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Verify that the battery is securely attached to the laptop and then try turning it on. If it still does not turn on, plug in the power adapter. If it still does not turn on, try taking the battery out and turning on your laptop with just the power adapter plugged in. If this works, your battery is dead. Follow this guide to install a new battery.

If the lights illuminate upon powering on your device, but your laptop screen is cracked and/ or will not display, follow this guide to replace it.

If you tried all of the above techniques to power on your laptop and it still won’t turn on, then the laptop’s motherboard has failed. To install a new motherboard, follow this guide.

Your laptop gets really hot even when it hasn’t been on for a long time. Make sure the laptop is on a flat surface and the vent is unblocked

On the bottom of the laptop you will find a circular ventilation grid. Try using compressed canned air to clear this grid out and remove any excess materials that may be obstructing the airway.

If the laptop fan runs really loud or you don’t hear it run at all, then the overheating is likely caused by a broken fan. Install a new fan by following this guide.

Any CD or DVD you place in your drive won’t play, or isn’t being read by your laptop.

In the Windows Control Panel, select the Device Manager. Right click “DVD/CD-ROM Drives” and uninstall it. Reboot your computer and it will be reinstalled. If this does not work, the CD drive may need to be replaced. Follow this guide to replace the drive.

Your laptop isn’t able to connect to the internet through WiFi or ethernet. Make sure all the setting in your web browser are correct. If the issue is not the browser, then it could be a hardware problem.

Make sure that the WiFi device is enabled. In the Windows Device Manager, right click on the WiFi device in and disable it. After it is disabled, enable it again. If the WiFi card is enabled and it still can’t connect, then the WiFi card needs to be replaced.

Like the WiFi card, make sure that the ethernet device is enabled in Windows Device Manager. If it is enabled and it still can’t connect, then check to make sure that the pins in the ethernet port are not bent. It then pins are bent use a small screwdriver to bend them into place.

There is a limited amount of memory on every computer. Once the limit is reached, your computer’s performance can decline dramatically and no more new files can be stored.

You can purchase an external hard drive to keep your files outside of your computer. Doing so can free up some of the memory in your computer and increase its performance.

If you do not want to keep you files anywhere outside of your computer, you may consider upgrading your hard drive. Keep in mind that you have to back up all your files outside of your laptop before doing so, or else the files may be lost.

If your keyboard is not responding, there are a few possibilities that may cause it to malfunction.

Use a brush to swipe across the keyboard to get all the dust out. You can also purchase a can of compressed air to remove dust and other particles from the keyboard.

In the Windows Control Panel, select the Device Manager. Right click “Keyboard” and uninstall it. Reboot your computer, and it will be reinstalled.

If none of the above works, your keyboard may be broken. Follow this guide to replace it.