This Is How to Fix a Laptop That Won’t Turn On

We depend on our laptops to work every time we need to use it. When it doesn’t turn on, it can feel as if we are having a heart attack. Our minds work on overdrive as we sort what could be wrong.

Power issues aren’t uncommon for laptop owners, but that doesn’t make it any less frightening. You always wonder if you can fix it each it happens. 

There are a few issues your prized possession may not work. If you’re not sure which problem you’re experiencing, check these tips to learn how to fix a laptop that won’t turn on. 

How to Fix a Laptop That Won’t Turn on

There are a few of the same phases every laptop goes through if it won’t power. No matter what brand or type of laptop you have you can try any of these tips to see if they help you.

If your laptop won’t start, start with the first method and work your way down or try one you believe will help.

Look at Your Power Supply 

You might think this is an obvious method to mention, but sometimes that’s the only problem. We all have those moments where we fail to do something we always do.

A cord could be loose which causes the laptop to force shut down for what you believe to be an unknown reason. If the LED light for the power cord is on, check to see if the power button works too.

Checking your cord can also tell you if the problem is with the power supply itself. Wires that are tangled and bent create weak points that damage the power supply over time. If there is something wrong with the cord, you can verify this by testing your laptop with another cord with the same voltage. 

Remove the Battery and Anything Inside Your PC 

If the battery overheats, it’s enough of a reason for your laptop to not want to power. Feel your battery to check if it’s hot to the touch. Allowing the hot battery time to cool off can work when it overheats. 

Other times, just taking out the battery and popping it back it does the trick. The PC may not turn on due to USB drives or memory cards stuck in the port. You might be able to verify this if your computer leaves an “Operating system not found” error message. 

If a memory card or USB is left in the system, the BIOS attempts to boot from either instead of the hard drive. The same happens with CDs left are inside the computer so take them out. 

See If It’s the Monitor

Your computer itself might be on, but the problem could be your monitor. Light is needed to display the screen. It will appear black if it stops working. First, try disconnecting all wires for display and plugging them back in. 

In the event the LED light shows and you can hear the laptop fan, your computer itself works. It could be a brightness setting issue you need to readjust. If all you get is a faint image, then the inverter might be the problem and you need to replace it.

Your LCD panel could be the culprit if the PC starts up. but nothing displays at all. You would have to get another screen in this situation.  

Startup in Safe Mode

You might see the “Blue Screen of Death” upon startup and get nowhere beyond this point. Seeing this means you have a hardware, application, or driver issue.

Press “F8” when you see the blue screen to access safe mode. Your PC only runs important drives in this mode so you can uninstall the hardware or application that is causing your PC to refuse to startup. You can also fix your PC by running system restore. 

Use a Rescue Disk

Another alternative is to boot with a reuse disk or USB drive if you own one. You could also download a recovery disk from another PC then burn it on CD or USB. Once you insert one of the two, try to boot your PC again. 

The same can be done with a MAC. Just remember when you’re using a recovery disk to put your PC into recovery mode. 

Check for Possible Hard Drive Corruption

There’s a chance the problem with your computer lies in the hard drive. Even if your hard drive is corrupted, the data is often still intact. However, you would need to resolve an altered update or file that is making your PC go haywire.

On Windows, you should boot your PC in safe mode and go to “Advanced Options” and click on “Startup Settings.” Your computer should scan, find, and ideally, repair what’s wrong. It could be a number of things like a virus. 

On a MAC, you will follow something similar by opening the folder to repair disk permissions. If there’s really a corruption issue, you would need to click on “verify disk.” 

Switch Hard Drive to Another PC  

If nothing works, there is a final option you can do to at least access your precious data. This requires the most PC knowledge as you’re going to have to deconstruct your PC to remove the hard drive. 

If you can do this, you can save any important data before sending it to a computer shop for repair. So long as there isn’t a problem with the motherboard, you can fix your PC by resolving the startup complication. 

Finding Solutions to Problems 

There are a number of methods you may need to do to sort your computer problem. The real resolution comes when you can identify what the issue is. Once you do that, you can find out how to fix a laptop that won’t turn on. 

The level of difficulty varies from person to person, but most people give up when the steps become too complex. Most fear creating another issue in an attempt to fix the original problem. 

If you did everything you could and require professional assistance, send your device to us. We offer a low price guarantee to our customers in Virginia who want a quote and repair.

Feel free to drop by one of our locations, like Carytown, and a specialist can work with you. Your computer can work once more like before.