Workstation laptop, released circa 2009
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If your computer shuts down unexpectedly and displays a blue error message screen, first try simply restarting your computer. If it appears again, there is likely a hardware fault with your system.
The most likely cause for this is bad RAM. Use Windows memory diagnostic tool (or a more advanced tool such as memtest86) to check your RAM for errors. If some of your RAM isn’t working correctly, you may need to follow our guide to replacing and upgrading RAM to replace one or more of your RAM sticks.
If your RAM is working correctly, chances are that either your motherboard or your CPU isn’t working correctly. Both of these options are extremely unlikely, but motherboards and processors do occasionally fail, and when they do, it can be nearly impossible to pin down which it is without a spare of either to test with. This is usually the point at which a computer is considered terminal and replaced, but if you are determined enough, both the motherboard and processor can be replaced.
===Optical Drive Broken
If your CD / DVD drive does not read CD’s or DVD’s, the optical drive is most likely broken and needs to be replaced or repaired. See our optical drive replacement guide to replace it.
If the entire keyboard is totally unresponsive, selectively registers key presses, or excessively registers key presses, see our keyboard replacement guide to replace it.
If one of your keys gets stuck in place, there may be something under it that is restricting its movement. Remove the afflicted key and clean under it and the surrounding keys and then put it back into place. if the problem persists, see our guide to replace it.
If your computer won’t charge or won’t hold on to a charge, try these possibilities.
If your computer gives low battery warnings and won’t turn on or charge even when plugged into the charger, you likely need to buy a new charger.
If the battery charges sporadically or the system will run but the battery will not charge, there may be a problem with the connector on your computer. Try plugging it in more forcefully (but not too forcefully!) or, for a more permanent solution, replace the plug.
If your computer runs fine when plugged into the charger but runs out of power quickly after being unplugged, you likely need a new battery.
There are many reasons why your computer might fail to turn on or boot up, but here are some of the more common ones.
It seems pretty obvious, but it never hurts to double check: does your computer have a battery or is it plugged in?
Check plugs and outlets to make sure that they have power. Some outlets turn on / off with wall switches that aren’t always obvious. If your charger has an indicator light to indicate that it is on, check if that lights when the charger is plugged in.
If the screen turns on but the computer ends up at an error message saying something to the effect of “No operating system found” you most likely need to reset (unplug and then plug back in) or replace your hard disk. See our hard drive replacement guide for information on replacing the hard disk.
It is very unlikely, but it is also possible, especially if the laptop has been handled roughly or subjected to extreme conditions, that the motherboard, CPU, or some other internal component could have been damaged, and in that case I’m afraid it’s beyond the scope of this troubleshooting page to help you.
If you are using Windows 10, right click on the speaker icon at the bottom right of your screen. Then click on “playback devices”. A new window should pop up, if you do not see your speakers listed then right click on the middle of the window and select “show disabled devices” if your speakers still do not show up, then they might have become unplugged somehow. If you can see your speakers, then make sure they are enabled, right click the device and select “enable”.
In the playback devices window, right click your speakers and select “set as default device”, if you do not see this option after right clicking then your speakers are already set as the default device. You can double check this by noticing the green check icon next to your speakers’ image.
If none of the above options worked then your speakers may be damaged or not plugged in properly, check out our speaker replacement guide to learn how to replace your speakers.
