Computer Won't Turn On
Covered by the flat $75, diagnosis included. "Dead" covers a dozen very different faults, and most of them are cheap.
- Price
- In the $75
- Turnaround
- 1–3 days
- If we can't fix it
- The labor fee is on us
Sounds like your machine?
- Nothing happens at all when you press the power button
- Lights come on and fans spin, but the screen stays black
- It starts, then shuts off after a few seconds
- It's plugged in but shows no charging light
- It beeps in a pattern instead of starting
- It powers on but never gets past the manufacturer's logo
- It only works when the charger is wiggled a certain way
Any of these and it’s worth a look. Diagnosis is included in the flat rate, so finding out costs you nothing extra.
"Dead" is a dozen different faults
A computer that won't start is the vaguest symptom there is, and the range of causes runs from a five-dollar part to a machine that isn't worth repairing. A failed power supply, a bad charger, a broken charging port, a dead CMOS battery, failed memory, a corrupt boot record, a swollen battery, or a genuinely dead mainboard all present the same way from the outside: you press the button and nothing useful happens.
The good news is that the cheap causes are far more common than the expensive ones. A large share of the "dead" machines that come through the door need a charger, a power supply, or a memory module reseated.
Which is exactly why diagnosis is inside the flat rate rather than an extra. Finding out costs you nothing beyond the repair you were going to pay for anyway.
Worth trying before you drive over
On a laptop: unplug the charger, hold the power button down for a full thirty seconds, then plug the charger back in and try again. This drains residual power and genuinely revives a fair number of machines. Check that the charger's own light is on — chargers fail far more often than laptops do.
On a desktop: check the switch on the back of the power supply, and try a different wall socket and a different power cable. If the case lights come on but you get no picture, try a different monitor cable before assuming the computer is at fault.
If none of that helps, stop there. Repeatedly forcing a machine that's shorting or has a swollen battery makes things worse, not better.
Signs it's more serious
A burning or fishy smell, a case that's noticeably swollen, a trackpad that has risen up out of the chassis, or a battery you can see bulging — stop using it and don't charge it. A swelling lithium battery is a genuine fire risk, and it's the one situation where we'd rather you brought it straight in.
Repeated beeping in a pattern at startup is the machine telling you which component failed, and it's usually memory or graphics. That's diagnosable and often cheap.
Liquid in the machine's history changes everything — corrosion continues quietly for weeks after a spill. If yours got wet, our spill page covers what to do.
When it isn't worth fixing
Occasionally the answer is a failed mainboard on a machine whose replacement board costs more than the computer is worth. When that happens we'll say so plainly, and the labor fee is on us — that's what our guarantee means in practice.
We'll then get your data off the drive, which is nearly always still perfectly healthy even when the computer around it isn't, and help you move it to whatever comes next. Losing a machine is annoying. Losing the photos on it is what people actually mind.
What’s included
- Full power-path diagnosis — charger, port, supply, battery, board
- Component-level testing of memory, storage and display output
- A clear explanation of what failed and what it costs, before any work
- No labor fee if it turns out we can't fix it
- Data retrieved from the drive if the machine is beyond saving
If we can't fix it, the labor fee is on us. Parts only billed when installed.
Questions we get asked
My laptop won't turn on at all. What should I try first?
Unplug the charger, hold the power button for thirty full seconds, then reconnect and try again. Also check the charger's own indicator light — failed chargers are far more common than failed laptops. If neither helps, bring it in rather than forcing it repeatedly.
The lights and fans come on but the screen stays black. Is the screen broken?
Not necessarily. That pattern often points to memory, graphics or a boot problem rather than the display. Plugging in an external monitor tells us a lot — if that picture is also missing, the screen was never the issue.
What does it cost to find out what's wrong?
Nothing extra. Diagnosis is inside the flat $75 for any repair we go on to do. If you only want the diagnosis and no repair, that's $35, and it's credited against the work if you change your mind.
My laptop case looks swollen. Is that dangerous?
Yes — that's a swelling lithium battery and it's a genuine fire risk. Stop charging it, stop using it, and bring it in. Don't press on it or try to lever the case apart.
Related repairs
Where we do this
We’re at 14327 MO-5, Sunrise Beach, MO 65079, on Route 5. People drive in from across the Lake of the Ozarks:
Let’s take a look at it.
Two minutes online, or just walk in during shop hours.
or call (573) 555-0142