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Top Laptop Troubleshooting Tips

Video Failure

When you suspect video failure on your laptop, a few things need to be checked to determine the source of the failure: 1)Listen for fan operation (no fan = power source, or motherboard issues) 2) Try connecting an external monitor - if the notebook won't light it up, then the motherboard, or video adapter are suspect...some video adapters are integrated in the motherboard (MB) on some models. 3) Consult a repair guide to confirm there are no defective connections, or solder points on the adapter, or MB. Video adapters are worthwhile to replace, while motherboards aren't cost effective, over the price of a new laptop. If your external monitor test works, the failure is with the video subsystem, located in the screen/lid assembly. Occasionally, the cable bundles that run through the hinges to the video adapter gets damaged, or shorts out. You could also have a bad LCD display: Increasing numbers of dead spots, or whole rows/columns on the screen indicate the actual LCD assembly is bad. A screen that fades from bright to dark may have a failing inverter or backlight. The inverter fails most often - it is similar to ballasts found in fluorescent lights. A simple Google search will tell which of these parts are prone to failure on various models, along with repair guides to fix them on your own.

Laptop Fan Failure

Laptop internals are crammed into a very small space, making cooling fan operation critical. Replacement fan and heat pipe cost under $50 to replace - with generic fans costing only a few dollars. Don't want to wait until you get heat damage before replacing the fan. A fan that increasingly gets noisier over time; particularly when it starts, indicates impending failure. If the fan never comes on, especially when you notice the laptop is hot, the fan is probably dead.

Hard Drive Failure

Laptop hard drives (HD) are really easy to replace. You can get generic HDs on ebay that will fit many applications for your particular manufacturer. This is a benefit as you can easily upgrade the size and processing speed, for half the cost of buying a direct replacement from the manufacturer. Make sure your bios is updated and can accommodate the desired hard drive your planning to use. Some laptops have a slide out access panel, held by a single screw. Others have the HD mounted behind the battery, or near the RAM. Others are more difficult, requiring you take the laptop apart to access the internals. The IDE cable is fixed on easily removable drives, making the HD swappable, whereas the more laborious internal drives require more delicate care when removing.

Ports and Power Connector

Laptops can be prone to internal failure of the physical connectors, such as modem or network ports detaching in the case, or the power connector solder joints cracking. To fix these problems you'll need to open up the laptop, diagnose the failure, and repair it - instead of kludging it. Kludging rarely works, as the tight tolerances cause the kludge to usually break right away. Always use a fine tip iron and don't overheat the board while using a soldering iron. Use a good de-soldering tool to efficiently clean up the old stuff, and again...never overheat the board! Take a break on each solder point.