How to Fix These Common Laptop Issues

Many of us use laptops daily - for work, studies, personal use, and entertainment. 

When laptops start having issues, our lives suddenly come to a grinding halt. You may feel like you need to call in an expert to fix them. However, if you make yourself aware of these issues, you may be able to fix them yourself.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the most common laptop issues and give some methods to fix them.

• Common laptop issues and solutions
• Conclusion

Here are some of the most common laptop issues and solutions that can be tried at home.

WiFi issues are probably the most common problems we face with laptops. The Wi-Fi connection drops or doesn't connect, halting the work, game, or show. The reasons range from malfunctioning router and firewall blocking the connection to failing wireless hardware on the laptop. 

Solutions:

• After running for an extended period, these types of equipment become prone to firmware or hardware failures. Over time, the Wi-Fi connection may become weak or drop altogether. A device reset by a restart can repair the prevailing network issues. 

• Make sure that the Wi-Fi is turned on. Many modern laptops have started offering a physical switch for a wireless network, typically found on the keyboard, accessible through the function (FN) shortcut. 

• Ensure the Wi-Fi password has not been changed by another person who has access to the router or modem's admin dashboard. The laptop won't connect to the Wi-Fi network if the password is wrong or has changed.

• Head to the Taskbar and right-click on the "Wi-Fi symbol" to open the menu. Select the Open Network & Adapter Settings option, and the Status menu will be displayed.

• Scroll down a notch and click on the “Change adapter options” to open the Network Connections window.

• Find the Wi-Fi option and right-click to select the "disable" option. This will turn off the Wi-Fi adapter. Access the same right-click menu to enable the Wi-Fi. This should fix the problems with Wi-Fi on the laptop. 

Laptops sometimes slow down after using them for a while. It may have become unbearable to do work, and using it for anything important is a hectic task. Users might have noticed that resource-intensive applications lag and take significantly longer to do the intended job. 

Solutions:

First, users should rule out some different reasons why the laptop is slow and unresponsive. 

Apps running in the background may consume a significant chunk of available RAM and processing power. They can be stopped through the services menu by following these steps:

• Press Alt + x together on the keyboard to launch the RUN prompt. Type "msconfig," and press “Enter” to open the System Configuration menu.

• Head to the Services tab and tick the “Hide all Microsoft Services.”

• Select individual services and use the Disable button to stop them from running in the background. Alternatively, all the services can be stopped through the Disable all button.

Whether the laptop is slowing down gradually or all of a sudden, it’s the last thing anyone wants. Regular maintenance and constant touch-ups are sometimes insufficient to keep the computer from lagging. Lagging can start on any installment, whether the laptop is on Windows 7, 8.1, 10, or even 11. Check this tab on the task manager to find the programs hogging up the resources. 

• Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the task manager. If it's only showing the name of the running applications, then click on the "more details" option at the bottom.

• Have a look around and find the programs that are taking the most RAM Disk and CPU. Here, Firefox is using over a gigabyte of RAM without being open. Similarly, users will find other programs with the same properties which can be stopped. 

• Close the task manager after the unwanted programs are stopped from running in the background. There’s a chance of programs starting again on the next boot-up. 

Microsoft has become infamous for pushing updates that sometimes hinder the computer’s performance and cause it to lag or slow down. Luckily, Windows offers a way to roll back any updates by uninstalling them. Type "Windows update" in the Start Menu search and head to the first result of the system settings.

• Scroll down a notch and head to the View update history menu, and users will land in the records of the past updates installed on the computer.

• Here all the updates installed in the past will be logged in different categories. Click on the items to find more details through a detailed update which will open in the browser. Once the faulty update is located, click on "Uninstall updates" at the top to open the uninstallation menu. 

• Right-click on a title and uninstall the update. The process will take a couple of moments before finalising. Restart the laptop to see the difference in performance. 

Is the laptop taking forever to boot up? It’s not only wasting time but can hold the user back when a last-minute task or deadline comes up. 

Solution:

• If the laptop has HDD hard-drive storage, the boot time on Windows 10 and 11 would be much slower than the SSD counterparts. According to reports, Microsoft is pushing OEMs(Original Equipment Manufacturer) to drop HDDs as storage and use SSDs instead. Consider upgrading to an SSD, preferably an NVMe, if the laptop has the provision.

The old HDD can still be used as an external drive through a caddy, available for under ₹800. Connect it through a USB port and use it as a portable storage device.

• Some laptops have top-of-the-line NVMe SSD but have more prolonged boot times than usual. Users need to take a look at the software level to find the real culprits. The task manager shows the programs starting with the computer, contributing to the boot-time. Here’s how they can be disabled:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on the keyboard to launch the task manager. Users can also find it using the Start Menu search.

• Go to the Startup tab and note the BIOS time, signifying the boot time, before moving forward. Then disable specific programs from starting with the computer. Make sure to leave essential programs enabled, like the Windows Security Notification icon, which is a part of the laptop's security.

• Close the task manager and restart the computer to see the difference in the bootup. Compare the new BIOS Time with what was noted earlier. 

Laptops serve as great portable workstations to handle an entire workload. Once settled in a good location, users may benefit from a secondary display to compensate for the laptop’s smaller screen. 

If users find the laptop won’t detect the external display for some reason, the secondary display can be force detected through the settings. 

Solution:

• Type “multiple displays” in the Start Menu search and go to the settings.

• Under the Multiple Displays section, click on the "detect" button. If the display has wireless-based connectivity, click on "Connect to a wireless display.”

Don't press the panic button yet. If the laptop is not starting up, users should try different methods to revive it before turning to the authorised service centre.

Solution:

• The first thing to do is to check the power supply. Remove the battery and plug the power adapter into a functioning socket. If the laptop is working, then the battery is at fault. 

• Check for external devices. If any external devices are attached, such as a projector, mouse, hard drive, DVD, or USB drive, the BIOS could be stuck trying to boot from a removal device. Remove all the devices, and then try turning on the laptop.

• In case of display problems, check the air vents and noise of the laptop after pressing the power button. If there’s activity inside the laptop with the fans running or other lights blinking, there’s a chance of a display problem. A visit to a technician is necessary for this scenario.

• Remove the hardware and try booting the computer again. If any hardware is added recently to the laptop, there are chances of it causing boot issues. 

The key to solving common laptop issues is to check one area for the problem at a time. This helps identify the exact issue and provides a permanent solution. 

Start with solving things on the software level with fixes through the tools from Windows. Afterwards, proceed to hardware issues that may eventually require expert assistance or a visit to the service centre.