In today’s times, everything needs to be fast and portable. That’s why when laptops came into the market, they sold like crazy because people could work on the go! Portable computer systems, exactly what is needed for higher productivity. Turns out, we’re so dependent on laptops problem that these machines must be working properly. 

Given that these are just machines, an issue once in a while is imminent. It could either be hardware issues or just some custom software application development-related issues, but in the end, they’re hampering productivity. Usually, people run off to service centers with even the smallest of issues. But, sometimes, the problems are so small that you can diagnose & fix the issues on your own.  

Signs of laptop trouble

Although with a range of laptops problem in the market, each system has its own language of telling you that there’s some trouble. But some signs are common to them all:

Slow & unresponsive performance

Slow and unresponsive performance is a tell-tale signal of your laptop asking for help. What could be the reasons? For one, it might be hijacked for some secret activities like sending spam or crypto mining. Another could be a malware attack or non-malicious, but buggy program or maybe just your laptop is old now.

Persistent error messages

Occasional error messages are fine, but if the frequency of these alerts is increasing for no apparent reason, then maybe it needs help. The cause could be anything, ranging from a malware attack to hardware failure. How to fix 0x0 0x0 error code?

Unrequested changes in settings

If the applications on your laptop are not behaving normally or laptop settings are getting reconfigured on their own, it probably has malware. It will alter the settings to suit its needs and prevent you from changing them back. The changes are often noticed first in the browser settings, like changing your default browser or certain features.

Strange noises

With growing age, your laptop’s internal components will start wearing out and might become unable to function properly. This may either include refusal to start or strange & repeated noises from your laptop, which is an indicator of hardware failure. 

Common laptop problems

Following is a list of some of the most common laptop problems people usually face with laptops problem, with reasons and troubleshooting ideas:

The battery doesn’t charge or drains quickly

Most of the time, the battery is making people’s laptop time a nightmare.

Diagnosis:  Detach the battery from the laptop and then plug the charger into the laptop. 

• If your laptop is still switching on and working alright, then your battery is the culprit. Here, in this case, you’ll have to buy a new battery.
• But in the other scenario where your laptop doesn’t turn on with the charger connected and battery removed indicates issues in the charger. To be sure, try using it in a different plug point. If you attach the battery back and it charges, then you’re required to get a new laptop charger. 
• For battery draining out quickly, you should also look at the applications running in the background. Go to Settings → Systems → Battery Saver → Battery Use. There’ll be a list of all the applications consuming batteries. Find out any applications you don’t want to run in the background or any unusual software running in the background and turn them off.

Keyboard not working

Keyboards generally take all your beatings, so surprise there if they pose any trouble at some point in time.

Diagnosis: The thing to look for here is whether all your keys are not working or just a few keys are not working.

• If just a few keys are not working, then it might be because of an obstruction. Look for it and clear it. Another possible solution is cleaning the dirt & dust off your keyboard. 
• But if the issue is with all the keys, then you should start by checking for any faulty keyboard drivers. Go to Device Manager and check if there is a yellow exclamation icon near the keyboard icon. If it is there, re-download all the required drivers. For that, visit the “Download” page of the laptop’s manufacturer and find the drivers you need. This can help, while you can use a USB-powered keyboard in the meantime.
• If the download of drivers doesn’t fix the Laptop problem, there’s a possibility of a loose connection between the keyboard unit & the motherboard. This is mostly an unlikely situation. For this, you’ll have to open the laptop chassis and get access to all the internals. Just verify if the keyboard ribbon cable is connected alright. Do this only if your laptop is out of warranty. Else, take it to the service center.
• You can also fix the problem by replacing the keyboard. All you have to do is learn a bit about opening a laptop. Get access to the keyboard, pull it out without damaging anything on the laptop’s insides, and place the new keyboard in its right spot. Also, ensure that it is connected to the keyboard ribbon cable properly. 

Blue screen of Death (BSOD)

It is the scariest of them all. There can be multiple reasons, both hardware-related & software-related, for this error. 

Malware or corrupted drivers

Diagnosis: Check for some malware or faulty drivers on your laptop. 

• If there’s a possibility of booting back into windows, make a quick check for viruses using any comprehensive virus detector. 
• Check for faulty drivers & update them. Go to the device manager, check for any yellow exclamation icons next to any hardware components, and simply “right-click” on the drivers and select “update.” 

Overheating

Your laptop is in for a sudden crash if it has an overheating processor or graphics chip.

Diagnosis: You can check for the heat coming out of the laptop around the vents. You can download certain applications too, for mobile application testing

of the CPU & GPU temperatures.

• Anyway, overheating might be caused due to fans not working properly or not working at all. So, if your laptop still has a warranty, run to the service center. Else, if you’re confident that you can open the laptop properly without causing any damage, take some tutorials. Then it is only a matter of dusting off & unclogging the fans and reassembling your laptop.
• Keep your laptops on hard, flat surfaces to allow air passage. 

Memory issues

BSODs can be caused due to hardware failures. It could either be due to a faulty RAM or hard drive.

RAM 

Diagnosis: Run command prompt by pressing “Windows Key + R.” → Type “mdsched.exe” → Press Enter.

• This opens a pop-up window that will check for memory-related issues. It will ask whether you want to diagnose the problem the very instant or when you turn the laptop on next time. Choose what you prefer. 
• It will then run the Windows Diagnostics Tool and find any problems with RAM. If it finds no errors, then your RAM is fine. Else, you might have to upgrade your laptop’s RAM.

Hard drive failure

Diagnosis: Go to File Explorer → right-click the drive you want to check → Properties → Tools → check 

• If the hard drive is causing problems, you’ll find out here. You can also conduct automation testing via some applications to check if there are any issues with the hard drive. In this case, the best solution is to take it to the service center. 

Related post: How to fix your PC when it says ” Your PC ran into a problem“.

The laptop won’t start

It is difficult to diagnose the issues when it doesn’t switch on, or the screen doesn’t turn on. If it is not powering, then it is a battery or charging issue. Otherwise, check for the following issues:

Laptop powers on without a display

If your screen is off, but your laptop indicators show that it has turned on, the problem lies in the display.

Diagnosis: check the hard drive indicators & see if the hard drive is active. It could be engaged in trying to boot Windows.

• If the indicators are just on, but there’s no activity, press the caps lock key and check its indicator light. If it hasn’t hung up, it’ll turn on & off. But if it has hung up, it reflects hardware failure, and you should take it to the service center. 

Windows start booting but don’t proceed

If your Windows doesn’t finish the boot process, it indicates a Windows corruption problem.

• Keep Windows Recovery Disk handy. You might be able to control & repair the damage by booting into the Recovery disc or USB drive.
• Enter the safe mode by pressing F8 or “Shift + F8” when Windows starts the boot process to check it boots properly. Insert the recovery disc/pen drive into your laptop. Now boot it by entering the BIOS & changing the boot disc order. Usually, BIOS can be accessed by pressing F2, F10, or Del Keys. Once done, you’ll have the Windows Recovery Disc Tool, and you can use it to repair, reset or restore your Windows installation.

Read more: 5 The Best Gaming Setups to Design Your Gaming Room

EndNote

There can be numerous reasons for your laptop to stop functioning, many things can go wrong, and some can even get faulty at the same time. The above-mentioned steps can help you get some idea about diagnosing certain common issues people face with their laptops problem. You may use this as a base to get to the root cause of the problem & resolve it permanently. 

There are reasons & solutions to many of the issues above too, and these will greatly help you save the time and money you’d have spent in going to the service centers. Now, certain situations are difficult, and in those cases, it is better to let the experts do their job, and you should take your laptop to the service center if you wish it to live longer.