5 Reasons Your Laptop Won’t Turn On. And How To Fix It

Dell Inspiron 11 You pressed the power button and your laptop is not turning on or it came on and went off immediately. Perhaps it blinked or the monitor won’t display and image? Well, there is no need to get worked up yet and start searching where to sell your laptop online. This is a problem most pc users have encountered one way or the other and below are some reasons that can cause your computer not to come also are the possible solution to each cause. Let’s bring your computer on.  

 

Story at glance:

  • Common issues with laptops that are not turning on. How to quickly diagnose them at home.
  • Assessing repair cost based on the issue type. Making decision whether to fix or sale broken laptop and purchase a new one.
  • If the laptop is broken beyond repair or the cost is too high it needs to be safely recycled. Best ways to recycle electronics.

 

Also find out the following:

Should You Fix Your Laptop or Buy a New One?

and

How To Safely Recycle Your Laptop

 

1.Power issues

    After pressing the power button and the system does not come on, the first thing to do is to check if the power plug is well connected to your computer. Also, if your laptop is not connected to a power source, confirm it is not coming on as a result of a low battery. If you have checked and you are not guilty of any of the above. Next on the list is to inspect your power source to confirm if there is power there. Also, check the computer’s power plug or adapter for any sign of damage or burning as this can result from power surges. If it happens to have been damaged you might be needing a new power plug or adapter.  

2. Monitor/display issues

    If your pc has power, that is, after pressing the power button the power lights come on and the fan begins to rotate then, your monitor might be having some issues which varies from whether your monitor is properly connected to a power source and other parts of the computer. You can try connecting your computer to another monitor or a TV using an HDMI cord. This is to test if your monitor is damaged or the fault is coming from your computer. For laptops, it could be that your laptop display is in a sleep mode and is finding it hard to come up. At this stage, try to shut down your laptop completely by holding down the power button until your pc goes off then press the power button again to restart your pc. This should do or continue scrolling down.  

3. Internal component issues

    There is a probability that a hardware component of your computer has become loose and is in need of tightening. But, before you take this bold step, ensure you have the required knowledge or expertise or you might end up damaging your computer further. To start, you open your computer and remove the panels and search for any loose component. You can remove the components such as RAM, hard drive, graphics card etc. and fix them back. Then, reboot your computer.  

4. External devices

    Check if you have external hardware such as external hard drive, keyboard, camera etc. as they can be the responsible for your computer refusing to boot.  

5. Booting issues

  If a blue screen appears with booting options, go through the instruction on the screen and choose a suitable booting option.   Open the BIOS: If you are still having difficulty getting your computer to start and a POST screen appears bearing with an error message, then some settings on your computer might be responsible for the glitch. You can access the BIOS from the POST screen by pressing F2 or other related keys to access the setup. Here, you can try to change your BIOS settings. If it doesn’t work go back to the previous setting.   If above tips don’t help you will face a dilemma: shoudl you invest in a repair or sell it and buy a new one.    

Should You Fix Your Laptop or Buy a New One?

 

Image from Pixabay

If your computer is more than a couple of years old, and it stops working, you are facing one of the most common questions in computer repair, “Should I fix it, or just buy a new one?”

 

As many computer models have become less and less expensive, it can be tempting to throw in the towel immediately and buy a new one. For higher-end models whose replacement costs are higher, some owners might be led to spend far too much money trying to keep an older machine running. Before you decide on what to do with that broken machine, let us look at some factors to consider.

 

How Bad is the Problem?

 

Sometimes you don’t need to be a diagnostician to understand how bad the issue is with your computer. Broken displays, a malware infestation, or a can of soda inside the CPU can often give you a good idea of what a repair will cost. A little online research or a trip to a trusted repair shop can usually give you a decent idea of how big the problem is, what it might cost to fix, and how long it will take.

 

How Old Is It?

 

Different computers have various different lifespans. The typical length of service for a computer depends on several factors, including the quality of equipment when new. For instance, more expensive gaming laptops and “business class” machines tend to last a couple of years longer than consumer grade models. Typical usage can also impact the lifespan of a computer. Heavy usage or the strain of daily travel can lead to a shorter serviceable life for a machine.

 

You certainly don’t want to invest in a pricey repair on a machine that is at the end of its usable life. For computers between brand-new and end of life, a little math may be helpful in your decision. If you bought at $1000 computer and expect it to last five years, it’s value would, in theory, drop by $200 every year. In reality, it loses much more value in the first year, but this gives you some idea of the value of the machine when you are spending money for a repair so you can compare that to the estimated repair cost. However, don’t make that decision yet. There are some other costs you need to think about.

 

What is the Total Cost of Each Option?

 

Be aware, you may be missing something if you only consider the actual cost of the repair vs. the price of a replacement. There are some possible expenses to add to the cost of a new machine. Software is the most common unexpected expense. Users often lose track of activation codes for the programs they use, meaning that they can’t simply install them again on a new machine. You will also need to factor in the expense of your time setting up your computer with all your software, preferences, and passwords.

 

On the other hand, there may be some hidden expenses in keeping the machine that you have. Having it repaired now doesn’t guarantee that another issue won’t creep up down the line. Also, if your current computer is starting to become slow, consider the time and productivity you are losing compared to a brand new machine. This could mean that recycling your laptop is your best bet.

 

How To Safely Recycle Your Laptop

 

Every few years it comes time to get rid of your old, outdated laptop and upgrade to a newer model. Maybe you’re the type who loves having the newest gadgets, or maybe your trusted old laptop is on its last legs; either way, you never want to throw away an old laptop.

Recycling your laptop saves a massive amount of energy and resources that can be used to create newer products. It also has the added benefit of preventing toxic materials in your laptop from harming the environment by sitting in a landfill. Most electronics contains toxic chemicals such as lead that can be harmful to our bodies, so proper disposal of laptops is essential.

Before you get rid of your old laptop you need to clear it of your personal information. When disposing or recycling technology that contains your confidential data you have to be sure to completely remove any sensitive information.

 

How To Reset Your Laptop

 

Back up your data.

 

The first thing you’ll need to do is back up the data on your laptop to your new laptop computer. This can be done via a physical backup hard drive or onto cloud services. Backing up your data is an easy way to transfer all of your information to your new computer without having to worry about manually re-entering in all of your information.

 

De-authorize everything.

 

For products such as iTunes that limit the number of devices that can access them, you’ll need to deauthorize your old laptop before recycling it. While you can select “Deauthorize All Devices”, this can only be done once a year. To deauthorize iTunes on your laptop, open up the application, click on “Account” and then select “Deauthorize This Computer”.

 

Wipe it completely.

 

Both Windows and Apple laptops have options for completely resetting and restoring your computer. Make sure to completely follow the reset instructions on your computer to ensure that none of your personal data remains on the laptop once you recycle it.

 

Where To Recycle Your Laptop

 

If your laptop is less than five years old, then you can put it to good use by donating it to a local nonprofit or library for refurbishing. Microsoft’s Registered Refurbisher directory can help you find a program.

If your computer is too outdated or out of shape to refurbish, then there are several places where you can recycle it. One place where you can recycle your laptop is Dell’s Goodwill Reconnect Program, which accepts old and broken hardware.

Another is Best Buy, which offers what they claim to be the most comprehensive appliance and electronics recycling program in the United States. Best Buy claims to collect more than 400 pounds of product for recycling every minute their store is open. You can get rid of your laptop at one of their recycling kiosks or in store at the Customer Service counter. If they can’t refurbish or resell your laptop, they will ensure that it is responsibly recycled. Yet the best way to actually get cash for you laptop is to sell it to reputable electronics recyclers like SellBroke. With infinite displays, and folding screens, who knows what smartphones will look like 5 years from now?