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The issues covered in this troubleshooting guide are:

  • The damaged computer screen or rotated to the incorrect position.Overheating or loud, grinding fan noise.Delayed responses when typing or unresponsive keys or broken Key.Mouse icon jumping Around or unable to accurately use cursor.Power will not turn on / battery will not charge.

You May experience dead pixels, a black screen, or even a flickering screen.

If the screen is displayed upside down or vertical simultaneously press CTRL and ALT (see yellow arrows) and the directional arrow keys (see orange circle). The top of the screen is determined by the directional input of the arrow keys.

If the screen is cracked or has been physically damaged, see our screen replacement guide for further details.This guide will be necessary when the problem is physical and not an issue with your computers settings.

You may experience the keyboard is getting warm or even hot to the touch, or abnormally loud fans.

Excess dust or insufficient ventilation room could be causing your device to overheat.

If your computer is overheating, this may be because the laptop’s heat sinks are blocked. Try setting the laptop on a surface that allows ample ventilation room.

The airflow follows the arrows. The cold air enters the vents at the blue side and exits warm on the red side vents

If the previous steps fail to solve the issue, check the heat sink vents for any blockages or debris. You can use a Q-Tip to gently swipe though the heatvents to remove dust or debris that is stuck in the heat sinks.

Loud grinding or vibrations from spinning fans.

Fan’s will normally be activated by computer usage so make sure the noise you are hearing as diffrent then the normal running sound of the computer.

If you are experiencing loud grinding noises or if the overheating issues persist, see our guide on replacing fans.

The keyboard may be completely unresponsive, some keys may not work, some keys may type multiple inputs, or be jammed.

If you are running windows, try adjusting your keyboard settings. Ensure that ‘sticky keys’ is turned off. Keyboard settings can be found via Windows/Settings/Ease of Access/Keyboard/Use Sticky Keys.

Unresponsive keyboard, individual keys creating incorrect inputs.

Another issue could be your keyboard driver. To update the driver, navigate to Windows/Control Panel/Hardware and Sound/Devices and Printers/ Device Manager/Keyboards/Driver/Update Driver

Flickering keyboard backlights, unresponsive keys, jammed keys.

See if the keyboard back-light is on. If the keys aren’t lit up, or if you are still having issues getting an accurate response from the keyboard, it may mean your keyboard is broken and needs replacing. See our keycap replacement guide.

Over time, keycaps may get worn down or crack due to repeated use. In this case, broken keycaps will require a replacement.

The touchpad may be completely unresponsive or when using the touchpad, the cursor may be jumping around the screen, stuttering, or lagging.

If unresponsive, first make sure to check that the touch-pad is still enabled. Windows allows you to do this under Windows/Settings/Ease of Access/Mouse. The touch-pad should be enabled. Often with the use of a wireless mouse, this problem can occur.

Glitchy cursor, faulty tracking, unresponsive touchpad.

If your Touchpad is enabled and is still unresponsive or not tracking properly, try updating your touchpad driver. Navigate to Windows/Control Panel/Hardware and Sound/Devices and Printers/Device Manager/Mice and Other Pointing Devices/Driver/Update Driver.

If issues still occur or you have physical damage to it, see our touch-pad replacement guide

Some times the computer will start to boot up then shutdown. Also, an increase in system errors and blue screens of death.

Unresponsive or unlit power button.

If the computer fails to boot, ensure that there is an adequate power source, or the battery is charged. If the computer is plugged in, try pressing and holding the power button for 12 seconds. If the computer starts and still fails to boot up, this is indicative of a motherboard failure.

Compiling system errors, system crashes, random computer restarts.

Often times malware and viruses can make it seem like the motherboard is failing. Try holding down F7 when the computer boots up. Select safe-boot and then run a virus scan of all system files and drives. If you’ve recently downloaded any files, you may need to perform a system restore to a point before you’ve made your downloads.

Blue screen of death, beeping noises on startup, the computer may begin to boot up but shut off after a few seconds.

If the computer still fails to boot or keeps crashing, you may need to replace the motherboard. See our motherboard replacement guide.

External mice not registering, external monitors not displaying a picture, external speakers not producing a sound, or other devices not charging when plugged into your computer.

The device remains unlit when plugged in, failure for multiple devices to recognize the external device (external mouse, external keyboard, external speakers.)

If any of the ports are not functioning, first try changing cords to ensure it is the port that is the problem.

Attempt to use the cord with another device to ensure it isn’t the device you are plugging into the laptop.

If these do not solve the problem try cleaning the connections gently with a Q-Tip to remove anything that may be intteruppting the connection.

Glitchy sounds, faulty mouse tracking, the device may work initially but begin to fail after some time in use.

If your external devices use the USB ports and are operational on other computers, try updating your USB drivers. Navigate to Windows/Control Panel/Hardware and Sound/Devices and Printers/Device Manager/Universal Serial Bus Controllers (also USB Connector Managers)/Driver/Update Driver.

External devices cables may not fit into their designated ports, ports may be dented or even collapsed back into the computer.

If the port looks physically damaged, as compared to those in the photos, you may need to replace the damaged port. See our motherboard replacement guide.

You may be experiencing muted speakers, or a staticky disruption of sound, or even buzzing coming from your speakers

Before dismantling your PC, make sure your speakers are not muted and you have the correct device selected. Right he speaker icon on the bottom taskbar then select Volume Mixer.

Navigate to Windows/Settings/System/Sound/Your Sound Device/Device Properties (Input and Output)/Enabled.

To check your drivers and sound settings. Navigate to Windows/Control Panel/ Hardware and Sound/Devices and Printers/Device Manager/Your sound Card Device/Driver/Update Driver.

If your speakers are still not working, or are static-y and making a buzzing sound, consider our speaker replacement guide.