Video:Fix a Broken PC Laptop

SHARE ON                

Transcript:Fix a Broken PC Laptop

Hi, I’m Shane Murphy, your technology Guru for About.com. Today we’ll be covering tips for what to do if your PC laptop won’t boot properly

PC Beeps and Diagnosing Problems

First you must try and diagnose the problem. If you’re lucky, your computer will emit a series of short or long beeps when you try to turn it on, like... or.... This code is your PC trying to tell you exactly what’s wrong with it.

Write down these series of beeps and visit About.com’s pages devoted to PC codes for more information on what exactly went wrong.

If you’re not so lucky, then it’s time to look for other signs.

Power Supply Problems

Say you hit the hit the power button and nothing happens at all. No lights on, the fans won’t spin, and you can’t hear your HD. You probably have an issue with your power supply.

After making sure all connections are snug, try removing and replacing your battery and trying again.

If that doesn’t work, try removing the battery altogether and running it off the plugged in supply.

Problems With the Motherboard

If that doesn’t work, it’s time to consult your laptop’s manual for how to properly expose the motherboard. Before you do anything though, it’s incredibly important that, for your safety, you remove the battery completely and unplug your laptop. Once you’ve done that, examine your motherboard carefully for any black marks, discolorations, or obvious tactile irregularities.

If you do find one, you probably have a single or even multiple fried components. If you have a spare you can try and replace it, but you won’t be able to salvage the one you have.

Memory Problems

Say your PC begins to turn on but then inexplicably shuts down. It’s a good chance there’s a problem with your RAM.

Again, make sure the battery is out and your PC is unplugged. Open up the compartment that houses your RAM. Carefully unseat each RAM stick and replace in a different slot. When done, try powering on again.

If that doesn’t work, it’s possible that one of your RAM sticks is defective. To determine which one is the culprit, try removing all of them, then reseating just one at a time in the primary slot. If your computer will boot up for one but not another, you’ve found you’re problem.

When to Call a Technician

If that doesn’t work, you probably have a problem with another serious component, such as your video card. If you’ve got your manual handy and spare components, you can try replacing each one systematically to locate the problem. Otherwise it’s time to call a technician.

Problems With the Monitor

Say you boot up your PC and everything seems fine: lights activate, your HD is spinning, you hear the welcome tone, but nothing is coming on the screen. You probably have an issue with your monitor.

To test this, power down your PC and connect a standalone monitor to the VGA jack on your laptop, then boot it back up. Your desktop may automatically appear on the monitor.

If it doesn’t, try holding the "fn" key and hitting the "F" key associated with external monitors, identified by the screen symbol.

This cycles through your different options for display settings. If your external monitor shows your desktop and your onboard monitor won’t, you’ve found your problem. Unfortunately, monitor failure is usually very difficult to repair on your own, and you’ll probably need to call a technician.

Don't Be Afraid to Call the Manufacturer

Laptops become more and more complicated every year and there’s always a huge number of problems that can potentially pop up. If none of these solutions work, you should continue researching online or call your manufacturer to continue to try and resolve the issue.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit About.com!