Template:Laptop POST Troubleshooting - Revision history

Lynnae at 19:34, 7 December 2012

2012-12-07T19:34:49Z

Lynnae at 00:16, 7 December 2012

2012-12-07T00:16:59Z

Lynnae: in progress

2012-12-05T21:44:46Z

in progress

Lynnae at 21:29, 8 November 2012

2012-11-08T21:29:04Z

Lynnae: Created page with "☐ Try powering the system on; if it shows the manufacturer's splash screen, you're likely good to go. However, in many cases, some troubleshooting is needed to figure out w…"

2012-11-08T02:04:01Z

Created page with "☐ Try powering the system on; if it shows the manufacturer's splash screen, you're likely good to go. However, in many cases, some troubleshooting is needed to figure out w…"

New page

☐ Try powering the system on; if it shows the manufacturer's splash screen, you're likely good to go. However, in many cases, some troubleshooting is needed to figure out why a system isn't powering on.
;Identify the cause
Work through these questions step-by-step, using the guides below.
# Is the system getting enough power?
# Is the system failing Power On Self Test (POST)?
# Is the LCD panel dead (for laptops or all-in-one systems)?
# Is the graphics card or motherboard failing?

;1. Is the system getting enough power?
;Symptoms
* The screen or monitor remains dark.
* None of the indicator lights turn on (no 'signs of life').

;Troubleshooting steps for laptops
☐ Remove the battery. 
☐ Find an AC adapter. 
*If possible, try using an AC adapter that has a higher amperage (A) than required.
☐ Check to see if any indicator lights turn on after connecting the adapter. If the lights remain dark, try using a couple of different adapters. 
☐ If you still aren't seeing any indicator lights after this step, then this system is dead. Consult your instructor to see if it should be recycled, or saved for parts. 
☐ If the indicator lights come on, but it's still ''not showing video or POSTing'', proceed to the next section. 

[[Category:Laptops]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:34, 7 December 2012
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	==4.Is the graphics card or motherboard failing?==		==4.Is the graphics card or motherboard failing?==
	If the the steps listed above haven't shown any results, then most likely the issue preventing the system from working properly is related to the motherboard and/or its video chipset. Unfortunately, methods to repair these sorts of issues are beyond what we can do at Free Geek. If a machine is not able to POST after following the instructions above, it needs to be recycled or saved for parts. Ask your instructor for further instructions.		If the the steps listed above haven't shown any results, then most likely the issue preventing the system from working properly is related to the motherboard and/or its video chipset. Unfortunately, methods to repair these sorts of issues are beyond what we can do at Free Geek. If a machine is not able to POST after following the instructions above, it needs to be recycled or saved for parts. Ask your instructor for further instructions.
		+
		+	[[Category:Laptops]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-&#9744; Try powering the system on: if the optical drive spins up, and you see the manufacturer's splash screen load, you're likely good to go. However, in many cases, some troubleshooting is needed to figure out why a system isn't powering on.
+__NOTOC__
-;Identify the cause
 Work through these questions step-by-step, using the guides below.
 # Is the system getting enough power?
@@ Line 6: / Line 9: @@
 # Is the LCD panel dead?
 # Is the graphics card or motherboard failing?
-----
-;1. Is the system getting enough power?
+==1. Is the system getting enough power?==
-;Power-related symptoms
+'''Symptoms'''<br>
-* The screen remains dark.
+* You can't get into BIOS
-* None of the indicator lights turn on (no 'signs of life').
+* The screen remains dark
 ;Troubleshooting steps
@@ Line 20: / Line 24: @@
 &#9744;  If you still aren't seeing any indicator lights after this step, then this system is dead.  Consult your instructor to see if it should be recycled, or saved for parts.<br>
 &#9744;  If the indicator lights come on, but it's still not showing anything on the screen, proceed to the next section.<br>
-----
-;2. Is the system failing POST?
+==2. Is the system failing POST?==
 POST is run automatically before the process of loading the operating system is begun. POST is intended to prevent software errors caused by malfunctioning hardware. <br>
-;Troubleshooting
+&#9744; Remove wireless cards<br>
-*Turn the system on, and put your hand over the optical drive. If it spins up, the system is completing POST. This means you have a video problem to troubleshoot.
+*Remove any PCMCIA or internal wireless cards, and try powering the system on.
-*Look for a very faint outline of text or images on the screen. This is caused by a dead LCD backlight. Proceed to video output troubleshooting.
+*If the system still doesn't POST or boot to BIOS, follow the RAM test instructions.
-;Screen Failure Symptoms
+'''Troubleshooting steps'''<br>
+&#9744; Test with an external monitor <br>
-*The fans spin up, the optical drive spins up, the chassis lights come on, but the screen remains dark.
+*While the laptop is powered off, connect it to an external monitor via the VGA port.  Make sure the external monitor is turned on, and is set to display analog input.
+**Newer laptops may have a different kind of video output. Check with your instructor if you have questions.
-;Troubleshooting Steps
+* Power on the laptop.
-*Try connecting the laptop to an external monitor. There is usually a key combination (Example: Fn+F7) to switch to external video output. You may have to try rebooting and using the key combination several times. If this works, the laptop may be a good candidate for a screen swap.
+* Some models will automatically detect the external display, and immediately begin displaying on the monitor.  Others require you to hit a SoftKey combination to send the video output to the external monitor (e.g., Fn + F7).
-**Not all laptops can output video externally during POST.
+**Not all laptops are able use an external monitor during POST.  If this is the case, consult your instructor to see whether the system should be recycled or made into a parts machine.
-[[Category:Laptops]]
+==4.Is the graphics card or motherboard failing?==

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ----
 ;2. Is the system failing POST?
-POST is run automatically before the process of loading the operating system is begun. POST is intended to prevent errors caused by malfunctioning hardware.
+POST is run automatically before the process of loading the operating system is begun. POST is intended to prevent software errors caused by malfunctioning hardware. <br>
-;Symptoms
-*The indicator lights turn on and/or the fans and drives spin up
-*The screen remains dark
+;Troubleshooting
-*You can't access BIOS
+*Turn the system on, and put your hand over the optical drive. If it spins up, the system is completing POST. This means you have a video problem to troubleshoot.
 ;Troubleshooting steps

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-&#9744; Try powering the system on; if it shows the manufacturer's splash screen, you're likely good to go. However, in many cases, some troubleshooting is needed to figure out why a system isn't powering on.
+&#9744; Try powering the system on: if the optical drive spins up, and you see the manufacturer's splash screen load, you're likely good to go. However, in many cases, some troubleshooting is needed to figure out why a system isn't powering on.
 ;Identify the cause
 Work through these questions step-by-step, using the guides below.
 # Is the system getting enough power?
-# Is the system failing Power On Self Test (POST)?
+# Is the system failing power-on self-test (POST)?
-# Is the LCD panel dead (for laptops or all-in-one systems)?
+# Is the LCD panel dead?
 # Is the graphics card or motherboard failing?
+----
 ;1. Is the system getting enough power?
-;Symptoms
+;Power-related symptoms
-* The screen or monitor remains dark.
+* The screen remains dark.
 * None of the indicator lights turn on (no 'signs of life').
-;Troubleshooting steps for laptops
+;Troubleshooting steps
 &#9744; Remove the battery. <br>
-&#9744; Find an AC adapter. <br>
+&#9744; Troubleshoot your AC adapter. <br>
 *If possible, try using an AC adapter that has a higher amperage (A) than required.
-&#9744; Check to see if any indicator lights turn on after connecting the adapter.  If the lights remain dark, try using a couple of different adapters. <br>
+*If you're not sure if an AC adapter is functioning, use a multimeter to test. Full instructions are in the appendix article on AC adapters.
 &#9744;  If you still aren't seeing any indicator lights after this step, then this system is dead.  Consult your instructor to see if it should be recycled, or saved for parts.<br>
-&#9744;  If the indicator lights come on, but it's still ''not showing video or POSTing'', proceed to the next section.<br>
+&#9744;  If the indicator lights come on, but it's still not showing anything on the screen, proceed to the next section.<br>
 [[Category:Laptops]]