In this post I will summarize most common laptop hardware related problems ever mentioned on this site.
I will not be digging into the operating system related problems, only laptop hardware issues.
I’ll provide most common laptop failure descriptions and give some suggestions how to troubleshoot or repair the problem.
Problem 1.
Laptop doesn’t turn on at all.
Problem description: When you plug the AC adapter into the laptop, there are no lights turning on at all. When you push on the power button, nothing happens. The laptop appears to be completely dead, makes no sounds, no indications of life.
Possible problem:
- AC adapter failed and the battery discharged completely. First of all, test the AC adapter. If it’s dead, replace the adapter.
- DC jack separated from the motherboard (or DC jack broken) and the laptop doesn’t get any power from the AC adapter. In this case the DC jack has to be replaced.
- Laptop motherboard failed. If that’s the case, most likely the laptop not worth fixing.
Here are some tips for testing laptop AC adapter and DC jack connector.
Also, make sure to read step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting dead laptops.
Problem 2.
Laptop turns on but screen is blank.
Problem description: The laptop turns on, LED lights on the laptop turn on, cooling fan works but nothing appears on the screen. The screen is completely black and blank. There is no image on the screen at all, not even a very dim image.
Possible problem:
- This problem could be related to the memory failure. It’s possible one of the memory modules failed and the laptop doesn’t turn on because of that. In this case you can try reseating memory modules to make sure they are making good contact with the slot. You can try removing memory modules one by one and test the laptop with only one memory module installed. You can try replacing memory modules with new modules.
- If reseating/replacing memory modules doesn’t help, try removing the hard drive, DVD drive, modem, wireless card, keyboard, etc… In other words, disassemble the laptop to bare minimum and test again. If the laptop still doesn’t turn on, most likely you have failed motherboard or processor.
Read this guide for barebone laptop troubleshooting.
Problem 3.
Laptop turns on and off repeatedly.
Problem description:
The laptop turn on without showing any image on the screen. After a few seconds the laptop turns off by itself. Then it turns on and off again. It continue turning on and off repeatedly until you power off the laptop completely.
Possible problem:
Most likely it happens because of some kind of motherboard failure. You can try reseating/replacing memory as I described in the Problem 2. If it doesn’t help, I would say this is motherboard related failure.
In most cases it’s not worth replacing the motherboard, better to buy a new laptop.
Problem 4.
Laptop makes noise while running.
Problem description:
The laptop turns on and everything works fine, except it makes some constant weird grinding or rattling noises. Some laptops make noises all the time, other laptops have them intermittently.
Possible problem:
In most cases this noise is coming from the cooling fan or laptop hard drive. You can turn on the laptop, wait until it starts making noise and after that listen closely on the bottom of the laptop. If the laptop starts making noise when the cooling fan starts running, most likely you have a failing fan. Replace the cooling fan.
If the laptop makes noise even when the fan not spinning, probably it’s coming from the hard drive. Back up all personal data from the hard drive as soon as possible, it can fail any moment. Replace the hard drive.
Here’s another technique to figure out if the noise coming from the fan or hard drive. Remove the hard drive from the laptop and stat the laptop. Wait until it warms up and the fan starts spinning. If the laptop still makes same noise even when the hard drive removed, most likely it’s bad fan.
Problem 5.
Laptop shuts down or freezes while in use.
Problem description:
The laptop turns on and runs properly but after a while it freezes or shuts down without any warning. When it happens, the laptop feels hot on the bottom. Also, the cooling fan works harder than usual.
Possible problem:
Most likely this is heat related issue. It happens because the cooling module gets clogged with dust and the laptop cannot “breath” properly. The laptop shuts down or freezes because the processor (CPU) overheats. Cleaning the cooling fan and heatsink should fix the problem.
Here’s how you fix laptop heat related problems.
Problem 6.
Laptop battery not charging properly.
Problem description:
The laptop battery stopped charging properly. It’s not charging at all or charges only after you adjust the position of AC adapter plug inside the power connector on the laptop.
Possible problem:
- Failed battery. If the battery stopped charging completely try reconnecting the battery first. If it doesn’t help, remove the battery and try running the laptop just from AC adapter. If the laptop runs fine from AC adapter but doesn’t charge the battery at all, most likely it’s either bad battery or motherboard problem. Try replacing the battery first.
- Loose DC power connector. If the battery charges only after you adjust the position of AC adapter tip inside the connector, this is DC jack related problem.
Here are some tips for troubleshooting battery charging problems.
Problem 7.
Screen light doesn’t work or fails while the laptop running.
Problem description:
The laptop starts properly but after a while the screen light turns off. The image still appears on the screen but it’s very dark. In some cases the screen light never starts but you still can see a very faint image on the screen. In all cases the laptop video appears to be fine on the external monitor or TV.
Possible problem:
Most likely it’s either the screen inverter or screen backlight lamp (CCFL) failure. Both fail very similarly causing the screen light to go off. In order to trobuleshoot this kind of failure effectively, you’ll need some spare parts: either new working inverter or known good backlight lamp.
The following article explains how to troubleshoot laptop backlight failure.
Problem 8.
Laptop has strange or garbled image on the screen.
Problem description:
The laptop turns on properly but shows bad, wrong or garbled image on the screen.
Possible problem:
- Graphics card failure. First of all, test your laptop with image output on the external monitor. If you see the same problem on the external screen, most likely this is graphics card related failure.
- If the problem appears only on the laptop screen, it could be related to one of the following: poor connection between the video cable and motherboard or LCD screen or failed video cable or failed LCD screen.
This article shows some examples of failed laptop video and explains how to narrow down the problem.
Also, read this article explain why a laptop shown strange colors on the screen.
Problem 9.
Some laptop keyboard keys stopped working.
Problem description:
The laptop turns on and runs properly but some keyboard keys do not work at all or type wrong characters.
Possible problem:
Most likely this the keyboard failed. Laptop keyboards are not repairable. If some keys stopped working, you’ll have to replace the keyboard.
Problem 10.
Missing or broken keys on laptop keyboard.
Problem description:
A key got separated from the laptop keyboard.
Problem solution:
If a key got separated from the keyboard, it’s still possible to fix it without replacing the entire keyboard.
Hopefully you didn’t damage the key hinges.
If you have many keys missing, probably it makes sense to replace the whole keyboard.
The following article explains how to attach a key back to the keyboard.
Problem 11.
Laptop makes repetitive beep sound on startup.
Problem description:
You turn on the laptop but there is no video on the screen. Instead, the laptop makes repetitive beeping sound. You can “fix” the problem if you press on the keyboard keys.
Problem solution:
Most likely it happens because there is a stuck key on the keyboard. In this case you’ll have to replace the keyboard.
Problem 12.
Liquid spilled on laptop.
Problem description:
You spilled something on the laptop and it’s stopped working.
Problem solution:
Liquid spills are very dangerous and unpredictable. If it happened, turn off the laptop ASAP, remove the battery and do not use it until all internal parts are inspected for liquid damage.
It’s sill possible the laptop will work again after you clean the damage.
This post explains how to deal with laptop liquid spills.
If you find this article useful, please consider making a donation to the author. Thank you!
December 8th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
My problem is similar to Problem 5 but here’s the difference: the laptop turns down ONLY when I’m playing games. When I use Firefox it stays on all day long. Is it also overheating?
December 8th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
@ Alex,
Definitely this sounds like heat related issue. When you run games, the CPU is loaded all the time and runs hot all the time. Probably the heatsink is clogged partially and CPU overheats when you running games. Try cleaning the heatsink. It should help.
December 9th, 2011 at 9:19 am
On my notebook screen turns very dark. I tried new inverter but it didn’t do it. I am thinking about replacing the CCFL. Is it easy? Should I just buy a new screen?
Thanks.
December 9th, 2011 at 10:10 am
chris,
Replacing the CCFL is not easy. It’s mounted deep inside the laptop screen and the entire screen has to be disassembled.
There is a good chance to damage the screen while replacing the CCFL.
I would probably suggest replacing the screen.
But if you have nothing to lose, you can try replacing the lamp. I explained this process here.
http://www.laptoprepair101.com.....ccfl-lamp/
December 9th, 2011 at 10:52 am
Can you help?
I have a HP Pavilion g6 laptop. 2,w,s,x keys stopped working. I want to replace the keyboard but I don’t know how.
December 9th, 2011 at 11:16 am
@ Tim_1972,
This definitely sounds like a problem with the keyboard.
You can use this guide for replacing the keyboard on HP Pavilion g6 laptop.
http://www.insidemylaptop.com/.....g6-laptop/
1. Remove the battery.
2. Remove one screw shown in the step 7.
3. Remove the keyboard as it shown in steps 8-13.
Good luck!
December 9th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
In response to Alex. Yes, in my experience I can’t stress enough how many heat issues (as well as other issues) can be solved by blowing out the dust and dirt and cleaning the cpu heatsink fans and videocard heatsink and fan if there is one. There are also laptop cooling pads that you can use during the game if you really had to! I also would do malware and virus checks and scans to make sure there isn’t something unnecessarily running and using more CPU in the background than is necessary. Hope you have resolved your issues.
December 14th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
I have problem cnt u help me…i have lenovo t61 icant swicth on if i remove the battery and i turn on,the battery incator will light and blink and no response…thanks!
December 15th, 2011 at 10:39 am
@ Migzky,
First, I would test the laptop with another known good AC adapter. It’s possible your adapter failed.
December 17th, 2011 at 10:59 am
I have dell 1440 laptop(CDrom is not working),due to some mistake, the windows crashed and everytime i power on it, this message appears “Boot Manager is missing, click ctrl+alt+del to exit” ,Is this a hardware problem? how could i install windows 7 back easily?
December 17th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Hello, i have an laptop toshiba that when i turn on with battery work every think ok… when i plug the ac cable, after a few seconds, its stops…breaks. I try without battery mas still same problem…
December 18th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
please I want you to email me. what are the component that someone can heat on a laptop board and also my laptop was hanging on booting to window I now check the memory, harddisk, processor is till not working I now give it another engineer he now said that his going to work on the board and later the laptop become operational. pls what are the likely things he may do on that board. I beg u in the name of God pls email me back.
December 26th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
@ Rupinder Singh,
It’s hard to tell if this is hardware or software related issue. Could be just corrupted Windows OS. Could be hard drive failure.
First, I would test the hard drive. Run internal Dell diagnostic utility and see if the hard drive passes test.
If the hard drive is OK, you’ll have to find a CD-Rom. You cant try fixing the existing Windows OS installation by booting from Windows 7 CD and running OS repair.
December 26th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Luis,
How it stops working? Just shuts off?
Does the bottom of the laptop feel hot?
December 26th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
@ Wahab Imran,
Maybe the failed graphics card?
Take a look at this post: http://www.laptoprepair101.com.....hics-chip/
Is it what you are asking about?
December 28th, 2011 at 3:27 am
Hi does an ac adapter have to give a steady voltage for it to work correctly as I have an adapter that is reading an initial 19v but then drops back to 0 again without disconnecting anything.
However I’m guessing the adapter itself is ok as the machine actually turns on it you hold the adapter plug in tight and sometimes also in a certain direction but its so sensitive it only stays on for a short time. Do you think its likely to be a mobo short or a problem with the DC jack? The DC jack has no loose connections on the board as far as I can see.
Thanks
Brian
December 28th, 2011 at 10:43 am
@ Brian,
This is not normal. The AC adapter has to provide a steady voltage.
This could be one of the following:
1. The AC adapter cable has a short inside. When you move the adapter plug or adapter cable you short cables and it stops providing power to the laptop.
2. The DC jack separated from the motherboard and has to be resoldered or replaced.
Here’s what I would do:
1. Test voltage on the AC adapter tip. While testing the voltage, wiggle the power cable. If power cuts off, this is defective AC adapter. Replace it.
2. If the AC adapter provides steady voltage even when you wiggle the cable, probably the AC adapter is bad and you have a problem with the DC jack. Try resoldering the DC jack.
It’s possible the solder joint has a micro crack which you cannot see. It’s a common DC jack failure.
December 28th, 2011 at 11:31 pm
I have read your posts and others trying to fix my problem w/presario v6305nr turns on blk screen & lights blink fan goes on & off and the cd drives runs and repeats itself over & over lights shuts off and then starts all over again.Any ideas. This notebook has been sitting around for a 2yrs,waiting for one day to shed some light, I just bought a recovery disc from hp for 25.00 and it worked for about 2 weeks then it started back up again, i never opened it up. i would greatly appreciate your response and known expertease on this nightmare to end Sincerly Alex Rhoades Las Vegas. I am a well known dj W/lights & sound, but not so with your field. i think you can give me some direction on what path to take.
December 29th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Dj Alex,
First of all, try minimizing the laptop as much as you can. Remove the battery, hard drive, DVD drive, etc… Try turning on again and see if you can get the image.
Read this post on troubleshooting dead laptops: http://www.laptoprepair101.com.....e-problem/
If there is no image, try reseating memory modules. Try removing them one by one. This could be memory related problem. If the laptop fails with either module installed, probably it’s not memory.
From your description I suspect the motherboard failure. Maybe it’s one of those HP/Compaq laptops with well known NVIDIA graphics chip failure.
You can try one of the following tricks:
http://www.laptoprepair101.com.....p-laptops/
or
http://www.laptoprepair101.com.....hics-chip/
I published Compaq Presario v6000 disassembly instructions here:
http://www.insidemylaptop.com/.....00-laptop/
Hope it helps.
January 17th, 2012 at 5:32 am
Hi there, nice article! I am trying to repair a HP DV4000 on which keyboard gets crazy after some time.. i thought it was the keyboard so i removed and put external USB.. the same happens!! Random keys, alt is stucking and crazy things.. thought about virus and boot from Hiren’s with keyboard test, the same happens!! I replaced the multicontroller chip PC97551 which seems to be in charge for almost everything including keyboard scan, but still does the SAME!!! Any ideas? No corrosion or any liquid inside the laptop!…
Thanks in advance!
January 19th, 2012 at 11:48 am
Dear Sir,
I’m a Hardware Eng. but recently we have received Sony vio note book, the note book problem is when i connect power cable than auto power on & instant power off stay time 5-10 sec. but I’m not finding any damage & hot parts, yet, i was soldering whole Motherboard, but result 0000. So in this situation what can i do? please help me.
Problem 2: hp pavilion dv 3000, when i switching power than instant off stay time 2-5 sec. normally just i was slightly heated. but i can’t found any shock, & don’t hot motherboard, please give me solution early as possible with pic. (if possible)
Thank You*
Md. Kabir Hossain Kiron
CEO
Electro Care
Dhaka Bangladesh
January 20th, 2012 at 6:59 am
i have an hp laptop, problem is that all ports on the machine are disabled meaning they are not functional and you cannot get anything into the machine or out of the machine.when you check the settings it says all ports are disabled and when you enable them and try to use a stick or flash it would have disabled already by itself.what could be the problem and how do you fix it.
January 20th, 2012 at 11:42 pm
@ George,
Sounds like the motherboard related failure. Sorry cannot help here. I don’t fix motherboards on the component level.
January 20th, 2012 at 11:54 pm
@ Md. Kabir Hossain,
You can try this method for troubleshooting dead laptops.
http://www.laptoprepair101.com.....e-problem/
January 21st, 2012 at 12:04 am
@ blessing,
This is a very weird problem. I’ve never seen something like that.
Does it say that all ports are disabled in the BIOS setup menu? Is it an error message in Windows?
January 24th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Used a Fedora DVD-ROM for A CET class..Didnt install it but now windows is not booting….ive tried everything from repair screen to last known settings but no luck…diags show error 2000-0146…its a dell inspirion N5030
January 24th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
@ Gary,
It looks like error 2000-0146 could be hard drive related.
After some research I found this thread on Dell support website.
January 25th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Help! Okay the LCD screen on my laptop was broken, cracked in the corner after someone closed it with a pen on the keyboard..
I decided to replace the screen myself.. I took it apart got the serial number and ordered the replacement screen. Installed the new screen and nothing shows up except colored portions and lines. Figured it was a defective screen and sent it back for a replacement.
Got the replacement screen and the same thing happens!
Am I doing something wrong? Or is it that I just keep getting defective screens?
Thanks..
January 29th, 2012 at 7:18 am
Hi..
I dont have a problem with my screen and keyboard..but the screws that connect this two parts..are coming out..and that connection between the two is broken,,i cant fold my laptop..
please help me with this..
January 29th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Pls help!!! How to override bios p/word of toshiba satellite 100A laptop. Rgds. Edy.
January 31st, 2012 at 2:22 am
hello…my acer aspire 5550 wont power on. the power button automatically lights on without pressing if the power cord is connected to the outlet. i remove the battery but no luck. please help me…..thanks
February 2nd, 2012 at 8:23 am
@ Nikkita,
Maybe your new screens are not compatible.
What happens if you install the cracked screen back into the laptop? Can you get image on the cracked screen?
If your old screen shows image but new screens have only vertical lines, this is some kind of compatibility issue.
Make sure your new screen has same resolution as the original one.
February 2nd, 2012 at 9:00 am
@ Tejaswi,
Sounds like broken hinges. The only way to fix it is replacing the hinges I guess. What is your laptop model?
February 2nd, 2012 at 9:12 am
@ Edy,
Did you mean Toshiba Satellite A100 laptop?
There should be two pads on the motherboard under the memory module. You’ll have to short those pads with a screwdriver for a few second.
Could be similar to Satellite A135. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo1gg1EZV-o
The guy is cutting a piece of wire to short those pads. It’s not necessary. Just use a small flathead screwdriver.
The pads might look like that: http://i125.photobucket.com/al.....BIOS_C.jpg
In some Satellite A100 laptops the pads could be located under the keyboard. Take a look at this guide: http://techniciansguides.blogs.....sword.html
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:45 pm
@ lino,
Remove as many parts as you can. Battery, hard drive, memory. Disconnect the keyboard if you can.
Now plug in the AC adapter again. If the problem still there and power button lights up by itself, probably this is motherboard failure.
You can try this troubleshooting technique: http://www.laptoprepair101.com.....e-problem/
February 3rd, 2012 at 1:27 am
Mine is Dell Inspiron 1525.
@ Tejaswi,
I dont have a problem with my screen and keyboard..but the screws that connect this two parts..are coming out..and that connection between the two is broken,,i cant fold my laptop..
Sounds like broken hinges. The only way to fix it is replacing the hinges I guess. What is your laptop model?
February 29th, 2012 at 11:12 am
My toshiba satellite laptop crashed when connected to ac outlet and used at the same time.Have to charge the battery and unplug it so that I may use it normally.Could you please help.
Thank you.
March 1st, 2012 at 3:03 am
So I dropped my Asus laptop and now when I turn it on it tells me to Reboot our put in a media reboot and there is a clicking sound. But I don’t know how/have either. I’m going to try and contact the manufacturer. is that the best thing to do?
March 2nd, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Thank You so much.. I’ve learned a Lot for this Site. it is very Helpful. Keep it Up Guys.
March 12th, 2012 at 7:43 am
All files turned to adobe while working on net. Sony Vaio Lap top and OS Windows-7 home basic.
Thanks
March 13th, 2012 at 7:23 am
Pls, my toshiba laptop goes blank whenever the hardisk is instaled but come on with figures & numbers when the hardisk is removed. What do l do?
March 15th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
@ Chandra,
Probably file association is wrong. Try reseating it back to default.
March 15th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
@ Aknidenor james,
I cannot understand your question. What figures and numbers? Please provide a better description.
March 18th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
thank you. really helped me. keep up the good work.bye.
March 24th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Hi
I have replaced the keyboard in my Sony Vaio laptop but i am still getting the same problems as before.
i am getting the wrong symbol for different keys and was wondering if you could give me some idea what the cause could be.
Thanks Sid
April 7th, 2012 at 6:27 am
please tell me the secrets to checkup the power supplys in laptop main board
thanks and regards your suggessions are wortful on effctive work
April 13th, 2012 at 5:42 am
my asus 1001pxd shows “primary hard disk error”what is the solution of it?
April 17th, 2012 at 10:52 pm
3 moth before i bye a new sony vio laptop having model no-VPCEG35EN.
But now its stat hanging for long periods of time.
Please tell me what should i do?
April 20th, 2012 at 3:06 pm
I installed a wifi card internally, then my Dell laptop would not power on??? What did I do wrong, do you think I fried it?
April 20th, 2012 at 5:56 pm
@ Laurie,
What happens if you remove the wireless card and start the laptop?
April 24th, 2012 at 8:01 am
I have a problem with my laptop Sony Vaio VGN CR353 series..
After my mom fill some water on top of it my laptop won’t start normally with nothing respond at all from the led, the fan and etc…
i found this great website and i follow all the basic repair and after i clening up the motherboard with alcohol and tootbrush like you said
and finally i’ve progress my laptop begin to show some reaction..
If you don’t mind please look up my short video that shows the recent condition og my laptop in http://youtu.be/Wi5x3UXvdkg
hopefully you can give me any clue from your experience in laptop repairing.. maybe you’ve already faces the same problem
Big apologize for my bad english
Big thanks for any responds
keep up the good work *two thumbs up
May 6th, 2012 at 11:18 pm
my acer laptop mouse is not working kindly guide me
May 9th, 2012 at 12:10 am
not sure if you installed the hard drive in a correct manner. Just to be sure about it, you can access the bios (normally F2 or f10 key while restarting) by hitting the bios key during Power on Self Test. If the hard drive is not showing in the list of drives, you probably have either connected the wires wrong or may be your HD is dead. Besides, you can also look for the green light near the keyboard that has the pic of a HD. If that is not lit or not flickering, there is something wrong either with Hd or the way it is connected.