Laptop will not turn on
No lights, no fan, nothing on screen. A dead laptop is one of the most common faults we see, and it is usually repairable without replacing the whole machine.
Why a laptop goes dead
Power has to get from the wall, through the charger and the charging port, across the motherboard and into the battery before the laptop will start. A break anywhere along that path gives the same symptom: you press the button and nothing happens.
The cheap causes are a failed charger or a worn charging port. The more involved ones are on the motherboard, where a shorted component or a failed power circuit stops the board from starting. These often follow a liquid spill, a knock or a power surge, sometimes days later.
Checks worth trying first
- Try another charger of the correct type and wattage, if you can borrow one.
- Look for a charging light. If it never comes on, suspect the charger or the port.
- Unplug the charger, hold the power button for 30 seconds, plug back in and try again.
- Disconnect everything else: USB devices, docks, memory cards and external screens.
- Listen closely. A fan or a faint click with a dark screen points to a display fault instead.
If the laptop got wet, do not keep trying to power it up. Read our liquid spill advice first.
How we fix it
We power the board from a bench supply and measure how much current it draws. That tells us within minutes whether the fault is the charger, the port, the battery or the board itself. Charging ports are replaced or re-soldered. Board faults are traced to the failed component and repaired at that level wherever the parts are available.
You get a fixed price once we know the cause. If the repair would cost more than the laptop is worth, we say so and can copy your files off the drive instead.
Common questions
Are my files lost if the laptop is dead?
Usually not. A power fault rarely damages the drive. On laptops with a removable drive we can copy your files even if the laptop is not repaired. Where the storage is soldered to the board, the board has to be brought back to life first.
The power light comes on but nothing else happens. Is that the same fault?
It is a close relative. The board is getting power but failing to start, which can be memory, the processor power circuit or the display. The assessment separates them.
Related pages
Not ChargingPlugged in but the battery percentage will not rise.
Cracked or Broken ScreenCracks, lines, black blotches or a touchscreen that ignores you.
Black Screen, No DisplayLights and fan come on, but there is no picture.
Overheating and Fan NoiseHot to the touch, noisy fan, or sudden shutdowns.
Running SlowMinutes to start, constant freezing, the spinning circle.
Liquid SpillWater, tea, coffee or wine in the keyboard. Act quickly.
Keyboard or Trackpad FaultDead keys, repeating letters or a trackpad that will not click.
Won't Boot into WindowsStuck on the logo, repair loops, or "no bootable device".
Blue Screen and CrashesBlue screens, random restarts and freezes.
Battery Drains FastAn hour or less on battery, or a case that has started to bulge.
No Wi-Fi or BluetoothNo networks found, weak signal or constant drop-outs.
Broken Hinge or CasingA stiff or snapped hinge, or a lid that is splitting open.
Viruses and Pop-upsFake warnings, hijacked browsers and scam callers.
Get a price from a technician
Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to get your laptop to us – normally the same working day.
020 7237 6805 Creative IT workshopUnit 1, 80 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SY
Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm