Laptop Repair: When It’s Needed
Laptops are one of the coolest inventions since the flux capacitor… wait, those don’t actually exist… You get the idea. Light and portable, yet powerful enough to run all your applications so you can take everything you need on the road. Now that prices have dropped, laptops are even a great option to replace your desktop computer. In addition to the usual virus and malware hazards, there are some issues that laptops are especially susceptible to broken keys, battery failure, cable fraying, and fan overheating. Don’t let a laptop on the fritz stall your freewheeling ways.
If your laptop is not working correctly, it can really disrupt your day-to-day life.
We all depend on our laptops for many things: work, communicating with friends and family, entertainment, learning, etc. Because of how important it is, you probably want to get your laptop fixed as quickly as possible.
Our Nerds are very capable at Laptop Repair, read our list of services below.
Removing a laptop virus
If your laptop has recently starting spamming you with a bunch of popup ads, redirecting you to sites you never asked to be sent to, and/or has blocked antivirus websites, you are probably dealing with a computer virus. We can remove most computer viruses by taking these steps:
- Boot your computer into safe mode
- Download antivirus software onto a separate computer and transfer it to your laptop
- Run the antivirus software and eliminate the virus
If the virus can’t be detected through antivirus software, we can open the registry editor, find the programs that have been loaded by the virus, and disable or delete them. Once we do this, your computer should go back to operating normally again.
In some rare cases, the virus may have infected key components of your operating system. If so, the only way to remove the virus will be to reformat your hard drive and reinstall the OS. However, this isn’t necessary in most cases.
Trying to figure out what computer is best for you, our Nerds are here to be your PC Consultants.
Replacing or upgrading laptop memory
If your laptop will no longer boot up, it may be because one of your memory sticks has gone bad. We can open the laptop and use a process of elimination to determine which stick is causing the problem. We can then replace that particular RAM stick, allowing your laptop to boot up normally again.
Even if your laptop memory is working correctly, you may not have enough memory to do the things you want with it. For example, you may want to play 3D games or do video editing, which are very memory intensive applications. We can upgrade your laptop’s memory so it will do what you want it to.
Repairing or replacing a laptop hard drive
If your laptop has been showing you error messages and crashing randomly, it may be because there is a problem with your hard drive. At Nerds on Call, we can check the status of your hard drive using the S.M.A.R.T. system. If your hard drive is not in danger of failing but is still causing crashes, we can eliminate errors using check disk. We can also reinstall your hard drive’s device drivers if the hard drive is not being recognized.
If there is something physically wrong with your hard drive, we can replace damaged or loose cables, the hard drive PCB, or even the hard drive itself.
Here is how we repair a laptop hard drive
We can improve your battery life
Another common problem that laptop owners face is a battery that keeps draining too quickly. Using our remote support service, we can identify what services and components are causing the power drain. We can then consult with you about which of these features of your laptop you need and which can be dispensed with. This will allow you to extend battery life without unduly harming your laptop’s performance.
We can then walk you step-by-step through the process of disabling these services and components. This will give you the knowledge needed to re-enable these laptop features if you need them in the future. The best part (as mentioned earlier) we can do it remotely. Just watch us work from the comfort of your own home!
See our full page on improving laptop battery life
Repairing laptop WiFi
Sometimes laptops have trouble connecting to a WiFi network. If your laptop has this problem, we can determine if its the physical WiFi adapter causing the problem, if the cause is a corrupted driver or if it’s another software issue. If the problem is the adapter itself, we can take out the old adapter and put in a new one, allowing your laptop to connect to the Internet like it always did before.
Read all about repairing laptop WiFi
That broken headphone jack? No problem!
When a person is wearing headphones connected to a laptop, it’s easy to accidentally damage the headphone jack. You may move suddenly, pulling on the cord and putting too much force on the jack. The headphone jack may also quit working on its own, even if you didn’t do anything to damage it.
We can open your laptop and replace the card that holds the headphone jack. If the jack is wired into the motherboard, we can unsolder it, remove it, and solder in a new one.
Need help with setting up that new PC? We can get your data transferred and you’re comfortable with the new computer.
Mending broken fans and fixing other overheating problems
If your laptop CPU fan is broken, your computer may cut off randomly. It may also give you an error message telling you that your fan is broken. We can remove your fan from your laptop and diagnose what is causing the malfunction.
In some cases, we can lubricate the fan and get it working again. In other cases, we will have to replace the entire fan. Either way, we can fix overheating problems on a laptop so that your PC will stop cutting off on you.
Repairing a laptop keyboard
It’s easy to damage a laptop keyboard. You may have spilled something on it, a small child in the home may have torn off some of the keys, or the keyboard may have just quit working mysteriously. Whatever the reason for the damage, we can remove your old keyboard and install a new one so that your laptop will work correctly again.
See also: Laptop keyboard repair
Fixing a broken laptop USB port
USB ports are often extremely important for laptop users. You may need your USB port for an external mouse or to transfer files from your mobile device. If your USB port is not working, it could be a software problem caused by an outdated or corrupted driver. It could also be caused by a failure of the USB port itself.
If your USB has an outdated driver, we can update it and get it working again. If there is physical damage to the port, we can remove your motherboard, desolder the USB port, and solder on a new one.
Repairing a cracked screen or a screen that isn’t working
Sometimes laptop screens get damaged through a fall or other kind of accident. In other cases, the laptop may display no image even though the screen looks fine. To replace a laptop screen, we first remove the plastic covers or tape covering the LCD’s screws. We then unscrew these screws and pull out the LCD frame. Once we’ve done this, we can remove the LCD from its frame, unplug it from the inverter, and pull it out of the laptop. We can then install a new LCD by reversing this process.
Read more: Laptop screen repair
Diagnosing and fixing power problems
If your laptop has no power, it can seem like there is no clue what is wrong with it. But we can diagnose and fix problems with laptops that have no power. The power problem may be caused by a faulty power button, a broken DC jack, RAM that has gone bad, a fried motherboard, or a short-circuit in any of the other components of the laptop. The only way to know for sure is to disconnect and reconnect each component until we find the one that is causing the problem.
Once this is done, we can replace the faulty part and get your laptop working again.
Note On Laptop E-Waste
Seeking e-waste disposal options in your area? Look no further than Nerd On Call for reliable e-waste recycling solutions. Let us assist you in responsibly disposing of those outdated laptops and desktops.
Nerds on Call and laptop repair
If you’ve got a laptop that just won’t work right, you could spend hours looking through articles on the Internet trying to find a way to repair it yourself. Or you could just send it to us and we’ll get it repaired for you right away.
Call us at 1-800-919-6373 or fill out our contact form for laptop repair. We’ve repaired hundreds of laptops over the years. We’ve seen many different designs and configurations. We’re experienced technicians who know how to get laptops repaired quickly. So call us today and tell us about the problem with your laptop.
Visit The Nerds: Having computer troubles? Come in to our Sacramento shop to get your laptop repaired today!
