Try this first. It might be a two-minute fix.

Try this, in order

1. Check the socket with something else, like a phone charger. Try a different socket if you can.
2. Look at the charger: does its light come on? Check the cable for cuts or burnt spots at both ends.
3. Do a power reset. Unplug the charger, remove the battery if it clips out, then hold the power button for 30 seconds.
4. Put back the battery (or leave it out), connect only the charger, and press power once.
5. If there is a charging light on the laptop but it won’t start, leave it on charge for 30 minutes and try again. A completely flat battery sometimes needs time.

Please don’t: Don’t keep pressing power over and over, and don’t try a different charger with a different voltage or tip.

Try this, in order

1. Turn the brightness up with the brightness keys (often Fn plus a sun key). A screen at zero brightness looks dead.
2. Shine a torch at the screen at an angle. If you can faintly see the picture, the backlight has failed, not the whole screen.
3. Connect the laptop to a TV or monitor with an HDMI cable and press the display key (often Fn plus F4, F5 or F8, or Windows key plus P).
4. Do a power reset: charger out, battery out if possible, hold power for 30 seconds, then try again with only the charger.

Please don’t: Don’t press hard on the screen or twist the lid to test it.

Try this, in order

1. Check the charger light and the cable, especially where it bends near the plug.
2. With the laptop off, look into the charging port with a torch. Gently remove fluff or dust with a dry toothpick. Never use metal.
3. Wiggle test: if charging starts and stops when you move the plug, the port or the cable is loose.
4. Make sure the charger is the right one for your laptop (the wattage is written on it). A weaker charger may run the laptop but not charge it.
5. In Windows, check the battery icon. “Plugged in, not charging” often means the battery is worn out, not the charger.

Please don’t: Smell burning, see melting, or the battery is swollen (the case bulges or the touchpad lifts)? Unplug it, stop using it and don’t charge it again.

Try this, in order

1. Use it on a hard, flat surface like a table. Beds, pillows and laps block the air vents.
2. With it switched off, blow or brush the dust out of the vents with a soft dry brush.
3. Close programs you’re not using. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to see what is using the most power.
4. Keep it out of direct sun and away from the window on a hot day.

Please don’t: Don’t block the vents with tape or put the laptop in a fridge.

Try this, in order

1. Restart it properly (Start, Power, Restart). Many laptops are only ever put to sleep.
2. Free up space: delete old downloads and videos, and empty the Recycle Bin. Keep at least 15% of the disk free.
3. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to Startup, and switch off programs you don’t need at start.
4. Run Windows Update and a full scan with Windows Security.

Please don’t: Avoid “PC cleaner” and “speed booster” apps; many of them slow it down more.

Try this, in order

1. Unplug every USB stick, card and external drive, then restart.
2. If it loops, switch it off with the power button just as Windows starts loading, three times in a row. The fourth time it opens Automatic Repair.
3. In Automatic Repair choose Advanced options, then Startup Repair. If that fails, try System Restore to an earlier date.
4. If it stopped working during a BIOS update, don’t try again. Leave it off.

Please don’t: Don’t reset or reinstall Windows if you need your files. That can wipe them.

Try this, in order

1. If it is the Windows password and you sign in with an email address, reset it from another phone or computer at account.live.com/password/reset.
2. Try the PIN instead of the password, and check Caps Lock and the keyboard language.
3. If the password box appears before Windows, often with a lock icon, it is a BIOS password. It can’t be removed by guessing, and too many tries can lock it further.

Please don’t: Don’t download BIOS “master password” tools from random sites. Most modern laptops ignore them.

Try this, in order

1. Restart the laptop first.
2. Check Num Lock and the Fn lock. On some laptops, letters type numbers when Num Lock is on.
3. Look for a touchpad key (often F6, F7 or Fn plus a touchpad icon) that switches it off.
4. Turn the laptop upside down and tap gently to shake out crumbs. A soft brush between the keys helps.
5. Plug in a USB keyboard or mouse. If those work, the laptop is fine and only the keyboard or touchpad needs attention.

Please don’t: Don’t pull keycaps off with force; the clips break easily.

Try this, in order

1. Switch Airplane mode off, and check the Wi-Fi key (often Fn plus an antenna icon).
2. Restart the laptop and the router or MiFi.
3. Forget the network and join again with the password.
4. Check whether other devices work on the same Wi-Fi. If none do, the problem is the internet, not the laptop.

Try this, in order

1. Check the socket and the extension with something else. Make sure the TV’s own switch is on.
2. Change the remote’s batteries, and try the power button on the TV itself.
3. Unplug the TV for 2 minutes, then plug it in again.
4. Sound but no picture? Shine a torch at the screen close up. If you can faintly see the picture, the backlight has failed.
5. Check that the right input (HDMI 1, HDMI 2, TV) is selected.

Please don’t: Never open the back of a TV. The power board holds a dangerous charge even when unplugged.

Try this, in order

1. Check the battery. With the engine off it should read about 12.4 to 12.7 volts. Weak batteries cause strange electronic faults.
2. Clean and tighten the battery terminals and the main earth (ground) cables to the body and engine.
3. Check the ECU and engine fuses and relays in the fuse boxes.
4. Read the fault codes with an OBD scanner and write them down. They help us a lot.

Please don’t: Don’t jump-start with the cables the wrong way round, don’t weld on the car with the battery connected, and don’t fit an ECU from another car: the immobilizer won’t accept it.