Laptop Repair 101 – How to Troubleshoot Common Laptop Problems
Laptop users spend most of their time looking at the screen and keyboard. However, they don’t always realize the internal components of the laptop. Most laptops are secured with a series plastic flaps that are held in position by one or two screws. These flaps allow you to access the most important components of your laptop without opening it up. Some laptops also have snap-off plastic covers that protect components like the power switch or screen surround.
A hard drive or solid-state drive is the part of your laptop that stores all your documents and programs. Hard drives are made up of platters that spin at high speeds inside the laptop. When you drop the device, the platters may break. SSDs are much faster than hard drives and have none of these problems. It is possible to swap the hard drives with SSDs to speed up the machine’s performance. However, since some SSDs are soldered to the motherboard, you may need to seek help from an expert in laptop repair.
In some cases, the issue may be something as simple as a damaged memory chip. In such a case, you can try to fix it yourself before calling in a technician. Laptop Repair 101 will help you if you are unsure how to proceed. Here you’ll learn what steps you can take to troubleshoot various issues and find a solution that works for your device.
First, determine if your laptop is experiencing power or motherboard issues. A digital multi-meter is a good tool to check for these issues. If you can’t see an image on your LCD screen, then it’s likely that your ram is not working properly. A bad cooling fan, or a failing hard disk are other common problems.
If your laptop is having problems with its screen, you might have accidentally hit “num lock”. If this is the case, you can use Windows troubleshooting software to fix the problem. It will allow you to restore your system to a previous state and help you diagnose the problem.
If your laptop is not able to be repaired by you, you can attempt to remove the battery. Some parts of your laptop can be very fragile and need professional repair. It’s relatively simple if you know how to do it. In many cases, the parts that are most likely to fail are hidden under the flaps on the bottom of your machine. You can even buy second-hand parts from eBay.
Dirt and dust can cause damage to the keyboard. You can check for this by lifting the key cover. Some keyboards don’t have removable keys covers so this can be difficult. Use a cotton swab or compressed aer to clean the keys.
About Joshua Shuemake
Joshua Shuemake is an IT (information technology) professional, based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. Joshua is CEO of Joshua Shuemake Consulting, providing services such as IT consulting, laptop and computer repair, iPhone repair, and computer networking services for small businesses. You can follow him on Twitter at @joshuashuemake.
