Toshiba Satellite L55-B5294 fails to start

I have thought about that too, so I bought an SSD and put it in, but it failed to turn on.

Then you have a motherboard failure. Could be the switch circuit or an intermittent CPU (thermal compound dried up).

I am aware of MB failure possibility. The reason for posting this question is to see if there are other components (besides MB) that anyone would recommend replacing.

If you replaced the hard drive, that is the only common component. I assume you removed any accessories like USB keys.

Yes I removed USB flash drives.
I am currently running Windows updates because there was some type of graphics related updates included.

Graphics updates should not cause erratic startups.

Might have something to do with dead RAM. Make sure you test the RAM if you can. I believe this happened to me in the past.

I've had RAM do exactly this. It would start up fine most of the time, then sometimes it just failed. Then eventually, it just stopped starting altogether. OP, does this sound familiar? It took me forever to figure out my problem, so maybe it will help. Hope it does.

At the times you have nothing on the display, can you hear the PC starting up (HD activity, the HD LED flickering)? Or if you attach an external display, does it always work? If that is the case, it is probably just a problem with the display or the cable between the display and the mainboard.

After Windows update, it rebooted. I noticed that it took a long time to display anything on the screen - like a few minutes. Now I am wondering if the user thought that the computer was not working because of long delay. But in fact the computer was working in the background and for some reason it was taking unusual amount of time to go thru post-boot process.
I am going to update BIOS and go thru power off and on routine several times.

That is a change to the question and your observations. Please let us know about the BIOS update.

why would you update the bios?  any reason?
personally - if not needed, i don't do it

The laptop already had newest BIOS. I was under the wrong impression when it came up for me. It still does the same.
When OS comes up, it takes a few minutes, but other times, it shows pitch dark.

Again, when it stays dark, can you see the disk LED flickering, and does the disk sound as if windows is starting?

maybe it is doing an AV scan??

I was under the wrong impression when it came up for me. It still does the same.

And you replaced the hard drive and you removed accessories.

So back to motherboard issue or (as others have suggested) memory (which is normally easy to check.

I have the laptop in front of me this morning, so I will do any test you want done.
First, I see two lights: (1) Power  (2) WiFi. But I do not see HD status light, so it is hard to determine if HD is running or not.
Next time when it comes on, I will remove Anti-Virus.
As to the hard drive goes, I installed Win7 on a brand SSD drive on another PC and inserted SSD into this laptop, but the it is the same result.
I doubt it is memory.

So then with all eliminated, it is related to the motherboard. Can you reseat the CPU? (new thermal compound)

@nobus
Since the laptop is running on new SSD with Win7 only, there is not Anti-Virus program.

@John,
 "Can you reseat the CPU? " --> Do you think it is CPU overheat issue? If that is the case, then the laptop should boot always when the CPU is cold. But that is not the case.

If there is no HD LED, listen for disk activity (provided it is a conventional disk and not an SSD).

My goal when I was posting this question was this:
I knew that more than likely I needed to replace the motherboard.
But since it costs a lot of money and I can't return it once I buy it, I wanted to know if there are other components that I try before buying a replacement MB.

@rindi
Currently SSD is running on the laptop.

It takes a very short time (perhaps under a second) for a CPU to overheat

It is also just a suggestion .

Since this morning I turned this thing on and off multiple times and I would say 1 out of 3 times, it boots from SSD, but it takes a minute or two to boot. By the time I forget about this laptop, I see something on the screen.

Connect an external display to it and see if you then always have an output.

By the time I forget about this laptop, I see something on the screen  <-- Does it remain running and run well?  Could be the display as mentioned, but it also could be related to the main board (1 out of 3 times, it boots from SSD)

@rindi,

 Same when external monitor is connected.

So if the main guts of the machine, is it worth saving economically?

" Does it remain running and run well? " --> Yes. When it boots to OS, yes it runs well.

There could be an intermittent fault on the main board.

What else?

Not OS (new one)
Not Drive (new one)
Not memory (checked)
Not accessories (removed).
Not display (same for external).

Motherboard, power sub circuit loom high.

did you test it when running from battery alone, and from AC adaptor alone?
one or the other can be the cause ..

How is the Memory Checked? So many to dismiss my idea but did he actually test it. I don't understand why my idea is dismissed so easily. I was the same way and dismissed it until it was the problem. Don't mean to argue but wow.

@Justin
  My apology. I can run MemTest86, but it is going to be a challenge to MemTest86.exe from DVD or USB on this laptop. I will try and post the result. If you have a Windows-based RAM test program, please provide the link.

Give this article a read-through. I think it will provide a lot of help.

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/test-your-ram-with-windows-memory-diagnostic-tool/

@Justin
Thanks for the link. I will run that tomorrow and post the result.

i do not advise running memtest from windows
best is to run from a bootable cd, or usb stick  -i use the UBCD for this
you can also simply swap the ram, or test with 1 stick if you have 2

but to me it does not look like a ram problem

did you test yet running from battery alone, or adapter?

but to me it does not look like a ram problem

did you test yet running from battery alone, or adapter?

Just give up on my advice. lol. I don't want to be bogging down your problem further. When everything else fails and the 15 people who said it's not a RAM problem and it turns out to be one, I expect a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Good luck.

ha...

try installing another OS, and check what that does - same problem or not?

"try installing another OS" --> I already have done that, but the same problem occurred.

The machine has a hardware problem. Is it worth saving.

I don't think it is worth any more effort. I am currently looking for an used laptop so that I can swap out the motherboard.

The machine has a hardware problem. Is it worth saving.

yup...i have a feeling which hardware as well.

One final time ... do you think it is MB issue or some other component issue?

It is not an accessory issue.

So Motherboard, CPU, GPU, thermal compound, connections on the motherboard, power supply connections.

I appreciate your suggestions.

I agree with point distribution.
I just wanted to share the status. I have purchased the identical laptop on Ebay and simply moved the hard drive from failing laptop and installed it in the newly purchased used laptop. It worked great!