How to Resolve Laptop Not Powering On Issues
There are quite a few different reasons why a laptop can have issues powering on. The most common would be a faulty DC Jack. Though other things like a faulty GPU, or incorrectly seated RAM, or a blown motherboard component, bad battery, damaged hard drive, short in the AC adapter, or even liquid damage can cause the laptop not to power on. So you see; variety of different issues, and it will be up to you to do process of elimination testing to rule out all other possible problems and pinpoint the exact component causing the issue.
When laptop powers on the laptop may even splash the BIOS screen (the screen showing the Laptops manufacturers logo), then shuts itself down. To resolve this issue you will have to first check all the easiest things that you can, the easiest parts to access get looked at first.
Start by removing the battery. Plug the AC Adapter in and try powering on laptop. If the issue resolves then problem is cause by malfunctioning battery.
Unplug the AC Adapter and power on the laptop with only battery connect to laptop. If the issue resolves then problem cause by malfunctioning AC Adapter.
Note here, that, you have ruled out the DC Jack simply because it is powering on initially, then, shutting down. If the jack were faulty, you would get no power initially, or the shutdowns would be more sporadic and only occur when the cord or plug were moved slightly.
If issue not resolved, then remove the RAM cover on the underside of the laptop (some RAM slots are also situated under the keyboard on the top side of the Motherboard; you will determine the location and reseat both sticks. Then attempt to power back on after reseating the RAM. Reseating the RAM means that you remove both RAM sticks and place them back into the DIMM slots again to ensure they are in straight and not at an angle or slightly ajar.
If the issue not resolved, then pull out both sticks of RAM again and just use one stick, placing it in DIMM 1 first, then checking Power, then trying just DIMM 2, then trying to power on, then taking the 2nd stick of RAM and doing the same thing trying DIMM1 then DIMM2. That will either rule out the RAM as being the issue if nothing changes, or it will correct the issue, which would also tell you that you have a faulty DIMM slot if the laptop Runs and Powers on good with 1 missing RAM stick.
Your next troubleshooting step is to disconnect Hard Disk Drive (HDD). You want to remove/unplug it from the port and set it aside, then try powering up the laptop. If the hard drive had any issues with it that were stopping the laptop from powering on, removing the drive should bypass the issue and allow the laptop to turn on.
Liquid damage to the internal components can cause power redirection where the contact pads join and when this occurs, it will tell the motherboard to shut down to prevent further damage.
Connect the laptop to a television set or external monitor and make sure to try all video ports for connecting to external monitor or television set, if issue resolves then you will know laptop LCD monitor is not working and would need replacement.
You have eliminated easy components, you will now have to move on to disassembling the laptop to begin troubleshooting and viewing all parts and components. You will be looking for signs of liquid damage, looking for motherboard damage, looking for blown components. The failing of capacitors is probably the most common component that fails on either board. Remember here that the capacitors on a laptop motherboard differ from those on a desktop computers motherboard. Though some laptop motherboards will use electrolytic capacitors, the majority of capacitors on a laptop motherboard will be tantalum capacitors (no gasses). Defective capacitors tend to go out of tolerance quickly, leak, or sometimes explode. These systems should have their capacitors preemptively replaced to prevent damage to surrounding components and traces.
Something as simple as crossing pins inside the Ethernet/cat5 cable input port that are bent and touching one another, or possibly even crossed pins inside the USB port can cause the laptop to power on then shut down. So you will need to closely look at all parts and components now to determine where the failure has occurred.
Sometimes, bad capacitors can be identified by certain physical characteristics, including:
Overheating happens when the fan and heat-sink assembly become clogged. Make sure to clean all dirt and dust from fans and apply new thermal paste to CPU. Also make sure fans are working.
When laptop powers on the laptop may even splash the BIOS screen (the screen showing the Laptops manufacturers logo), then shuts itself down. To resolve this issue you will have to first check all the easiest things that you can, the easiest parts to access get looked at first.
Start by removing the battery. Plug the AC Adapter in and try powering on laptop. If the issue resolves then problem is cause by malfunctioning battery.
Unplug the AC Adapter and power on the laptop with only battery connect to laptop. If the issue resolves then problem cause by malfunctioning AC Adapter.
Note here, that, you have ruled out the DC Jack simply because it is powering on initially, then, shutting down. If the jack were faulty, you would get no power initially, or the shutdowns would be more sporadic and only occur when the cord or plug were moved slightly.
If issue not resolved, then remove the RAM cover on the underside of the laptop (some RAM slots are also situated under the keyboard on the top side of the Motherboard; you will determine the location and reseat both sticks. Then attempt to power back on after reseating the RAM. Reseating the RAM means that you remove both RAM sticks and place them back into the DIMM slots again to ensure they are in straight and not at an angle or slightly ajar.
If the issue not resolved, then pull out both sticks of RAM again and just use one stick, placing it in DIMM 1 first, then checking Power, then trying just DIMM 2, then trying to power on, then taking the 2nd stick of RAM and doing the same thing trying DIMM1 then DIMM2. That will either rule out the RAM as being the issue if nothing changes, or it will correct the issue, which would also tell you that you have a faulty DIMM slot if the laptop Runs and Powers on good with 1 missing RAM stick.
Your next troubleshooting step is to disconnect Hard Disk Drive (HDD). You want to remove/unplug it from the port and set it aside, then try powering up the laptop. If the hard drive had any issues with it that were stopping the laptop from powering on, removing the drive should bypass the issue and allow the laptop to turn on.
Liquid damage to the internal components can cause power redirection where the contact pads join and when this occurs, it will tell the motherboard to shut down to prevent further damage.
Connect the laptop to a television set or external monitor and make sure to try all video ports for connecting to external monitor or television set, if issue resolves then you will know laptop LCD monitor is not working and would need replacement.
You have eliminated easy components, you will now have to move on to disassembling the laptop to begin troubleshooting and viewing all parts and components. You will be looking for signs of liquid damage, looking for motherboard damage, looking for blown components. The failing of capacitors is probably the most common component that fails on either board. Remember here that the capacitors on a laptop motherboard differ from those on a desktop computers motherboard. Though some laptop motherboards will use electrolytic capacitors, the majority of capacitors on a laptop motherboard will be tantalum capacitors (no gasses). Defective capacitors tend to go out of tolerance quickly, leak, or sometimes explode. These systems should have their capacitors preemptively replaced to prevent damage to surrounding components and traces.
Something as simple as crossing pins inside the Ethernet/cat5 cable input port that are bent and touching one another, or possibly even crossed pins inside the USB port can cause the laptop to power on then shut down. So you will need to closely look at all parts and components now to determine where the failure has occurred.
Sometimes, bad capacitors can be identified by certain physical characteristics, including:
- Bulged appearance
- Domed tops
- Asymmetrical or stretched plastic jacket
- Fluid leaking
- Split vents
Symptoms of defective capacitors may include:
- Excessive noise in audio or video, including 60hz audio hum or rolling bars in video
- Scratchy, distorted, or missing audio
- Low contrast, blurry, or distorted LCD displays
- Intermittent or outright failure
Overheating happens when the fan and heat-sink assembly become clogged. Make sure to clean all dirt and dust from fans and apply new thermal paste to CPU. Also make sure fans are working.