TLDR: Common laptop problems in two minutes. I bet this includes your issue! Here’s the deal, and where to go for the full picture.
- Cracked or damaged screen — usually from a drop, a knock, or pressure on the lid. See our guide on screen repair cost and time.
- Battery not holding charge, or draining fast — normal wear over time, but charging habits and heat play a part too. See signs your laptop battery needs replacement and why your battery might be draining fast.
- Keyboard or trackpad not responding properly — sometimes software, sometimes a genuine hardware fault. See our guide on keyboard and trackpad issues.
- Won’t turn on at all — could be the power supply, the battery, or a deeper hardware fault. Worth a proper diagnosis rather than guessing, since the cause varies widely from one case to the next.
- Pop-ups, sluggish performance, or suspected virus and malware — increasingly, some of the “help” on offer is itself the scam. See our guide on the free scan antivirus trap before downloading anything that promises a quick fix.
- Spilled something on it — time matters more than almost anything else here. See our guide on water damage to laptops for what to do in the first few minutes. Read before you spill 🙂
- Running slow or freezing regularly — often storage or background software, sometimes a sign of something more specific. See our guide on why does your PC keep freezing.
- Overheating or a loud fan — usually dust buildup restricting airflow, though it’s worth ruling out anything more serious. See our guide on laptop overheating.
- Missing or corrupted files, or a drive that’s stopped being recognised — see our guide on data recovery for what’s usually possible and what to do (and not do) right away.
- Wi-Fi or internet connection problems — usually not the laptop’s fault at all. See our guide on why your NBN might be running slow before assuming it’s the device.
If none of these quite match what you’re seeing
That’s common too — plenty of problems don’t fit neatly into one category, or show up as a mix of several. Our guide on signs your laptop needs professional repair covers how to judge whether it’s worth bringing in now or safe to leave for the moment. Don’t forget: our professional assessment costs $85 an hour and mostly we know inside an hour.
