Laptop does not start. Fixing the problem.

If your laptop does not start at all or it starts but will not boot properly, it’s possible that you can fix the laptop at home without taking it to a repair center. Here are some troubleshooting tips for you. I’m not sure if I can cover all situation at once, so I will update this post as more examples come into my mind.

Situation 1.
The laptop appears to be dead. You plug the AC adapter but the LEDs (power light, hard drive light, battery charge light, etc…) do not light up and the laptop will not react at all if you press on the power button.

First of all in this situation check the AC adapter. You can test the output voltage with a voltmeter. If you cannot do that, find a known good AC adapter and use it for testing the laptop. It is possible the laptop appears to be dead because the AC adapter is bad (and the battery is discharged). If you know that the AC adapter is working properly and it outputs correct voltage but the laptop is still dead, most likely you have a power issue on the motherboard (or power board on some laptops) and it has to be replaced.
If you have to replace the AC adapter, make sure you use a correct one. The output voltage must be exactly the same as on the original adapter. The output amperage has to be the same as on the original adapter or higher, but not lower.

Situation 2.
When you plug the AC adapter the power LED and the battery charge LED light up. When you press on the power button the laptop powers up but will not start. There is no video on LCD or external monitor.

If the power LED lights up it indicates that the laptop is getting power from the AC adapter. Most likely there is nothing wrong with the adapter but just in case test it with a voltmeter to make sure the output voltage is correct.
Also try this. Unplug the AC adapter, remove the battery and wait for 1-2 minutes. After that plug the AC adapter ans try starting the laptop again. Sometimes this trick helps.
It also could be a memory related problem. Try reseating the memory module, just remove it from the slot on the motherboard and install it back. Try installing the memory module into the other slot (if it’s available). If you have two memory modules installed, try removing them one by one and start the laptop just with one memory module installed.
If the laptop starts fine with one memory module in both slots, but will not start with the second memory module in both slots, the second memory module is faulty. Replace the module.
If the laptop starts fine with both memory modules when they are installed in the slot A, but will not start with both memory modules installed in the slot B, the slot B is faulty and you’ll have to replace the motherboard or use only one memory slot.

Situation 3.
When you press on the power button, the laptop makes a series or short and long beeps and will not start up. There is no video on the screen.

In this situation test the memory module as I described in the situation2. Try installing a known good memory module. Most likely you are getting a beep error because of a faulty memory.

Situation 4.
You start the laptop. It sounds like the laptop is booting normally (hard drive LED is flashing) but there is no video on the screen

In this situation test the laptop with an external monitor. If the external screen works fine but there is no video on the laptop LCD, most likely there is a problem inside the laptop display assembly. Go to my previous post witch covers laptop video problems in more details.

Situation 5.
You start the laptop and it starts making repetitive clicking noise or grinding noise.

Most likely you hear this noise because of a faulty hard drive. You can remove the hard drive and start the laptop without it. If the noise is gone, the hard drive is your problem. Replace it.
If the laptop makes clicking or grinding noises and you still have video on the screen, you can run a hard drive test utility. I usually use Hitachi’s drive fitness test. This test is reliable and easy to use.

Situation 6.
The laptop boots into Windows ans works for a while, but after that it shuts down by itself without any reason or warning. You restart the laptop but the same problem appears again

Most likely it’s a heat related issue. Listen for the cooling fan, make sure it works.
Also this problem might appear because of a faulty memory module, try some tips from the situation 2.
The laptop still boots ans you still can see the screen, so you can run the memory test. I usually use Memtest86+. Run the memory test and if it fails, replace the faulty module.

Situation 7
The laptop starts normally but video on the screen has lines, some strange characters or other defects

It could indicate a problem with the laptop LCD screen, video cable, graphics card or motherboard. Here’s my previous post witch covers troubleshooting bad images on the screen in more details.

LAPTOP PRINTING: ERROR MESSAGES

Pharos Popup: If you get Pharos popups appearing on your screen, it likely means that you had an old version of the printing software installed, which wasn't removed properly. To fix this:

Go to System Preferences -> Users & Groups -> Login Items

Select the item listed for Popup and delete it.

Restart your computer. (It's a good idea to try a test print at this point)

Beep Error Codes

AMI BIOS Beep Codes1 Short Beep System OK

• 2 Short Beeps Parity error in the first 64 KB of memory
• 3 Short Beeps Memory failure in the first 64 KB
• 4 Short Beeps Memory failure in the first 64 KB Operational of memory or Timer 1 on the motherboard is not functioning
• 5 Short Beeps The CPU on the motherboard generated an error
• 6 Short Beeps The keyboard controller may be bad. The BIOS cannot switch to protected mode
• 7 Short Beeps The CPU generated an exception interrupt
• 8 Short Beeps The system video adapter is either missing, or its memory is faulty
• 9 Short Beeps The ROM checksum value does not match the value encoded in the BIOS
• 10 Short Beeps The shutdown register for CMOS RAM failed
• 11 Short Beeps The external cache is faulty
• 1 Long, 3 Short Beeps Memory Problems
• 1 Long, 8 Short Beeps Video Card Problems

Phoenix BIOS Beep Codes

• 1-1-3 CMOS read/write failure
• 1-1-4 ROM BIOS checksum error
• 1-2-1 Programmable interval timer failure
• 1-2-2 DMA initialisation failure
• 1-2-3 DMA page register read/write failure
• 1-3-1 RAM refresh verification failure
• 1-3-3 First 64k RAM chip or data line failure
• 1-3-4 First 64k RAM odd/even logic failure
• 1-4-1 Address line failure first 64k RAM
• 1-4-2 Parity failure first 64k RAM
• 2-_-_ Faulty Memory
• 3-1-_ Faulty Motherboard
• 3-2-4 Keyboard controller Test failure
• 3-3-4 Screen initialisation failure
• 3-4-1 Screen retrace test failure
• 3-4-2 Search for video ROM in progress
• 4-2-1 Timer tick interrupt in progress or failure
• 4-2-2 Shutdown test in progress or failure
• 4-2-3 Gate A20 failure
• 4-2-4 Unexpected interrupt in protected mode
• 4-3-1 RAM test in progress or failure>ffffh
• 4-3-2 Faulty Motherboard
• 4-3-3 Interval timer channel 2 test or failure
• 4-3-4 Time of Day clock test failure
• 4-4-1 Serial port test or failure
• 4-4-2 Parallel port test or failure
• 4-4-3 Math coprocessor test or failure
• Low 1-1-2 System Board select failure
• Low 1-1-3 Extended CMOS RAM failure

IBM POST Error Codes

• 1 short beep System is OK
• 2 short beeps POST Error - error code shown on screen No beep Power supply or system board problem Continuous beep Power supply, system board, or keyboard problem Repeating short beeps Power supply or system board problem
• 1 long, 1 short beep System board problem
• 1 long, 2 short beeps Display adapter problem (MDA, CGA)
• 1 long, 3 short beeps Display adapter problem (EGA)
• 3 long beeps 3270 keyboard card

Award BIOS Beep Codes

• 1long, 2 short - Video adapter error (Either video adapter is bad or is not seated properly. Also, check to ensure the monitor cable is connected properly.)
• Repeating (endless loop) - Memory error (Check for improperly seated or missing memory.)
• 1long, 3short - No video card or bad video RAM (Reseat or replace the video card.)
• High frequency beeeps while running - Overheated CPU (Check the CPU fan for proper operation. Check the case for proper air flow.)
• Repeating High/Low - CPU (Either the CPU is not seated properly or the CPU is damaged. May also be due to excess heat. Check the CPU fan or BIOS settings for proper fan speed.)

Computer Error Beep Codes

Since I'm the "computer expert" among my friends and family, I often get those late night phone calls and e-mails asking me what's wrong with their computer. I'll be honest. It does get quite frustrating and annoying at times when people start off with "What did I do?" I understand that they're only asking me because they trust I can do a good job, and they really don't have anyone else to turn to.

When I start fixing a computer, 99% of the problems I see are software related. Most of the time it is you, the user that wrecks, breaks, crashes, or kills your computer. Sorry, I have to be blunt about it, but it's true. New processors, hard drives, video cards, memory and motherboards are just inanimate objects we can lay blame to.

Most of the time the main problem with these broken computers I tend to are due to too many programs loading up at start up. All those little programs add up, and sometimes eat up all the system resources.

Every now and then though, I do see a hardware problem and the first thing I do when I turn the computer on is listen to how it beeps.

When the computer makes those funny sound via the system speaker, it's not doing it because it wants to be heard. The computer is trying to talk to the operator/technician and tell them what's wrong. In testing computer components on and off for the last three to four years, I find that almost all motherboards adhere to the IBM BIOS standard beep codes... I think a few OEM's have developed their own or use Phoenix or AMI beep codes, but for the most part motherboard manufacturers uses the IBM based ones because they are grandfathered in.

Beep Code:	Description of Problem:
No Beeps	Short, No power, Bad CPU/MB, Loose Peripherals
One Beep	Everything is normal and Computer POSTed fine
Two Beeps	POST/CMOS Error
One Long Beep, One Short Beep	Motherboard Problem
One Long Beep, Two Short Beeps	Video Problem
One Long Beep, Three Short Beeps	Video Problem
Three Long Beeps	Keyboard Error
Repeated Long Beeps	Memory Error
Continuous Hi-Lo Beeps	CPU Overheating

So as you can see, if your computer doesn't start up and starts beeping away like a mime you can start the process of figuring out what is wrong by stopping for a second and listening. From a single beep which tells you everything is okay, to three long beeps which indicate a keyboard error to the siren like Hi-Lo beeps that tell you the CPU is overheating - listening to your computer is good!

As you become more and more experienced with computers, friends and family will naturally start to bring sick computers to your door to fix. When that happens, or when your own machine suddenly stops working, try listening to it first and see if it tells you what's wrong. If you are able to diagnose the problem just by listening to it, you will surely impress all your computer friends!

How to fix Dell laptop hard disk 0146 error code

Dell laptop should be a great choice for all laptop users who like to have best configuration, fast working platform, long warranty period and time to time dell support from the manufacturer. But it doesn’t mean that it is the best laptop and will not face any problem ever. Dell laptop may face some complicated problems, which can be related to both hardware and software. One such problem is the hard disk problem, which shows 0146 error code.

It's commonly known as the 0146 hard disk error. It can cause your Dell laptop to freeze or system applications to stop responding for a long or short period of time. The error when occurs can corrupt some part of your hard disk, if you are lucky enough you can still boot in the safe mode to save and back up your data. Else if you have multiboot system then take backup using other operating system installed on your system. Also find here how to resolve Dell error code 0141.

We will discuss here the main reasons of the 0146 error code, dell laptop hard disk error, and simple tips to fix it.

Causes of 0146 hard disk error in Dell laptop:

Common reasons for the 0146 error to occur include over charging the battery or fluctuation in power supply. It will directly impact your hard disk and cause it to fail or become corrupt.

Have a look at the below mentioned steps and fix the 0146 error code. But wait! Before you start, take a backup of your data to a data backup media. Otherwise, you will lose all your data stored on the disk.

Steps to fix the 0146 hard disk error code:

First go to your laptop's BIOS settings and see if the HDD is changed from SATA drive to AHCI SATA. If it has been changed, then change it back to SATA drive. Now format your system and install your hard disk again.

I hope it helps fix the issue, if this method doesn't fix the problem, you will need a new hard disk. There is no other alternative to this problem. Dell will replace your hard disk at no cost if you are still under warranty period.