How long can you last without your laptop?
If you’re like most people, not too long.
The retail market for laptops is booming, manufacturers are continually discovering new improvements and innovations, and the market size is standing at a whopping $58 billion.
The thing is, as much as you value your laptop and need it for your daily use, whether school, business, or entertainment, it’s bound to experience problems that will require some laptop troubleshooting techniques.
While you may encounter laptop problems that require professional help, some of the most common issues are easy to troubleshoot and fix on your own. For this reason, we have gathered some of the best laptop troubleshooting tips and how you can fix some of the issues you’re likely to encounter.
Your Laptop Won’t Turn On
If your laptop doesn’t turn on at all, you could be facing issues connected to the battery motherboard, or power cord.
Of course, the first thing you should do is plug it in for a few minutes to see whether it’ll charge. Try using a different power cord in case something is wrong with the one you always use.
If the laptop only powers on when it’s plugged into a power supply, you have a battery problem and may need to replace it.
If neither the power cord nor battery is the problem, it’s most certainly the motherboard or the power jack. In this case, you should have a professional look at it to determine what needs to be replaced.
A Sluggish and Slow Laptop
One of the most common laptop problems you may have encountered is a sluggish laptop that’s running a lot slower than it should.
This issue often happens with most laptops, and the problem could be the hard drive, malware, or a failing system. If you’re facing speed issues, the laptop troubleshooting tips you can try include reducing the number of programs you run on your PC at any given time.
Beyond that, it could be that you have too many programs, so delete what you don’t need. Also, try switching your browser, cleaning your drive, and running a virus and malware scan on your laptop.
If it’s a result of fragmentation, you can try to defragment your PC by doing some necessary clean-up and running a system check to see what resources are taking up too much RAM and which ones you can delete.
Overheating
A laptop running hot is a common issue, but the bigger problem is that when it happens, your computer could suffer worse consequences, like experiencing a system freeze or crash.
All computers, laptops included, generate a lot of heat while running. However, laptops tend to heat up a lot more because they are compact and lack enough ventilation, unlike their desktop counterparts.
If you don’t usually have a laptop maintenance routine where you clean it up, it may be that dust has clogged the air vents, and closed up the little provided area designed for ventilation. This essentially means that you have deprived your laptop of cool air and hence too much heat.
There is an easy laptop troubleshooting solution.
Start by cleaning your vents with a clean cloth or use a keyboard cleaner and find a way to prevent duct from accumulating again. For instance, you could place a filtered cloth over the inhalation vents, though you shouldn’t do this over the exhaust vent since this is where the hot air escapes from.
If cleaning the dust doesn’t work, you should try updating your laptop BIOS, which controls the system’s hardware. Most manufacturers usually offer automatic updates for heat management.
Keep in mind that during the update, your laptop needs to be connected to a power supply.
No Sound
If there’s one thing that could be frustrating, it’s a laptop that has no sound.
Sometimes the problem with your laptop is unrelated to hardware, and nothing has to be broken. However, where could the problem be?
This is one of the most common laptop problems, but it also has some of the easiest laptop troubleshooting solutions. First, if you use external speakers, check to ensure they are plugged in and turned on.
If there’s still no sound, check whether you muted the volume on the taskbar, and if you’re using internal speakers, try using external speakers to determine whether the internal ones are broken. If they are, then you need to have them replaced by a professional.
A Blank Screen
A blank screen is also one of those frustrating issues because the laptop seems to be functional except for the blank screen.
In this case, laptop troubleshooting tips include unplugging the laptop from the power supply and removing the battery. Press and hold the power button for a minute, then plug it back in and restart it.
You can also replace the battery and restart the laptop again. If this doesn’t work, it could be that you’re dealing with a memory failure issue, so check whether your memory modules are connected to the slot and whether they need to be replaced.
If this also doesn’t work, you may be facing a motherboard or processor issue, both of which need professional attention. This could also be the case if your laptop turns on and off repeatedly.
Laptop Makes Weird Noises
If your laptop keeps making weird noises while running, such as rattling or grinding, it may be an issue with the cooling fan.
If the issue is persistent when the fan is not running, it may be the hard drive, in which case you may need to replace it.
Stuck of Broken Keys
Laptop keys experience problems all the time, but there are a number of laptop troubleshooting tips you can try.
If you’re facing stuck keys, it could be because something spilled on the keyboard, or it has some debris sticking to the keys. In this case, try spraying some compressed air to see whether the keys loosen up.
You can also remove the keys and clean the keyboard, which is one of the best ways to fix laptop keyboard issues. However, you may not be able to do this if you own a Mac, in which case you should either replace the key or the entire keyboard.
Fix Your Laptop With This Laptop Troubleshooting Guide
There you have it! This is the ultimate laptop troubleshooting guide, and it includes common laptop issues with their fixes. If these solutions don’t work, then you need to see a professional repair specialist and have them look at your PC
If you found our guide helpful, please check out our tech guide website, where you’ll find all the tech solutions you’re looking for. If you could also share this post with colleagues or friends that could be facing laptop issues as well, that would be awesome!