You try to start your computer, but nothing happens. When your laptop won’t turn on, it’s one of the most frustrating technological hiccups. You don’t have to accept that your laptop has died untimely. Here are some ways you can fix the problem after assessing what’s wrong.

Laptops that don’t power up could have a malfunctioning screen, faulty power supply, or a failed hard drive. If you order replacement parts or adjust your laptop’s configuration, you may be able to fix the issue yourself. You should probably buy a new laptop if your old laptop is having trouble and it is an expensive hardware issue.

Cause of Laptop Not Turning On 

Laptops not turning on may be caused by a variety of factors. You may experience issues with Power adapters, laptop screens, batteries, and even faulty components on the motherboard

Steps to Resolve Laptop Won’t Turn On Issue

An issue with a laptop that won’t turn on can be resolved by working from the easiest causes to the most difficult.

Drain the computer of electricity 

It is possible for residual electrical charges to prevent your laptop from turning on. If you perform the following steps, you effectively drain your laptop of its electricity and start over, which usually results in it turning on again.

1. Remove the AC adapter and battery (if possible).
2. Keep the power button pressed for thirty seconds to drain any residual power from the laptop.
3. Replace the battery in the laptop without plugging in the AC adapter.
4. Verify that your laptop boots properly by pressing the power button.
5. Shut down the laptop normally if it is on.
6. Put the laptop battery back in if you were able to remove it.
7. Check that the laptop boots properly by turning it on again.

Check the power supply and battery

Try checking the power supply if your HP laptop won’t turn on even when plugged in. There are quite a few issues you could encounter with the power supply.

It could be as simple as having the wrong charging cord, which means the voltage isn’t being received correctly, or it could be that the power supply has failed.

1. Remove your laptop battery completely to test if the problem is with the power supply.
2. Plug your laptop into a functioning outlet.
3. You should check the outlet first by plugging another device into it. If it works, it’s not the outlet.
4. Unless you can power on your laptop without the battery installed, the problem is with the battery, not the power supply.
5. However, you can simply switch to AC power until you can buy a new one.
6. It’s fine to use your laptop without the battery installed, but you will always have to plug it into an outlet.

CMOS battery

Another possible solution is to replace the CMOS battery which stores the BIOS settings on the motherboard. A lot of older laptops or those that are used with the main battery removed will suffer from this issue. CMOS batteries are very affordable to replace.

Note: Ensure that the cables are connected properly. The most common cause of a laptop that won’t turn on is a power supply problem. When your computer’s power cable is loose or unplugged, it isn’t getting the juice it needs to run.

Diagnose Screen Issues

Verify that the problem is not related to the screen. When the screen itself is black, people assume their laptop is off when it is not.

If you have an external monitor connected, turn up the volume first. Disconnect the external monitor to see if the desktop appears on the main laptop window if that doesn’t work.

Otherwise, increase the brightness by using the keyboard’s brightness key. Connect a different external monitor to your HDMI or other video output port to see if the problem is just with the display on your laptop.

Boot into Safe Mode

It is possible to boot into safe mode even if you can’t boot into Windows. As your laptop starts up, press F8 to enter Safe Mode. Here’s how you can enter safe mode. You can’t do that in Windows 10, as you have to be in Windows before you can enter safe mode. As described above, you’ll need to boot from a rescue drive or disc in that case.

You may be able to undo any changes that caused your laptop or PC to stop booting if you enter safe mode. Then, you may have to uninstall any new programs you recently installed, uninstall any driver updates you recently installed, or if you have a corrupt account, create a new one.

Watch Out for Overheating

In most laptops, the processor has internal thermal protection that shuts it down. As soon as the system cools down, the laptop will start again. Check that the computer’s vents aren’t blocked and that the hot air is being displayed properly if you are using the computer on a bed, pillow, or another soft surface. If a laptop isn’t venting properly, the fan may be faulty and needs to be replaced. Let your laptop cool down completely before trying to turn it on again if it is hot to the touch. Overheating is the most likely cause of a laptop that turns on once it has cooled down.

Unplug and remove removable USB drives or memory cards

Your computer may be getting stuck before it loads Windows if the power supply and screen are fine. The most common culprit here is a USB drive or memory card left plugged into a USB port or card reader. This can lead to unnecessary panic if you see an error message such as “Operating system not found”.

Most of the time, it indicates the BIOS is set to attempt booting from detachable storage devices (such as cards) before the internal hard drive. Check also the DVD or Blu-ray drive for a disc left in there.

Check hardware

Checking your hardware is the last step in diagnosing power issues. It could be that you recently installed new hardware, such as a RAM kit, that’s causing your boot issues. Reinstall your new hardware and try booting again.

Occasionally, the hardware in your laptop, such as your hard drive, just fails and can’t be repaired. This is a sure sign that your hard drive has failed if you hear a clicking noise or if the drive spins up and then shuts down. The problem is most likely a failed hard drive, which you must replace.