If your laptop breaks down, you want to know how to diagnose the problem, the possibility of repair and the price. Those. Before repairing a laptop, preliminary diagnostics are needed. This article discusses laptop problems and how to diagnose them.
In this article we look at typical breakdowns:
- mechanical faults of the laptop case
- faulty charging, keyboard,
- Laptop motherboard malfunction
- failure of the matrix, hinges, cable in the laptop
- laptop video card problems
- laptop hard drive
- laptop battery failure
- mobile computer cooling problems
- laptop software problems
Broken laptop case
A laptop case is a complex product consisting of many covers, strips, panels, and fasteners. It is the first to take on the physical impacts of users. Its breakdown is not critical for performance, but it brings a lot of inconvenience to its owner. There is usually no laptop case as a whole product, but individual parts are available for sale.
Most often, the top screen cover and hinges, latches break, and less often the base cover. The screen and base covers are the basis of the case. Their damage disrupts the aesthetic appearance and makes it difficult to use. Read more about laptop case repair here. Costs on average from 3000 rubles.
The main reasons for writing off a computer
Let's consider the main reasons for writing off computer equipment.
The main reason for decommissioning equipment is its obsolescence. Or obsolescence . A computer becomes morally obsolete more often than it wears out technically.
Physical wear and tear is the second reason for decommissioning a computer.
Also, the reasons for writing off a PC may be:
- breakdown of equipment and the impossibility of repairing it;
- theft;
- sale of equipment.
The main criterion for writing off computer equipment is its loss of useful qualities. These are all things that make it difficult to work and gain economic benefits from using a computer.
Accounting is inextricably linked with computer registration. You can read more about PC accounting in our article “How to Maintain Accounting for Computer Equipment.”
When equipment becomes unusable and cannot be used, it must be written off. You can read how to do this correctly in the article “How to properly write off computer equipment.”
Laptop power supply failure
Perhaps the most common laptop malfunction is related to its power supply.
Repairing the power supply (charging unit, PSU) makes sense if there is a break or short circuit in the cable or connector. In other cases, it is better to replace the power supply because repairing electronics is difficult. And that's why. The charging case is glued together, the layout is very dense, often the elements are filled with sealant. Moreover, there are no circuits, and the burned-out denominations are unknown. In most cases, a universal charger is suitable as a replacement. The exception is adapters with a three-pin connector. The third contact is used as a service contact for data transfer. A universal power supply is selected based on maximum power. It contains a set of different interchangeable plugs. Usually you can find the one you need for your laptop. The risk of buying a cheap charger is as follows: the touchpad and keyboard may not work well.
Signs of a faulty power supply:
- Laptop won't charge;
- does not turn on;
- no charge indication when the laptop is turned off;
- there is no idle voltage at the connector.
Restoration costs from 1000 rubles.
Results
Above, we described the most common laptop malfunctions and found out that the main reason for their occurrence is the user himself. To avoid trouble, we would like to give a few recommendations for working with a laptop: • Do not place a cup of tea or coffee next to the laptop. It's so easy to accidentally knock it over on your laptop. • Do not leave the laptop in places accessible to children or pets, as Their first acquaintance with laptops may be their last for a laptop. • Try to be careful when connecting external devices to your laptop so as not to damage the ports or motherboard. • Do not place your laptop on the floor next to your bed. It's funny, but sooner or later someone steps on their electronic friend. Alas, not without consequences. • Take your laptop to a service center to remove dust and dirt at least once a year. Overheating is a common occurrence of serious laptop malfunctions.
Laptop keyboard malfunction
Laptop keyboards most often fail after exposure to liquid or mechanical damage. Rarely due to broken conductors and faulty electronics. Only individual keys on a laptop keyboard can be repaired with a little effort. In addition, different laptop models may use different keyboards. A specific laptop requires a very specific keyboard. Other keyboards are unlikely to be suitable due to differences in mounts, shape, cable.
A very common malfunction of keyboards on almost all laptops, even new ones, is that the cursor jumps to an arbitrary location. This is because of the touchpad. The solution is to disable it (usually Fn+F2) and connect the mouse, nothing else helps.
If some of your keys have broken off, it is quite possible to replace them. If you don’t choose it yourself, most likely you won’t have enough experience. Because the fasteners and the elevator mechanism are located under the keys. To do this, you need to bring the laptop to the workshop, an experienced technician will determine the type of mounts and select a suitable key with a mount for replacement. Replacement price 300-500 rubles. per key. Usually the plastic fastenings of the buttons break. If the metal parts of the fastening on the keyboard body are broken, then the entire keyboard needs to be replaced.
Symptoms: keys do not work, sticking effects, another letter appears on the display instead of the letter pressed. Read more about repairing a laptop keyboard, price from 1,500 rubles.
Diagnosing a faulty laptop motherboard
The most serious problems with laptops are related to a faulty motherboard. Motherboard repair is expensive and usually involves replacing BGA chips using special, expensive equipment. Cheap soldering stations have a high percentage of defects. The process is complex and requires precise adherence to temperature conditions. Repairing a board costs less than a new one, and is faster than delivery and replacement with a new one. The cost of restoring the motherboard in a laptop is 6-8 thousand rubles. Due to its high complexity, diagnostics of motherboard faults are performed only by experienced specialists.
A special case is a malfunction of the power connector, which is located on the motherboard. To repair a laptop's power connector, you need to disassemble the laptop, remove the motherboard, unsolder the old connector, solder in a new one and reassemble it again. For all this pleasure you need to pay about 3,000 rubles.
Signs of a faulty laptop motherboard:
- The laptop does not turn on, even the LEDs do not light up (damage to the power switching circuit);
- The laptop's power turns on, the LEDs blink, but the boot does not occur: the motherboard does not start - only a black screen;
- the motherboard starts, initial messages appear on the display, but the OS does not load and hangs on one of the messages;
- The laptop turns off spontaneously, the processor overheats;
- no battery charging;
- BIOS does not see a working disk;
- short circuit on the laptop motherboard (the protection in the power supply is triggered, the LED on the adapter goes out, there is no voltage at the laptop input).
UPON COMPLETION OF THE WORK WE PROVIDE A COMPLETE PACKAGE OF DOCUMENTS
- Free delivery of documents when ordering over 20 units. equipment
- Contract for services
- Documents confirming the fact of payment for services (invoice)
- A copy of the certified technical examination report (conclusion) for each equipment inventory number
- A copy of the ROSTEST certificate of conformity for technical examination services
- Order
IF NECESSARY, WE HELP DISPOSAL OF EQUIPMENT AFTER DISPOSAL
How to write off a laptop in a commercial and budget organization
Whatever the reasons for the breakdown of the laptop, the procedure for writing it off has clear regulations. However, for commercial organizations the process is somewhat simpler than for budget ones. In this case, you can simply create an internal commission of full-time employees, which will confirm that for a particular laptop, repairs are more expensive than a new one and, based on the results of the inspection, will draw up a corresponding act on the write-off of the fixed asset. After this, the manager issues an appropriate order. As a write-off form, you can use the unified form No. For state employees, everything is somewhat more complicated:
- The documents required for write-off are approved by the state manager of budget funds.
- The decision to write off is approved by the head of the organization (if this is within his authority).
- Next, the recycling process begins, since any office equipment contains substances that have a certain class of environmental hazard, as well as precious metals.
It is best to entrust the disposal of laptops to a licensed organization that has the necessary equipment for the safe transportation and storage of this class of waste. One of the leaders in this direction in Moscow and the Moscow region is. We remove and dispose of office equipment and computers in any volume. Our specialists carry out an examination at the customer’s premises, issue an opinion and draw up reports, and also organize the removal of decommissioned laptops for their subsequent disposal.
Faulty laptop video cards
Most laptops come in a configuration with a soldered video card, when the video adapter elements are located on the motherboard. If such a card malfunctions, you need to change the video chip, i.e. carry out a complex procedure for re-soldering the microcircuit. Sometimes they limit themselves to restoring contacts under it and do “rebowling”. The problem is that large microcircuits cannot withstand many solderings; the risk of defects increases with each re-soldering. Therefore, repairing a laptop video card should only be done by replacing the video chip with a new one.
Some laptops use a separate modular graphics card of a special MXM standard. This module can be changed. There are difficulties when replacing such video cards due to poor compatibility. Incompatibility can manifest itself at the physical level. For example, cards have different shapes, or the location of mounting holes, elements, and chip height. The chip can also be located on the other side of the board. Moreover, joint electrical and software incompatibility is even possible (at the BIOS level of the card and motherboard). See information on replacing a laptop video card.
Signs of a faulty laptop video card
The laptop turns on, but does not start, the video driver crashes and is not installed. In addition, games do not play, there is no image, or it has artifacts, it is buggy, and turns off spontaneously.
Laptop hard drive problems
Hard drives of laptops (HDD) and desktop computers are fundamentally no different. Their malfunctions are the same, diagnostics and repair of hard drives in laptops are performed in the same way. The most common malfunction is damage to the magnetic surface of the disk, as a result of which the magnetic layer and data deteriorate. Software bad sectors that arise as a result of failures are also possible. Damage is diagnosed with special programs, for example mhdd, HDDScan. Software damage can be removed, hardware damage cannot be eliminated.
If the disk breaks (controller malfunction or surface damage), it should be replaced with a new one. To transfer data from a damaged disk, you need to carry out certain work to restore information, without which it will not be possible to clone the disk. Disk data recovery is a separate service that usually costs more than the device itself.
Signs of a bad hard drive
What are the signs that suggest a disk failure?
Firstly, there is no download from it, the system does not see it. Secondly, the download stops. An error or freeze appears. Thirdly, it may be a cyclic reboot. As well as errors in programs, critical Windows errors.
Laptop slows down
The laptop may work slowly due to a tiled HDD. This is the latest invention of their manufacturers related to SMR recording technology.
A typical disk has read and write heads of the same size. And a tiled disk has a reading head 10 times smaller. This makes it easy to expand the HDD capacity without any effort. Reading in regular and tiled disks is the same. But the recording is significantly different. For example, to overwrite a sector, a regular disk overwrites the data of only one track. But tiling needs to rewrite the entire block. Tiled disks can monstrously slow down Windows 10. Because such an OS writes to the disk all the time. As a result, the HDD load is close to 100% almost all the time.
However, if you check these disks without recordings, the tests will not detect anything bad. Because they won't even check empty sectors. The disk will instantly give them an answer without checking.
And further. Any Windows 10 will slow down with a regular HDD. For normal performance you only need an SSD, preferably M.2. Because SSD M.2 is 4 times faster than SATA.
Laptop battery failure
A laptop without a battery not only loses its mobile autonomy properties. But there is also a danger of data loss if there is a sudden power outage. Therefore, battery failure is a significant drawback. The laptop battery consists of a set of lithium cells and a control circuit. When the control circuit is faulty, the battery does not hold voltage for a second and also does not charge. If the elements become low, the battery holds a charge for some time. But if there is a break inside the element, the battery output will also be zero. In addition, all laptops use a special switching circuit located on the motherboard to manage power. If it malfunctions, the battery most likely will not charge. It is difficult to diagnose a battery malfunction at home; you need to contact a service center.
And one more problem associated with a faulty battery. Every time you turn on the laptop, the laptop is diagnosed, and the system records all faults in permanent memory.
There is no point in restoring the battery. Because repairs will cost more than buying a new one. By the way, now the choice of batteries is quite wide. You can choose a suitable battery for each model. New and used batteries and other spare parts can be purchased or ordered here.
Signs of a bad battery:
- Windows shows a lot of wear;
- does not see the battery;
- When you pull out the power plug, the laptop turns off, the laptop does not turn on with the battery.
The laptop power socket has fallen off or is loose (loose)
You should immediately take the laptop to a service center, since subsequent operation with this malfunction may lead to breakage of the power socket or damage to the tracks around the socket. In any case, replacing the laptop power socket is much cheaper and faster than repairing the board. Do not try to resolder the power socket at home, because firstly, you can damage the laptop during disassembly and reassembly, and secondly, special equipment is needed for soldering - an infrared soldering station.
Malfunctioning laptop screen and cable
The laptop screen consists of a matrix and (in laptops with lamp backlighting) an inverter. If the matrix is broken, then it definitely needs to be replaced. Before replacing the laptop matrix, you need to make sure that it is the fault. To do this you need to carry out diagnostics. Most likely, the absence or defect of the image is associated with the video card, video cable, connector, or memory. Read more about replacing a laptop matrix here.
Inverter Failure Symptom
The picture is barely visible in reflected light. The display itself functions, but there is no backlight.
Signs of matrix malfunction
If there is no external damage and there are signs of loading:
- no image;
- the image is “streaked” (if vertical or horizontal stripes are visible on the screen);
- The image is distorted, but on the external monitor the image is normal.
Signs of a bad video cable
Image disappearance, white screen, dirty gray, image shaking, stripes on a dirty gray background.
Laptop cooling system malfunctions
The correct operation of the laptop cooling system plays an important role. If it breaks down, you cannot use the laptop due to the high risk of failure of the motherboard, video card and other devices. The malfunction is usually caused by a broken fan, a clogged radiator with dust, or a depressurized heat pipe. There are no problems due to the hardening of thermal paste, because it does not lose thermal conductivity over time. The fan bearing is the shortest-lived device in the cooling system. It is often not possible to lubricate the fan bearing to extend its service life, because in most cases it cannot be disassembled. But replacing a laptop fan is inexpensive. By the way, they are sold for many models. Sometimes they are sold complete with a tube and radiator.
If the cooling radiator holes are clogged with dust, then cleaning is urgently needed. Read how and when to clean your laptop here. But after cleaning, be sure to check the temperature conditions of the processor and video card.
Signs of a malfunctioning fan and dusty radiator:
- CPU temperature is higher than normal;
- weak air pressure from the radiator;
- the fan operates at high speed.
Signs of a malfunctioning heat pipe: a sharp increase in processor temperature with cold air from the cooling radiator.
If you fill your laptop with liquid
It doesn’t matter what part of the laptop the liquid was spilled on, be it the keyboard or the matrix, you should immediately turn off the laptop, remove the battery and take the laptop to a service center. Remember, every second counts; turn off the laptop by long pressing the on/off key (about 10 seconds). You should turn off the laptop and remove the battery from it for two reasons: - Because the laptop has not had a short circuit. — Under the influence of voltage, the process of contact oxidation and corrosion occurs much faster. Do not under any circumstances try to turn on the laptop after it has dried out. It is very possible that it will turn on and even work. But what time? The laptop board is like a sandwich, it is multi-layered, and when liquid gets into the middle, a slow but irreversible process of corrosion of the board begins. Under the influence of tension, this process will begin to move faster. The laptop will only work until the oxidation process reaches the vital node.
Laptop software problems
Many laptop problems are caused by software.
System and application malfunctions in the laptop
The leading software errors include file system errors, incorrect drivers, and corrupted files. Software errors are easy to diagnose and fix. For example, run mini-Windows from another media. You can determine that the errors are software in nature if you install another disk with new Windows in your laptop. Windows errors are mostly cured by reinstalling it. Because looking for the cause can be very difficult.
Signs: loading freezes, Windows reboots, programs do not run, the “blue window of death” pops up, regular crashes.
Incorrect drivers
Often the lack of sound, network, low resolution is explained by the lack of drivers for these devices or incorrect drivers. First of all, you need to make sure that drivers are installed on all devices and there are no conflicts.
Blue screen of death BSoD and its elimination.
Program incompatibility
Some programs may conflict with other applications. And also cause errors in the operating system. It seems that the laptop hardware is faulty.
Example: in Windows 10, system fonts disappear after replacing the font in Word. The problem is the incompatibility of MS Word and broken Adobe Photoshop 2022.
Antivirus problems
Awast antivirus can cause a blue screen of death and lead to freezes. If there are such problems, then it is better to change the antivirus.
Two installed antiviruses can slow down any computer. A laptop with two antiviruses always slows down, but sometimes it doesn’t function at all. For example, the laptop boots, but no application from the desktop starts, the Start button does not work.
Malware
Viruses, spyware, Trojans, and blockers can greatly disrupt the operation of a laptop. While viruses can multiply and corrupt programs, Trojans disguise themselves as useful applications. Their main purpose is to convey important information. Spies are processes that operate on your laptop without your knowledge. For example, they can download viruses and are no less dangerous than viruses and Trojans. Blockers display a banner on the monitor demanding that you send money. Read how to remove viruses and other malicious codes.
Signs of viruses: the laptop slows down, does not boot, freezes, banners pop up, applications do not start. Moreover, high network traffic is possible.
Here we will answer questions about laptop repairs here: prices, terms, possibilities, feasibility. In most cases, it is difficult to determine the cause of a malfunction without diagnostics.
Questions: Laptop hardware problems
They ask. The laptop does not turn on the first time. Sometimes you need to press 5-10 times to turn it on. We answer. Subsequently it will turn on less and less often. Because the motherboard is faulty. Only replacement or repair will help.
They ask. How to reset the hard drive password on a Toshiba laptop? We answer. You can't just reset it. Because this technology is specifically designed to protect data. If the hard drive is password protected, the password is stored in its controller. The laptop BIOS only transmits the password to the HDD for one-time startup. But you can replace the HDD with a new one.
They ask. Do I need to remove the battery from a laptop if it is constantly connected to the network? We answer. If the laptop battery is in good condition, the controller itself regulates the battery charging, preventing it from overcharging. You also don’t have to remove the charger. If the controller inside the battery is faulty, the batteries may be overcharged. As well as failure of batteries, up to explosion. This is the most dangerous battery failure. Touch a fully charged battery. If it is hot, then it must be removed from the laptop when connected to the network.
Question. The laptop battery takes a very long time to charge. The laptop shows 3% charging within half an hour. Answer. This is a sign that the battery is very worn and needs to be replaced. If the battery discharges very quickly when charging is turned off under load, then its service life is ending.
Question. The battery takes a very long time to charge and is not fully charged. Answer. Most likely the battery is faulty, check its wear.
Question. The laptop does not boot when a USB flash drive is inserted. Answer. This happens more often with computers, probably a malfunction of the USB controller. Usually nothing helps. To get around the problem, you will have to insert the USB flash drive after Windows boots.
Write-off of computer equipment (reasons due to wear and tear) in 2022
Free legal advice
Anything that cannot be sold (donated) or reused is unwanted items, in other words, garbage.
The accumulation of such items is unacceptable in an enterprise where everything should work to make a profit.
If the computer is no longer efficient or is hopelessly damaged, you cannot work on it, which means you will need to purchase another one to replace it.
Naturally, you need to get rid of useless things. Assets such as office equipment are written off and disposed of according to a special procedure provided for by law. Reasons for regulating the disposal of office equipment:
- Preventing harm to the environment. Used office equipment is classified as hazardous waste. In the production of computers and other units, substances that are hazardous to life are used, for example, lead, arsenic, etc. The usual throwing away of equipment, especially regularly, can cause irreparable harm to the environment and health.
- Saving what can be saved. Office equipment includes parts containing non-ferrous metal, as well as a certain amount of precious metals: gold, silver, platinum. Thus, the Tax Code of the Russian Federation considers even completely unusable equipment not without a certain value. The metal can be recovered and reused, and the valuable components must be properly accounted for as part of the assets.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION! A sufficient basis for the regulated disposal of computer equipment is its legislative justification. In other words, an organization or person found to be routinely disposing of such equipment will be held administratively liable for environmental pollution and violation of epidemiological standards.
By the way, there is an article that talks in detail about the organization’s office equipment.
The process of recycling office equipment in Russia is determined by the Government Decree and the “Methodology for carrying out work on the comprehensive recycling of secondary precious metals from used computer equipment,” which was approved by the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications (10/19/1999).
The metals recovered after disassembling and sorting the components are sent to smelting plants. Elements containing precious metals are sent to refineries. Waste containing toxic substances is transferred to enterprises for neutralization, incineration and burial. Plastic from computer cases and parts is recycled and reused.
Our specialists have many years of experience in the field of waste management. You will only need a list of equipment and machinery to be disposed of. Everything else is the work of our company. If you need justification for writing off fixed assets from the organization’s balance sheet, we will help you with the preparation of Technical Expertise Certificates (defective statements).
Grounds for writing off computer equipment
Liquidation and disposal of computer equipment occurs:
- due to premature damage, malfunctions that cannot be repaired;
- due to moral or physical wear and tear.
Disposal of an object (office equipment), including early disposal, means writing off the price of the disposed unit. The estimated useful life for computers is usually determined to be 3 to 5 years. At the end of it, so that equipment that is not used in the organization’s activities is not included on the balance sheet, it is written off.
The most common laptop failures
The top of the list of popular laptop problems has remained the same for many years. This is due both to the design features of the device and to the stereotypical behavior of users.
- Out of competition - a keyboard that has deteriorated after getting liquid on it. 30% of clients come to service centers with it. Users should not leave tea, coffee, water or other drinks near the laptop. The habit of keeping liquid near the device will one way or another lead to the keyboard flooding.
- Half as often, in 15% of cases, problems occur with key caps that either break or do not stay in the socket. The reason may be either the low quality of the material from which the keyboard is made, or the user’s habit of pressing the keys too hard.
- Every tenth case of malfunction is a breakdown of the power supply. Almost always the reason for the failure of this unit is its poor quality.
- A broken matrix is also every tenth case of breakdown. The user needs to try very hard to achieve this effect. But if you forget a small object on the keyboard and close the lid with pressure, the matrix will not hold up.
Other breakdowns
- A hard drive with broken clusters and a matrix with obvious flaws - 5%.
- Incorrect operation of the RAM stick after replacement – 5%.
- Contact burnout in USB ports – 5%.
- Failure of the motherboard due to a malfunction of some types of video cards – 4.5%.
- Motherboard that failed after filling the keyboard with liquid – 3%.
- Infrared port not working due to incorrect driver settings – 3%.
- A malfunction of the cooling system, which leads to overheating of the laptop 2%. The reason is the ingress of wool, lint and similar materials into devices intended for cooling. The same level of overheating was recorded after working with a laptop in a bag.
- Excessively scratched hard drive – 2%. This breakdown occurs when the hard drive head vibrates sharply, for example, when transporting a laptop in transport.
- Idle speed mode of USB 2.0 ports is 1.5%.
- Damage to USB connectors that occurs due to careless handling of connected connectors – 1.5%.
- Inability to charge the battery, which happens due to false operation of explosion fuses – 0.7%.
- Image instability, which disappears when the laptop is rotated or tilted, is 0.5%. The cause of this breakdown is usually faulty cables or frayed wires.
- The screen does not turn on - 0.5%. The reason may be errors made when setting up the reinstalled operating system, failure of the backlight, or the screen turning off due to a completely discharged battery. You can deal with the last problem yourself by rebooting the laptop after disconnecting and reconnecting the battery and power supply.
- Battery explosion due to errors in its installation – 0.3%.
How to write off the system unit reasons
In addition, the reasons for the impossibility of modernization must be stated. For example, components are not produced that are compatible with the existing computer configuration, which could increase performance or RAM.
If this equipment cannot be used in another area of work, then the computers will have to be written off and disposed of. Moreover, if the service life of such obsolete equipment, established by the manufacturer, has expired, the computer may fail at any time. And it is difficult to predict what the consequences will be.
If the system unit does not work The inability to use the computer due to its breakdown is also the reason for writing off computer equipment.
