“Won't start” can mean several different things — no lights at all, lights and fans but no picture, or a machine that starts then shuts straight back down. Working out which one you've got is the first step to understanding what's actually wrong.
Worth checking first
- Confirm it's actually receiving power. Try a different cable, adapter and power outlet — and check for any lights or sounds at all.
- Do a hard reset. Disconnect the charger (and battery, if removable), hold the power button for around 30 seconds, then reconnect and try again.
- Listen and watch closely. Fans spinning but no picture point somewhere different to complete silence.
- Try an external monitor. If a picture appears there but not on the laptop's own screen, that narrows things down considerably.
Signs it's a hardware issue
- No lights, sounds or fan movement at all when power is connected
- The laptop starts, then shuts down again within moments
- A picture appears on an external monitor but not the laptop's own screen
- The laptop has recently been dropped, knocked, or exposed to liquid
If it's still not starting
Bring it in and we'll work through it methodically — power circuitry, display connections, memory and storage — and explain plainly what we find, free of charge, before any work begins.