Just a quick update.

Problem isn't solved yet - I'm waiting for tomorrow when I have time to talk
with Toshiba support.

A couple of things;
First thanks for all the quick replies and suggestions.

I checked the manual and tried the function key with f5 as per instructions but
that didn't work. Someone mentioned that the function key on the Toshiba
Satellite was useless. Seems to be so in Windows 7.

Someone else mentioned that since I tried Ubuntu from a CD, the problem likely
wasn't due to Ubuntu, which I tend to agree with but of course I don't know.

At this point it's looking like this is a Toshiba problem, not Ubuntu.