Member Avatar for jfkimberly

I keep my Toshiba Satellite M45-S355 laptop powered on virtually all the time. One morning I woke up to a blue error screen that was full of text, but most notably said "Memory Dump". I restarted and it ran as normal for several days. But then it happened again. And finally on Thursday, while I was actively using my computer, it started making a bit of a grinding noise and then went to the blue "Memory Dump" screen. I powered down, and when I tried to power up again, the Toshiba screen flashed up but instead of booting, it went to a screen with

PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable
PXE-M0F: Exiting PXE ROM

So I powered down again, pretty certain that my HD had just crashed and burned. In a desperate display of hope beyond hope, I called my ex-boyfriend and asked him to send the recovery CDs that I'd left at his place when I left without realizing my trip home was one-way. They arrived today, so I pulled my laptop out of its case and set to work, hoping to boot it up so I could salvage any data that might be salvagable.

But instead of being dead and having to boot off of the CD (I changed the boot priority setting on Thursday before I realized I didn't actually have the recovery CD with me, so it's been sitting in the case while I waited for the disk)... Anyway, instead of having to boot off the CD like I expected, Windows came up just before I could even put the CD in the drive. And I did a cursory check, and it appears all my files are where I left them and everything is in working order.

So, my guess is I have a cooling problem (I noticed that the internal fan didn't seem to be working, and the area where my palms rest on the keyboard does tend to get hot... I have a "Chillpad" laptop fan system, and I think that's been keeping my computer going even though the fan is dead)... so, that's my hunch. Before I rip this thing apart to replace the fan and clear out dust and debris, does anybody have any other suggestions?

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 240 Views
  • 2 Years Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by fredkoerner911

Dani AI

Generated

Short expert summary and action plan tied to the thread

The sequence described by — an intermittent blue “Memory Dump” (BSOD), a grinding noise, then a boot-time “PXE‑E61: Media test failure” message — fits two common failure patterns: the BIOS failing to find the internal boot drive (so it falls back to PXE/network boot), and hardware stress (overheating or a failing HDD) causing system crashes. ’s advice to replace a non‑spinning fan is sensible; a seized fan or clogged vents will raise temperatures and can cause instability, while grinding or clicking noises often point to imminent HDD failure. (intel.com)

Immediate priorities (order matters)

  1. Backup critical files now while the system still boots.
  2. Run a SMART/disk diagnostic (SeaTools or an equivalent) to check HDD health. (seagate.com)
  3. Run a standalone memory test (Memtest86/Memtest86+) from USB to rule out bad RAM. (memtest.org)

Hardware triage and next steps
Check whether the fan actually spins and whether air paths are clogged; compressed‑air cleaning can help but a dead or noisy fan should be replaced. If the grinding came from the drive, copy data and plan a replacement immediately (noisy HDDs commonly precede failure). If the BIOS no longer lists the HDD, reseat the drive or its connector and recheck boot order (disable PXE/network boot while testing). For hands‑on guidance with the M45 series disassembly, the teardown shows where the fan and drive are accessed; if uncomfortable with laptop teardown, use a repair shop. (ifixit.com)

Concise checklist

  • Backup → SMART/disk diagnostic → Memtest → Clean/replace fan → If HDD failing, replace and restore from backup.
    For : the “boots after a few minutes” pattern can match thermal recovery or a flaky HDD; follow the same order and capture Windows event logs or BIOS drive detection results before replacing parts.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for disophisis

No suggestions; if the fan doesn't work I'd replace it. It IS a laptop, so the fan is almost essential for that thing to survive.

And yeah, blow out the dust; is it possible you were getting blue screens with memory problems because the memory was getting too warm?

Member Avatar for fredkoerner911

I purchased a used toshiba M45-S355 laptop on ebay. When I boot my laptop it gives me the same error, "PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable
PXE-M0F: Exiting PXE ROM" After that, my laptop will boot up and runs as long as you do not shutdown! if you try to reboot, it wont shut down, it stays in the windows shut down mode. If you manually shut down, after 5 minutes or so, it boots up like normal again.
Can anyone tell me what that error code means? and what is causing it? Please respond to:

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.