If you own a laptop, there are some problems that can’t just be resolved with a quick restart. There may be issues that arise that are more complex that only professional eyes can resolve. However, this may mean costly repairs or even a full replacement which can be expensive if not under warranty.
Before you start checking your emergency savings and any insurance policies that can help, you’ll be pleased to know that some issues aren’t as complicated as they may seem at first, which you can try for yourself. You won’t need a computer science degree, instead below are some of the most common laptop fixes you can try and tips on how to fix a laptop without spending a fortune.
It can get expensive if you end up choosing to fix your laptop through the manufacturer, and you may have to send your laptop away and wait for it to be returned. Depending on the costs involved, you may find yourself unable to pay for this in one lump sum. At QuidMarket, we help people with emergency loans when they do not have available savings or credit to cover an unexpected expense. If a small cash loan may help you to resolve an issue such as an urgent repair, we can provide flexible repayments for up to 6 months when you need it.
As considering borrowing in this situation should be a last resort, below you will find some quick laptop fix tips that may help you instead, as well as find a cheaper and quicker solution for your problem.
Cheap ways to fix your laptop
If your laptop happens to stop working, it may be cheaper if you can fix it yourself. This will completely depend on the extent of the issue and whether you have the tools to do so before finding a solution to try and fix it. If you are thinking about opening up your laptop, you’ll want to carefully consider that if it is within its warranty period, you could get this serviced for free through the manufacturer. Attempting a repair on your laptop may invalidate the warranty, so you should check this first of all.
For those who have tried everything and realise their laptop isn’t easy to fix, you might need to get a professional involved. If you use your laptop for work or study purposes, or just use it for entertainment and gaming, having it working efficiently on a daily basis is a minimum requirement. Getting financial help if there is no other cheaper alternative when seeking a repair solution can sometimes be the only option.
If it is a company-provided laptop from work, speak to your employer about the issue and they should be able to help too depending on why it isn’t working. They can either look to cover the cost of repairs or replace it. If you use your own personal laptop for work purposes, you may still be able to get help from your employer, so it is worth having the conversation to understand your options.
What are some common problems with laptops?
There are many ways your laptop may stop working, sometimes commonly by accidentally breaking or damaging it. Unless you have accidental damage cover or it’s a minor cosmetic issue, this can be expensive to resolve and may even need a full replacement if damaged beyond economic repair.
Being able to perform simple laptop repairs can save you money if it’s possible to do. Here are some of the most common laptop issues:
- Problems with the motherboard
- Operating system failing to start up
- Hard drive not working
- Damaged or failing cables
- Battery charge issue
- RAM/Memory-related issue
- Accidental, physical damage
Assessing the situation and working out what needs doing will help you figure out if you can fix it yourself. Many of the above may require a lot more investigation to understand what has happened, but some can be quick and easy to resolve by following these troubleshooting tips.
Liquid spillage on your laptop & accidental damage
Physical damage or accidentally spilling a drink or some sort of liquid over your laptop is never good. Sometimes it can be minor enough that it still works or the liquid drys out quick enough for your laptop to live to fight another day. However, if a lot of liquid gets in it or there is extensive physical damage, it wouldn’t be covered by a standard warranty and would need either extensive repairs or, most likely, a replacement laptop.
It’s best to keep liquids and food away from your laptop as even if it does dry out and continues working, potentially the damage is already done, and you may find it will slowly become more of a problem or just stop working altogether. Similarly, if you can see there is visible damage on the screen, such as dark patches or cracks on the screen, it may still work but may eventually get worse.
In either situation, avoid plugging in the laptop if you can see any sparks, make sure it’s unplugged for your own safety. The first thing you should do if it is liquid damaged is to remove the battery from the device and leave it outside of the laptop for at least half an hour. If you smell something strange, such as burning or smouldering, you will know the damage may be extensive. Unfortunately, physical damage or liquid spillages are common and can be expensive to rectify if you do not have accidental damage cover.
What is hard drive failure?
Your laptop will stop working if the hard drive fails, as this is where all the data is stored including the operating system to start up. You will likely get warning signs if the hard drive is starting to fail, or it might suddenly fail. You may experience the screen will keep freezing, the laptop will run slowly, and you might hear strange sounds as well. Take these signs as something is wrong and act as soon as possible by ensuring you have a backup of your data. This will minimise the risk of any data being lost, such as important files or photos.
The worst-case scenario connected to hard drive problems is losing everything on the laptop completely. If you have a laptop that is a few years old, it can be more difficult to get parts depending on the manufacturer, but with a hard drive, you can replace these and find options that may work for your make and model. If the rest of your laptop is working and it is just the hard drive, you can follow instructions on how to remove the base of your laptop and replace this part. Again, if you are unsure, it’s best to contact a professional to help.
How do you know if there are problems with the operating system?
There might be a problem with the operating system within your laptop if there are signs of software problems, such as the OS being out of date. Usually, you won’t have many other signs when this happens, as your laptop might sound fine, and the display may look normal. Laptops with operating system problems take a while to boost up most of the time. Running admin or safe mode on start-up might enable you to diagnose any problems.
Most of the time, it may just need software updates to be downloaded and installed to get back on track. Any bigger issues would need you to reinstall the OS so that it will hopefully work normally again. OS issues aren’t usually an expensive repair situation so can normally be resolved after troubleshooting.
Can broken cables or the laptop battery be the problem?
Sometimes a broken cable can cause a laptop to stop turning on and all you need to do is replace the cable, not the laptop itself. Fortunately, this is an inexpensive problem, and you can find cables for a low price online to resolve this. If you have a battery that is not holding its charge and your laptop only works whilst plugged into the mains supply, you may need to replace the battery rather than the whole laptop. Depending on the age and model, you may be able to get a replacement battery from the manufacturer or other hardware outlet. Installing this can be straightforward if you are confident with removing the base and the battery, but if you’d rather not do it yourself, it’s best to hire a professional instead.
How can I find where to fix my laptop?
If the manufacturer of your laptop has physical stores you can visit, this can be one option to discover if it can be fixed and how much this will cost if out of warranty. You can also arrange to send your laptop away for diagnosis and repair too. You may find that going directly to the manufacturer may cost you more, especially if the issue can’t be resolved within a warranty period. Fortunately, there are many independent repair places and technicians that you can find to help which may be cheaper.
You could ask friends or family for advice if you want to avoid an expensive repair. They might have recommendations for repair shops they’ve used or know someone who has knowledge of laptop issues and how to fix them. Searching in the local press for adverts or on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, may help you discover local experts who can also help. Online research will be helpful when it comes to finding the most well-reviewed and trusted laptop repairs in your area.
In Conclusion: Laptop Fixes without the High Costs
Before replacing your laptop completely because it is not working, you should first find out exactly what has caused it to have issues, then see if it can be repaired or resolved. Sometimes a professional will need to get involved, but in other cases, you can fix the problem yourself inexpensively by following online troubleshooting tips.
The main thing to remember is always to keep your laptop files backed up so you don’t lose anything important. If you’ve tried resolving yourself to no avail and your laptop either needs expensive repairs or a full replacement at cost, financial help is available if you don’t have the cash in savings.
At QuidMarket, if you do need to borrow a small loan to help cover unexpected, essential repair bills like this, and you want to spread the cost of this over a few months, we may be able to help. To find out more, you can click apply now to start an application for a quick decision.
