte hard drive and a 1.60-gigahertz Mobile Pentium 4 CPU.



Due to the age of the computer, hardware, power and software errors should be expected. Difficulty running or booting to Windows XP could point to defective hardware, but before you start disassembling your laptop or paying a technician to replace your parts, perform a few troubleshooting steps.

Troubleshoot Hardware

• 1

  Click "Start." Right-click "My Computer" and choose "Properties" from the contextual menu.

• 2

  Select the "Hardware" tab, then click "Device Manager." Locate the device in the list of categories.

• 3

  Double-click the device to open its properties. Click the "General" tab. Look up on the Microsoft Support page any errors displayed in the "Device status" window (see the Resources). Enable the device in the "Driver" tab if "Device status" lists the device as disabled.

• 4

  Click "Driver." Click "Update Driver." Windows will search its database for any software updates to your device.

• 5

  Click "Uninstall" to remove the driver for your system, if the above steps do not resolve the issue. Restart Windows XP. The operating system should automatically reinstall the driver for your software. If the component fails to work after troubleshooting the driver, the device may need to be replaced.

Troubleshoot Power

• 1

  Check the connection leading from the power adapter to the power jack on the side of your Toshiba Tecra. Plug the power adapter into a wall outlet.

• 2

  Confirm the power cable is connected securely to the adapter itself.

• 3

  Turn the Tecra 2100 over and confirm the battery is properly inserted into its bay. Confirm the battery tab is in the locked position.

• 4

  Turn the laptop back over and open the lid. Press the power button. If the laptop fails to power on, hold the button down for 15 seconds. Wait, then press the power button again. Listen for any beep codes which might indicate a problem with the hardware.

Troubleshoot Windows

• 1

  Power on the computer. Press "F8" at the boot screen, before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows XP startup screen loads before you can hit "F8," hold down the power button for 15 seconds to turn off the computer, then press the button once again to reboot the system.

• 2

  Use the directional pad to select "Last known good configuration" from the options.

• 3

  Press "Enter" or wait for Windows to automatically select the option for you.