THUD! Your laptop hits the floor and a sense of panic rushes through your body. Don’t stress just yet. Repairs from a dropped laptop can be minor enough to fix yourself while others require the help of a professional.
The fate of your laptop after a fall depends on the height from which you dropped it, the model of the laptop, the nature of the fall, and sometimes pure luck.
In this guide, we will help you complete a thorough inspection of your device to decide whether or not fixing it requires outside assistance. Keep reading to learn what to do with your dropped laptop.
Examine the Exterior
After dropping your laptop, pick it up and examine the exterior casing, not the case you carry your laptop in. Damages to the exterior might be cosmetic and often not worth fixing unless a chip or dent bothers you.
Severe damages to the exterior casing might indicate that the hardware is also damaged. You should be looking for cracks, bends, and breaks in the exterior of your laptop.
Check the Laptop Screen
What happens if you drop your laptop and the screen is cracked or damaged? Sometimes your laptop will still work well but require a new screen.
Symptoms of a broken laptop screen come in any of the following forms:
- Black screen
- Blue screen
- Black spots on the screen
- Black lines on the screen
- Half white or black screen
- Display problems
This kind of damage requires the help of a professional computer technician to repair it. If the damage is extensive, the entire screen might need replacing.
There are some screen issues that you might be able to fix on your own. For example, a flickering screen might be an immediate issue but not a long-term one.
A flickering screen, although deceiving, can still indicate that your laptop screen does not work. To test it, restart your laptop and watch closely to see if the flickering begins right away.
If the flickering occurs immediately, your screen needs to be replaced. If the flickering begins after the logo appears, you can fix it by reinstalling and updating your display drivers or adjusting your refresh rate.
Try to Boot the System
A dropped laptop that won’t boot might be too far gone to repair. Before making an executive decision on your own, visit a computer repair service for professional advice.
Check that the battery and plug are securely connected if your computer doesn’t turn on at all. If the computer is completely dead, opt for residential computer repair.
Booting issues are always related to the solid-state drive (SSD) or hard drive. A dropped laptop can lead to an ejected or damaged hard drive which leads to an operating system that is unable to boot.
You can eject and reinsert your SSD or hard drive in an attempt to fix the issue. If you experience the same problems, you likely need to replace your SSD or hard drive because of damages from the fall.
When plugging up your laptop and attempting to boot the system, do so in a quiet room. This will allow you to listen to signs of damage.
If the laptop does not have significant damage, you’ll hear the hard drive spinning and the fans starting up among other normal computer sounds.
Listen for Unusual Noises
If you hear unfamiliar beeping after booting your laptop, check with your laptop’s manufacturer. Manufacturers should have an “I dropped my laptop” section to help with problems.
There might be a specific meaning to a beep sequence so checking with the manufacturer might help you diagnose the problem and take the proper next steps.
A clear indicator that your hard drive is damaged is when there are unusual noises coming from it. Weird buzzing and clicking mean you’ll probably have to replace your hard drive completely.
Check Keyboard Connections
If your laptop is up and running without signs of damage thus far, you’ll still want to check your keyboard connections. Keyboard malfunctions include the entire keyboard not working or some keys working while others don’t.
When your keyboard malfunctions after a drop, your connections have most likely disconnected. To resolve this issue, detach and reattach your keyboard. This requires you to disassemble your laptop to get to the keyboard and cable.
If you don’t trust yourself to disconnect the keyboard cable from the motherboard and then reattach it correctly, seek help from a technician instead.
This solution doesn’t always work as your keyboard might have experienced significant damage when your laptop dropped. The best thing to do with keyboard issues is to have the problem diagnosed by an expert.
Note Any Performance Issues
Over time, you might notice that your laptop is experiencing performance issues because of the drop. If your laptop is slower after dropping it, here are some things you can do to speed it up:
- Clear cache files
- Disable startup programs
- Free up memory
- Use a software cleaner
- Increase your RAM
If these issues persist, reach out to a laptop repairman.
Protecting Your Laptop in the Future
If you dropped your laptop and have zero issues with the system, screen, keyboard, etc., consider yourself lucky. To protect your device in the future, invest in a protective laptop case.
Laptop cases aren’t designed for only style in mind, they can protect your laptop from a variety of damages including drop protection. Protective cases can also prevent the following:
- Shock damage
- Dirt and dust
- Liquid damage
When you opt for a quality case, you protect your investment for years to come.
Fixing a Dropped Laptop the Right Way
Laptops are becoming more advanced over time and the average person doesn’t have the knowledge necessary to troubleshoot problems. Because of this, fixing a dropped laptop is made easier with professional help.
Attempting to fix complicated issues on your own can lead to bigger problems down the line. Take this guide into consideration if you dropped your laptop, but don’t fix problems that you aren’t comfortable with.
For a computer repair, diagnostic, or consultation, contact us today!
