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 Laptops are
becoming more popular than desktop
computers these days! They can be
transported easily,
are excellent
for people that need to work or study
without being tied down to an office, desk
or home,
and are relatively inexpensive
to buy.
Unfortunately
there is a huge disadvantage to owning a laptop... they
can be such a headache, to disassemble and
troubleshoot!
The good thing is, laptop
troubleshooting is not as big of a challenge as many
people would believe, as long as you are aware of the
common issues that laptops have, and how to properly
diagnose your laptop’s particular
problems.
If you have a PC that is "newer", most
likely is has a manufacturer’s warranty, so you can send
it to the manufacturer when major repairs are needed,
and you will be able to tell them exactly what the
problem is, for faster turn-around times!
Of the numerous computers that we
repair, here are... 6 of
the laptop problems that we find to be most common, and
what we do to troubleshoot and fix
them!
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"My laptop does not recharge even though it
is plugged
in".
a.) It is possible that the power adapter
has failed or has problems. Check the cord that plugs
into the power unit to ensure that it is still intact,
and isn’t freyed or shorting. Also, check for
the light on the power adapter (if there is one), to
make sure that the light is on. If the light is not on,
the power supply is either dead or has a
short.
b.) It is
possible that the DC power jack leading to the
motherboard of the computer, is loose, broken, or has
failed. If the jack is physically loose, damaged or no
longer functioning, buying a new jack to be soldered
into the mainboard, is mandatory (to prevent premature
failure of other components when using faulty
parts)
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"My laptop can't hold a charge
& shuts off
when unplugged"
a.) There is a good chance that the battery has
gone kaput. The end! One important
fact to remember, is that laptop batteries gradually
lose the ability to hold a charge, and as more time
passes the percentage that they can
charge decreases. There is hope
however; by “cycling” a laptop battery,
and remembering to always disconnect
the battery from the computer
when using an AC outlet.
b.) To cycle a battery, you
will need to charge the battery up to 100% EACH time,
before disconnecting it from the power adapter. Then,
only use the laptop with the battery, and do not turn
off the laptop until the battery has completely drained,
and the computer shuts off. This process needs to be
repeated numerous times, until the battery’s cell memory
is restored. If the memory is not restored after using
this process for several weeks, the battery may need
replacing.
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"After booting,
there's a black screen & a cursor that
blinks"
Many
times when we receive a computer to repair that has this
problem, the culprit is the hard drive. There are
different factors that will corrupt the data on a hard
drive (partition tables can become corrupt, MBRs –
Master Boot Records, etc), causing the laptop not to
boot after POST
(Power On Self Test).
Hard disks
can become corrupted in several different ways,
including but not limited to: malware, lack of a surge
protector, surges of power or lightning strikes,
powering down a computer incorrectly, and many
more.
Usually, reformatting a
hard disk, and re-installing Windows can “fix” a drive
that is not physically damaged! Unfortunately, if a
drive has actually failed physically, there will be no
other option but to replace the drive, and contact a
data recovery company or qualified technician, to
recover the lost data (if possible).
Since many hard
drive manufacturers create diagnostic utility to
troubleshoot laptop hard drive problems, learning the
manufacturer of your hard drive and using diagnostic
software periodically (to check for problems), will
help prevent problems and expensive data loss.
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"Laptop doesn't
charge until I wiggle the power cord
around"
a.) See item #1 for information
regarding this problem. Usually, you will find the
problem being one of two things: either the
power adapter is shorting, or the DC jack has loosened,
or is damaged.
b.) Another possibility, is the copper contacts
that are inside of the motherboard, are damaged or have
become increasingly worn. In the event that this
happens, a motherboard replacement will definitely be
necessary, since soldering a new DC jack to a damaged
motherboard, will result in the exact same problem
occurring.
Copper contacts
are actually “pathways” that carry power from the power
adapter, to the DC jack, and then throughout the
motherboard to its components. Bad contacts
will cause power to not be distributed correctly (or not
at all), or may cause other problems that might
otherwise be difficult to troubleshoot. If your computer
has a warranty, call or email the manufacturer; the
replacement will be free in most cases.
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"I can’t turn my
laptop on at all, pressing the power
button"
a.) It is quite possible
(if you have used your laptop within the last 15
minutes), that it could have overheated. You should
allow your PC to cool down for about 30 minutes, then
press the power button again to see if it starts
up. b.) When a computer is not powering
on for no good reason, it becomes difficult in that case
to perform laptop troubleshooting, due to many variables
that can cause that problem. It is possible
that you may need to have the motherboard replaced, or
it could be as “simple” as replacing the power switch
that connects to the motherboard, if it has failed (if
the switch can actually be removed/replaced).
* More tips to troubleshoot laptop
power problems can be found above, in items #1 and
2*
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" When using my laptop for
several minutes, it shuts off"
a.) One
possibility, is that
the computer is getting too hot. Click here
to learn how you can prevent and troubleshoot laptop
overheating!
b.) If your PC powers
down suddenly without alerting you in any way (no error
message, no noise, etc) and the laptop isn’t
overheating, there could be an issue with the
motherboard itself, or the processor, or other
components. If you want to rule out other possibilities
other than the mobo, take a look in your BIOS.
The BIOS can be accessed by pressing
the necessary keys (or combinations of) to enter your
setup menu, immediately after booting. Your BIOS menu
has categories, the needed category being “Health” or
“PC Health”, or “Temperatures” etc. You will be able to
check the temperatures, as well as select the operating
temperature for the computer.
In other words, you
can choose the maximum temperature the CPU can reach,
before shutting off (preventing hardware damaged). Next,
you should check to see if your computer is restarting
or shutting off due to the “shut off temperature
setting” being engaged and/or incorrect. When you find
the category or setting to change the max temperature,
change the setting appropriately, or disable it all
together.
NOTE: If you don’t have a laptop
that overheats and is running within its normal
operating temperatures, you can change this setting with
no problem. If there IS a problem with your laptop
overheating, do NOT touch this setting unless you have
sufficient experience troubleshooting laptops; seek a
professional instead.
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"My laptop doesn’t boot up and it keeps
beeping"
a.) When memory, otherwise known as
RAM, goes bad, or when the slot that the holds the RAM
is bad, this problem can occur. Download memtest ,
install it (FREE), burn it to desk and run it at boot-up
to troubleshoot laptop memory problems. Also, in your
laptop’s manufacturer manual, you should find
information on “beep codes” to give you exact detail on
the beeps; what they mean and how to troubleshoot the
problem.
For example, four
extended beeps COULD indicate that your processor is
bad, while two short beeps could point to a RAM stick
that is loose and needs to be pushed in tighter! Always keep your
manual handy and contact your technician for further
assistance!
b.) The Basic Input Output System
(BIOS) may be corrupted, check your manual for beep
codes that pertain to a BIOS problem, and how to reset
your BIOS (CMOS) when possible.
c.) The laptop battery may be dead.
Check your manual for more information on how to change
or troubleshoot laptop battery issues.
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That is all for now.
Hopefully you now have more knowledge that you can use
to narrow down the problems that your computer is
making, and you may save a bit of money on having your
computer diagnosed when you can do that yourself (at
least)! As always, a small bit
of laptop
maintenance goes a very, long
way.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to bookmark
our regularly updated blog for more articles, tricks,
tips and more!
Jarvis Edwards
1-866-931-5562 Ext#0
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