10 Solutions to Fix the Laptop Won’t Turn on Issue

Why My Laptop Computer Won’t Turn On?

Why won’t your laptop turn on? Several factors, from drained batteries to hardware malfunctions, might be at play. Here are several potential reasons.

Power supply issues:

• Battery issues: Laptop batteries deteriorate over time, losing their ability to hold a charge. A fully discharged or malfunctioning battery can prevent the laptop from turning on. Try charging the laptop for an extended period or consider replacing the battery if it’s old or damaged.
• Power adapter problems: Faulty power adapters or damaged connectors can disrupt the flow of electricity to the laptop. Check if there is any visible damage to the adapter or cable, and try using a different power outlet or adapter to rule out this possibility.

Hardware failures:

• Motherboard failure: The motherboard is the central component of a laptop, and if it malfunctions, the entire system may fail to turn on. Signs of motherboard failure include no power or lights when the laptop is plugged in.
• RAM issues: Corrupted RAM modules can prevent the laptop from booting up. If the RAM is damaged or improperly seated, the laptop may not pass the POST (Power-On Self-Test) and thus fail to turn on.
• Hard drive problems: A failed hard drive can prevent the laptop from booting into the operating system. Symptoms include unusual noises from the hard drive or error messages indicating disk failure. It may cause “laptop won’t turn on even plug in”.
• Overheating: Overheating is a common issue, especially in older laptops or those with poor ventilation. If your laptop is not starting after pressing power button, check if the dust and debris accumulation clog air vents and obstruct airflow, leading to overheating and eventual shutdown.

System glitches:

• System corruption: Corruption of operating system files can prevent the laptop from booting up properly. This may occur due to sudden power loss, malware infections, or software conflicts.
• Driver issues: Incompatible or outdated device drivers can cause startup problems. If a driver is corrupted or improperly installed, it may cause the case that the laptop is not starting after pressing the Power button.

Besides the above factors, other factors may also be possible reasons for the laptop won’t turn on issue. Identifying the cause of your laptop problem can help you resolve issues and take appropriate preventive measures.

How to Recover Data From the Dead Laptop?

If you want to recover your data from an unbootable laptop, how can you do this? The best data recovery software – MiniTool Power Data Recovery comes to help. This is a professional data recovery tool designed for Windows computers to solve various troublesome data recovery incidents.

In addition to basic deleted file recovery and formatted disk recovery, MiniTool Power Data Recovery also supports data recovery when hardware failure or catastrophic system crash renders your computer unbootable. It enables you to create a bootable disk and then boot your computer from it to re-access and save data that cannot be normally accessed, providing comprehensive C drive data recovery services or other disk data recovery.

Before you start to recover data, you need to prepare:

• A blank USB flash drive with enough storage. Recommended size: 4 – 64 GB
• Another working Windows computer
• Keep the power supply connected to the dead laptop

Note that MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free does not provide the Bootable Media Builder feature. Click the button below to download and install the Free Edition on a functioning computer, then you will have the ability to upgrade to an advanced edition with the Bootable Media Builder feature.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free, then insert the blank USB drive into the working computer.

Step 2: On the software’s interface, click the Bootable Media icon in the upper right corner.

Upgrade the Free Edition to the Bootable Edition. Next, launch the registered MiniTool Power Data Recovery. On its home page, click the Bootable Media icon and follow the on-screen instructions to create a bootable USB flash drive.  

Step 3: Now, remove the bootable USB drive and then insert it into the dead laptop. Get into BIOS and then use the Up and Down keys to select the USB boot disk or adjust the USB drive to the first boot order according to different computer brands and models.

Here we take selecting EFI USB Device and pressing Enter for example.

Step 4: Then two windows will appear and ask you whether to change screen resolution, and whether to load the file recovery software. After making the choices, you have come to the main interface of MiniTool Power Data Recovery. Next, under the Logical Drives tab, you can select to scan the drive you want to recover data from by clicking the Scan button on it. Here we take scanning the C drive for files for example.

Step 5: When the process is finished, you can start to select the files you need. Under the Path tab, the scan results will be displayed as a tree structure. You can look for your file in the Existing Files folder. If you want to find a certain type of file, you can go to the Type tab where the found files are classified according to the file type.

Additionally, you can click Filter to add filter criteria like file type, modified date, file size, etc. so as to filter out unwanted files.

Step 6: After you have selected the needed files, click Save and select your USB drive to save them.

How to Fix Laptop Won’t Turn On?

How can you fix the laptop won’t turn on issue? Here are several fixes for you to resolve this problem.

Fix 1: Check the Power Supply

Verify that the power cable is properly connected to both your laptop and the power outlet. If you are not sure, try using a different cable or power supply to rule out any issues with the current one. Check the adapter to see if it’s functioning properly. If it’s faulty, consider using another available adapter or purchasing a new one to solve the laptop won’t turn on issue.

Additionally, verify that your laptop’s battery is correctly installed and sufficiently charged. You can remove and then reconnect the battery to reset it. If necessary, consider replacing the battery with a new one to ensure proper functionality.

Fix 2: Ensure the Screen Works Well

If your laptop won’t turn on but the power light is on, this may be due to screen issues.

When external devices connected to your laptop show signs of activity, such as LED lights, but the screen remains unresponsive, there may be an issue with the display. Try adjusting the screen brightness using the dedicated function keys or buttons on your laptop’s keyboard.

If you’re using an external monitor, double-check that it’s securely connected to your laptop and powered on. Ensure that all cables are properly connected to avoid any display issues.

Fix 3: Disconnect New Installed Devices

In some cases, the problem of “battery is fully charged but laptop won’t turn on” may be caused by external devices, especially if you recently added new hardware components, such as RAM modules or external peripherals. If these devices are faulty or incompatible with the computer, they can prevent your laptop from powering on properly.

To troubleshoot such issues, you can disconnect the newly added devices one by one to isolate and identify any problematic components that are causing the problem.

Fix 4: Perform a Component Test

Performing a component test helps diagnose hardware issues on your laptop, including problems with the processor, memory, hard drive, and other essential components.

Different laptops may require different keys to perform a component test. Here, we take a Dell laptop as an example.

1. Restart your Dell laptop and press the F12 key repeatedly to access the boot menu.
2. Select Diagnostics or Diagnostic Test to run the built-in diagnostics tool.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the test and identify any hardware failures.

Fix 5: Start Your Laptop in Safe Mode

Starting your laptop in Safe Mode allows you to troubleshoot software-related issues by loading only essential system files and drivers.

Here is the tutorial.

1. Start your laptop and press the F8 key repeatedly to enter WinRE. The keystroke to enter WinRE may vary from computer to computer, depending on the manufacturer and configuration of the computer.
2. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
3. Press F5 to start your computer in Safe Mode with networking. If Windows starts normally in Safe Mode, there may be something wrong with a normal boot. You need to identify the reason to find a solution. For example, you can roll back Windows for compatibility issues, repair the file system for bad sector problems, etc.

Fix 6: Use Startup Repair and Carry out System Restore

Startup Repair and System Restore are Windows tools that can help fix startup problems and revert your laptop’s system files to a previous working state.

To use Startup Repair:

1. Start your laptop and press the F8 key to get into the recovery environment screen.
2. Click Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Repair to utilize the Windows built-in repair tool to fix your problem.

To carry out System Restore:

1. In the recovery environment screen, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore.
2. If you have a computer password, input it.
3. Choose a restore point recorded on your computer to restore the system to a previous normal state.

Fix 7: Execute BootRec Commands

BootRec commands are used to repair the Master Boot Record (MBR) or Boot Configuration Data (BCD) on your laptop, which can help fix boot-related issues.

1. Insert a Windows installation USB drive or DVD into the dead computer and restart it. During the startup process, depending on your computer manufacturer, you need to press a specific key (such as F8, F12, Esc, Del) to enter the BIOS/UEFI settings.
2. In the BIOS/UEFI settings, navigate to the Boot tab. Adjust the boot order so that your computer boots from the installation media first. Save changes and exit BIOS/UEFI settings. Then your computer will restart from Windows Setup.
3. When you boot into Windows Setup, click Repair your computer.
4. Click Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
5. Type bootrec /fixmbr and press Enter to execute it. After that, execute the bootrec /rebuildbcd command.

Fix 8: Hard Reset Your Laptop Computer

You can also fix system startup problems by hard resetting your laptop.

Here we take the Dell laptop as an example. If you are using another brand of laptop, visit its manufacturer’s official website to find out how to hard reset your laptop.

1. Disconnect the power cable or the AC adapter and remove the battery.
2. Disconnect all devices such as USB drives, printers, webcams, and media cards.
3. Press and hold the Power button for about 20 seconds to drain the residual power.
4. Connect the power cable or AC adapter and battery.
5. Turn on the computer.

Fix 9: Reset BIOS Settings or Update BIOS

Resetting BIOS settings or updating the BIOS firmware can help fix hardware-related issues or improve system stability.

To reset BIOS settings:

Restart your computer and access the BIOS setup utility. The method varies depending on the manufacturer and model of your computer.

In BIOS setup, navigate to the Exit tab using the arrow keys and select Load Setup Default or a similar option. Confirm the reset when prompted, then save and exit BIOS. After that, your BIOS settings will be restored to their default values.

To update BIOS:

Go to the official website of your computer’s manufacturer and locate the support or downloads section. Search for your specific computer model and download the latest BIOS update package available. Follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer to install the BIOS update. Be sure to carefully read and follow all instructions to avoid any potential issues during the BIOS update process.

Fix 10: Send Your Laptop for Maintenance

If the previous methods do not resolve the issue, it may indicate a more complex hardware problem that requires professional attention.

Contact the manufacturer’s customer support or a certified technician to arrange for maintenance or repairs. Explain the issue you’re experiencing and any troubleshooting steps you’ve already taken. They can diagnose the problem and recommend appropriate solutions to get your laptop functioning properly again.

Bottom Line

Not being able to turn on your laptop is a huge headache. To resolve this issue, you can try the fixes above. If you want to recover data from a dead laptop, try using MiniTool Power Data Recovery. If you encounter any problems using this software, contact the support team for help via [email protected].