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.
Situation 2.
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.
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July 7th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
I Have A New Acer 5054 Laptop, Last Night I copy a Movie From My Phone Memory then I Feel Sleep Because I didn’t Sleep for 38 Hour [Job Rush], When I wake Up This Morning, The laptop screen Become freeze On picture screen saver, Then i take out The AC adapter & The Batery then put it again, When i try to start up the laptop this morning, the LCD is Blank, DVD Rom make noise, Hard Drive Led Is On, And The Proc Led Is Blinking
PS: Sorry My English is not Very Well
July 1st, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Wilson,
1. Make sure the latest version of the BIOS is installed. Visit the manufacturer’s website and find the BIOS change history. Find out if there are any fixes for the battery charging problem. Upgrade the BIOS if needed.
2. Replace the battery with a known good one and test again.
3. Just in case test the laptop with another AC adapter.
4. If upgrading the BIOS and installing new battery doesn’t help, most likely you have a problem with the charging circuit on the motherboard. In this case you’ll have to replace the motherboard or use the laptop just on AC power.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Hi
I have a problem with a ibm t41 , that will not power on , tried with just the battery, then with just ac, and both and nothing happens only get a charging batt light , but if i remove both ac and battery and fiddel between unpluginging the ac and the bat i then get a battery light plus the on light with fan on , but nothing else, the hard drive is good , any suggestions sure would be appreciated
jcv@sympatico.ca
June 27th, 2007 at 9:57 am
I have an Asus A4000 laptop. When i start the laptop, it works fine and everything works as it should. Then after no set amount of time, i hear a clicking noise which gets louder and louder and then all of a sudden the laptop just goes off without any warning. What could the problem be?
June 26th, 2007 at 3:48 am
hi
i have toshiba laptop model name: satellite M70-122,model no . PSM70E-00U00FDU,Having a problem with charging,power adaptor tested ok with correctly voltage open up circuit fuse tested o.k help….what could be a problem
Regards
Wilson
June 21st, 2007 at 6:44 am
Hello,
When I plug in the cord into my laptop (Compaq Evo N1005v), the charge button does not appear, instead there is a quick beeping noise within the AC Adaptor. There is no Led in the AC Adaptor so I am not sure what is wrong. Is there something wrong with the AC Adaptor or is it something to do with the laptop?
Thanks
June 18th, 2007 at 1:51 am
I have a Dell D610. The laptop remains dead when turned off, but after half an hour of button pressing, the laptop switches on, and works (and behaves) as though nothing is wrong. ALl the applications and files are as normal.
Is it as simple as a faulty on/off button or could it be more?
June 15th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
gronchaje,
In order to narrow down the problem, you’ll have to minimize the laptop as much as you can.
1. Make sure the memory module is good. Find a known good memory stick and test the laptop again.
2. Remove hard drive, DVD drive and the wireless card. Test the laptop again.
3. Disconnect the LCD screen from the motherboard (connector is located under the keyboard) and test the laptop again.
4. Reconnect all cables and connectors you can access.
If it still will not start even after you removed all above mentioned parts, it’s possible that you have a problem with the motherboard and it has to be replaced.
If the laptop starts after one of the above mentioned steps, start assembling it back installing all removed devices one by one and find witch one is causing the problem.
June 15th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Lloyd,
Nope, F2 is the key you need, there is no other key to enter the BIOS setup screen. Try removing the hard drive and DVD drive and enter the BIOS setup screen without them. A faulty drive can stop the laptop from booting properly.
Try reseating the memory modules. If you have two memory sticks installed, remove them one by one and test the laptop again. It’s possible you have a faulty memory module and it freezes the laptop.
June 13th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
I have same problem that Muhammad Faisal, but in a IBM Thinkpad T20. You plug in the AC adapter, so the AC Led turns on. If you press the ON button, the AC Led and the HD Led blinks one time (i think the AC Led blinks two or three times very quickly, but I don´t know if this makes any difference) but the laptop doesn’t turn on. I’ve tried all of the possible solutions I found on the internet forums.
I’ve taked off the Li-Ion and the CR2032 batteries, the memory module and checked the AC adapter. It still not working at all. If someone knows any other possible solutions, is welcome to post it. Thank you.
PS: Sorry for my english, i’m from argentina.-