Laptop does not start. Fixing the problem.
If your laptop does not start at all or it starts but will not boot properly, it’s possible that you can fix the laptop at home without taking it to a repair center. Here are some troubleshooting tips for you. I’m not sure if I can cover all situation at once, so I will update this post as more examples come into my mind.
Situation 1.
The laptop appears to be dead. You plug the AC adapter but the LEDs (power light, hard drive light, battery charge light, etc…) do not light up and the laptop will not react at all if you press on the power button.
First of all in this situation check the AC adapter. You can test the output voltage with a voltmeter. If you cannot do that, find a known good AC adapter and use it for testing the laptop. It is possible the laptop appears to be dead because the AC adapter is bad (and the battery is discharged). If you know that the AC adapter is working properly and it outputs correct voltage but the laptop is still dead, most likely you have a power issue on the motherboard (or power board on some laptops) and it has to be replaced.
If you have to replace the AC adapter, make sure you use a correct one. The output voltage must be exactly the same as on the original adapter. The output amperage has to be the same as on the original adapter or higher, but not lower.
When you plug the AC adapter the power LED and the battery charge LED light up. When you press on the power button the laptop powers up but will not start. There is no video on LCD or external monitor.
If the power LED lights up it indicates that the laptop is getting power from the AC adapter. Most likely there is nothing wrong with the adapter but just in case test it with a voltmeter to make sure the output voltage is correct.
Also try this. Unplug the AC adapter, remove the battery and wait for 1-2 minutes. After that plug the AC adapter ans try starting the laptop again. Sometimes this trick helps.
It also could be a memory related problem. Try reseating the memory module, just remove it from the slot on the motherboard and install it back. Try installing the memory module into the other slot (if it’s available). If you have two memory modules installed, try removing them one by one and start the laptop just with one memory module installed.
If the laptop starts fine with one memory module in both slots, but will not start with the second memory module in both slots, the second memory module is faulty. Replace the module.
If the laptop starts fine with both memory modules when they are installed in the slot A, but will not start with both memory modules installed in the slot B, the slot B is faulty and you’ll have to replace the motherboard or use only one memory slot.
Situation 3.
When you press on the power button, the laptop makes a series or short and long beeps and will not start up. There is no video on the screen.
In this situation test the memory module as I described in the situation2. Try installing a known good memory module. Most likely you are getting a beep error because of a faulty memory.
Situation 4.
You start the laptop. It sounds like the laptop is booting normally (hard drive LED is flashing) but there is no video on the screen
In this situation test the laptop with an external monitor. If the external screen works fine but there is no video on the laptop LCD, most likely there is a problem inside the laptop display assembly. Go to my previous post witch covers laptop video problems in more details.
Situation 5.
You start the laptop and it starts making repetitive clicking noise or grinding noise.
Most likely you hear this noise because of a faulty hard drive. You can remove the hard drive and start the laptop without it. If the noise is gone, the hard drive is your problem. Replace it.
If the laptop makes clicking or grinding noises and you still have video on the screen, you can run a hard drive test utility. I usually use Hitachi’s drive fitness test. This test is reliable and easy to use.
Situation 6.
The laptop boots into Windows ans works for a while, but after that it shuts down by itself without any reason or warning. You restart the laptop but the same problem appears again
Most likely it’s a heat related issue. Listen for the cooling fan, make sure it works.
Also this problem might appear because of a faulty memory module, try some tips from the situation 2.
The laptop still boots ans you still can see the screen, so you can run the memory test. I usually use Memtest86+. Run the memory test and if it fails, replace the faulty module.
Situation 6
The laptop starts normally but video on the screen has lines, some strange characters or other defects
It could indicate a problem with the laptop LCD screen, video cable, graphics card or motherboard. Here’s my previous post witch covers troubleshooting bad images on the screen in more details.
Related post: How to troubleshoot dead laptops.
Entry Filed under: Laptop Tips and Tricks
190 Responses to “Laptop does not start. Fixing the problem.”
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Pages: « 19 … 17 16 15 14 13 [12] 11 10 9 8 7 … 1 » Show All
April 8th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Hi,
I have a Sony Vaio (VGN-FS600 series) which was working beautifully (it’s definately not software related) when one day while I was on the laptop it turned it’s self off without warning. I thought I had somehow unplugged it and not noticed it was running on battery power (since I turned off the “sleep mode at 5 percent battery power” option a while back to help fully discharge my battery before I recharged it to promote battery life) because it felt almost exactly like when it turns off because the battery dies.
I checked the adaptor, realized it was indeed plugged in, lifted it up and felt the underside, it was warm but not ungodly hot and certainly not the warmest I’d felt it in the past, and just pulled the cord out and popped it back in, and pressed the on button. The laptop lights (charging battery, etc) did not turn on, the laptop did not turn on, and I heard an extremely brief and faint clicking or popping sound repeated a few times before stopping. I pressed the on button again, nothing. I unplugged the cord, reseated it and jiggled it a bit to make sure it wasn’t a loose connection at a wrong angle, then pressed the on button, and again the faint clicking/popping sound about 4-5 times but otherwise nothing. No activity of any kind including the lights. I don’t -think- it’s the laptop cord, as the cord’s brick is still lit up when plugged in, and I’d rather not go shell out the money to buy a universal laptop cord while I have the option to find out if it is a different problem.
Does this sound like an power cord problem or a motherboard problem?
April 7th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
hey sam same thing happened to me… its not fun. and now it wont even start up
April 5th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Hi, i have a Dell Inspiron 1525, only had it 2 months and its suddenly conked out on me!
When i start it it recommends startup repai i click that it goes on for like an hour then brings up a blue screen sayin random stuff about hardware or programmes which may have caused the failure.
It recommends pressin f8, i have tried every option on f8, nothing helps i have inserted teh re installation vista dick too, really peeved as i need to finish my dissertation for uni, dont know what to so, somebody help please!!!!!
April 5th, 2008 at 3:56 am
Hi laptop does not get started, once we press power button , screen display nothing
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
If it’s a power adapter you need, I suggest these guys, they’re grreat! Way cheaper than going to the manufacturer. 12V Power Supply
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:25 am
Hello, I have a dell inspiron 5150 and doesnt turn on, just power for a few seconds and then it shut off, nothing shows on the screen. I noticed that when hit the on botton a lock with the later A blinks for a few seconds
thanks
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:20 am
Hello, I have a dell inspiron 5150 and doesnt turn on, just power for a few seconds and then it shut off, nothing shows on the screen. any help
thanks
March 26th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Gregg,
In order to boot a laptop with video on internal or external monitor, you need three major parts: motherboard, CPU and memory.
Check the memory module first, make sure it’s seated correctly, try reconnecting the module or even move it into the empty slot.
If for some reason you removed the CPU, make sure it’s seated properly and the CPU socket on the motherboard is locked.
You can assemble a barebone system: system board, CPU (with heatsink and fan) and memory and then connect an external monitor. If all three main parts are fine, you should be able to boot this system and get at least Toshiba logo on the screen.
I believe in this model the power button is not on the motherboard, it’s on a separate board witch is connected to the motherboard via flat ribbon cable. Make sure this cable is properly connected to the motherboard and the connector is locked. Loose connection between this board and motherboard can be your problem.
March 25th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Hello,
I have a Toshiba Satellite A55. I was having problems with the AC adapter supplying power, which meant either the adapter was bad or the power supply socket connection was faulty. Since it was late, I decided to take apart the laptop and check the power connection. After disassembling it, the power socket looked ok. I put back together and got a new ac adapter. I plugged the new adapter in and the charge lights on the front of the machine work, but absolutely nothing happens when I hit the power button (no sound, no nothing). I’m afraid I may have knocked something around during my disassembly/reassembly. Is there one or two things I should look at to solve this issue? I have already tried going back through the machine and looking for disconnected cables. However, it looks pretty set. Thanks for your help!!
March 25th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I have a sony vgn s1xp(similar to 360), which does not power up at all, no lights.
It fits scenario no 1. I have checked the voltage from adapter and it’s correct. I think it must be the motherboard. Something must be fried. Could anybody help me to locate the fried part or give me a schematic of the motherboard. Replacement of motherboard isn’t worth it (350-400$)