Troubleshooting a Personal Computer. Case Study:Laptop


                                                       An opened laptop undergoing repairs. 

Introduction. 

In our previous episodes of how to troubleshoot a Personal Computer (PC), we focused on Computers with a System Unit. This unit houses the primary devices that perform operations to make the Personal Computer work perfectly. 

In this blog, we are going to focus our attention on dealing with a personal computer in the form of a laptop. 

Laptops are "easy-to-carry" computers that perform the same functions just as desktop computers. It houses all its hardware in a compact form such that the monitor/screen is attached to the System Unit (do not confuse this with an all-in-one computer). The sizes of these hardware components as compared to the ones in the SU are small. 


An image of a laptop.


Case Scenario. 

A friend has been using his laptop continuously for 72 hours without switching it off. He doesn't have a working battery so he plugs his laptop directly into the electrical system (mains). The function of a good working battery is to keep the laptop running till it is ready to charge it. 

NB: To have a good working battery, it is always advisable to disconnect your laptop charger from the mains or the laptop charging port when the battery is fully charged. You are saving your laptop and battery from any electrical damage that may arise from surges or spikes in the power supply system.

After using it for that long, he decided to switch it off and take some rest himself. He later switched it on and the screen "flicked" (came and went back off). Common causes of screen flickering include; outdated drivers, malfunctioning hardware components such as graphics cards or monitors, incompatible software applications running in the background, and power supply fluctuations. He heard some noise from the fan and heard a "cracking" noise from the hard disk drive (HDD). He then proceeded to switch it off completely from the mains (electrical system).

I proceeded to ask him this set of questions;

1. When was the last time you updated most of your application software?

His answer: I update my software all the time since I am always connected to the internet.

2. When was the last time you wiped the dirt off your screen, and even the keyboard?

In this case, we would be dealing with two issues, power fluctuations and a malfunctioning hardware component (screen).


Solution.

Laptops just like any electrical device have the tendency to malfunction and as a worst-case scenario, stop working at any time. It is essential to let your laptops or any electrical gadget rest just as the human body needs rest. 

Firstly, I encouraged him to get a good working battery lasting for a couple of hours.

Secondly, to deal with the screen's intermittent "Off and On" issues, I opened the screws of the laptop

After opening the laptop, I realized that the fan had gathered a lot of dust and spider webs. There was even a dead cockroach in there (hence the crackling sound) and the motherboard had gathered a lot of dust. I cleaned the dust off using a brush that has soft bristles. I then proceeded to remove the screen connector connecting the screen to the motherboard. This also allowed me to clean the connector.

I then proceeded to connect the screen back to the motherboard, after which I placed all the screws back and connected the laptop to the power source. 

It worked perfectly afterward. He later got a new battery and he is enjoying his laptop.


In our next episode, we are going to deal with the "Dos and Don'ts" of having a personal working computer.


Summary

In this episode, we solved a simple troubleshooting problem involving a laptop that had been working for the past 72 hours and also had a flickering screen. It was later discovered that the motherboard of the laptop and the fan had accumulated dust. Hence the noise from the fan. We later learned that it is imperative to switch off our computers so they equally rest if we want them to perform the tasks to their maximum efficiency. We later learned the importance of cleaning our laptops to prevent the accumulation of dust in and on the keyboard and motherboard. We also learned the importance of allowing our gadgets to rest just as our bodies need rest. 


Do not hesitate to share your ideas and contributions. I strongly believe in this phrase "I am still learning about the issues of life". I am a student of and for life. Knowledge does not reside in only one head.




Daniel Kwasi Kpeglo

Physicist| SQL| Python| HTML| CSS| JavaScript| Looker| LookML| BigQuery| Power BI| Tableau| GCCP

Business page:https://dannyconsult.netlify.app/


Location: Cape Town, South Africa

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