Laptop Problems

Laptop-specific faults — charging, overheating and startup problems — explained, with guidance on what's worth checking yourself.

Laptops fail differently to desktops, mostly because of how tightly everything is packed together and how much more they get moved, knocked and used on the go. Charging faults, overheating, and a laptop that won't turn on at all are some of the most common issues, and each has a slightly different set of likely causes depending on the model and how old the laptop is. Below are guides to the most common laptop problems, including what's worth checking yourself and when it's genuinely time to get it looked at properly.