If you use your laptop or desktop system for any real length of time, then you’re going to come upon some issues. Despite all the advancements over the past couple of decades, this technology is not without its flaws.
These issue can range from fairly small to rather large. Which could be the difference between an app error and full system shutdown. These issues can occur at just about any time, disrupting whatever it is, you were doing at the time.
Well, you need not worry, as there are several things you can do, to both diagnose and eventually fix the problem. You’re first cause of action is to find out why this issue is occurring in the first place – from there, you can determine what you can do about it.
This could, in the long run, save you a great deal of time and cash, giving your system to a support agent to do it for you. However, if the problem is severe, then knowing a thing or two about what’s happening, may make visiting a professional, go over much smoother.
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System Won’t Turn On
You press down on the power button, and nothing appears to happen.
A system that fails to power on, doesn’t necessarily mean, you’ve lost all the data contained on it. This is because the problem isn’t likely tied to your HDD or SSD.
So, what are the reasons why your system may fail to power on?
- The PC is not plugged into the wall socket.
- The power adaptor has died and needs replacing.
Alternatively, if it is powering on, but not booting up, it could be due to:
- System is failing the POST.
- The operating system is corrupted.
Typically, when the system turns on, it will either make a beeping sound, to indicate a problem, or a light will flash, on the motherboard, which will indicate which component is responsible for the failed boot attempt.
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Blue Screen of Death
Probably the most traumatic experience one can have on their system, is to encounter one of the many infamous blue screen of death error messages. The term itself, refers to the actual blue screen in which the error is presented in. Typically, these errors occur when there’s some kind of critical failure on the system. A blue screen may result in partial or full loss of system data – depending on what you’re doing at the time of the error. A failed Windows update can sometimes results in one of these error types – in situations like this, the user can usually handle the problem themselves.
Every blue screen error you encounter will come with its own error code. It’s important that you make note of it. If the issue is severe, then a computer professional will need this code, in order to properly diagnose and repair your system. That said, there are things you can do, right away, in an attempt to overcome such an issue – as the cost of repair can be quite substantial.
So what’s the solution?
If you recently encountered a blue screen of death error, that you think may be the result of a software or operating system related issue, then you may be able to fix it by yourself. If the error code is related to a specific hardware component, then it’s probably best left up to a professional, as you could end up doing more harm than good.
When a blue screen error is the result of a software problem, the first thing you’ll want to do, is allow the system to properly restart. Computes today have features and capabilities that will come into action, in an attempt to fix the problem. Sometimes, all that is required is a simple system restart.
Read More: Repairing Responsibly: DIY and Recycling Initiatives for Smartphones
When the automated tools fail to fix the problem, there are other methods you can turn to. There are other built-in operating system tools you may want to try, such as System Restore, there are third-party advanced repair tools that are capable of fixing such problems. There’s also the drastic step of a total reinstallation, but you should only attempt this as a last resort. There many precautions to consider when reinstalling, as you could end up losing all your data, if done incorrectly.
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Your Keyboards Keys are not working
Typing away on your system, only to find out that one or more keys on your keyboard are missing, is an issue that’s hard to ignore. One or more keys failing to respond, could mean a dead keyboard.
This may mean, having to acquire a brand new keyboard.
One misconception that a lot of people associate with keyboard problems, is a virus infiltrating their system and causing their keyboard keys to fail.
However, in the vast majority of cases, keyboard failure is due to mechanical issues. As dust and dirt easily builds up within your keyboard keys. Or it could be a result of liquid spilling on the different keys.
A computer that hasn’t been used for several weeks to months, may also develop issues, such as a faulty keys, this may be because it wasn’t properly stored during that time,
During that time rust, dust and moisture could have built up within the keyboard. This is something to note for all computer devices, however.
So, if it’s just a couple of keys that are not responding, you may still want to consider buying a new keyboard. If some of the keys on your keyboard have fallen off, then you may want to try putting them back on.
Unfortunately, if you lose a single key, due to wear and tear, there’s no way of replacing that single key. You’d have to take the drastic action of buying a new keyboard, just because of one key.
Nowadays the process of replacing keys or keyboards on the laptop can be quite delicate and complicated depending on the brand.
Is It The Motherboard or Keyboard?
Another thing for you to keep in mind is that, if the keyboard suddenly stops working, altogether, then it could be due to a motherboard problem.
When it’s a faulty keyboard, common symptoms entail, certain keys not working or responding, in other instances, they may output the wrong character. So pressing the L key, may output an O.
If the keyboard dies suddenly, this oftentimes is indication of a motherboard problem. Although there are instances when it’s purely the fault of the keyboard.
Unfortunately, there is no real way to determine which is at fault. So you may need to replace the keyboard, just to determine whether or not it’s at fault.
–AUTHOR INFO—
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is a former IT Manager who now runs his own computer support website https://www.compuchenna.co.uk
