Laptop issues

Hello there.
I've had my laptop for nearly two years now, and for the most part, it’s been a dream. However, about two months ago, things started getting really sluggish. It works fine initially, but after roughly thirty minutes, the screen just goes black while the audio keeps playing in the background—though eventually, even the sound cuts out entirely. I could still manage to get some work done, but as of a few days ago, the situation has gone from bad to worse. Now, when I boot it up, it just sits there on the loading screen indefinitely; if it actually does manage to start, it's painfully slow. What do you think is causing this? Am I looking at a full Windows reinstall, or is it something else entirely? Also, I'm not sure if this is relevant, but these issues all kicked off right after my battery died, so I've been running it exclusively on the power adapter ever since.

It’s possible your computer is infected with a virus or a trojan. Honestly, the easiest way to handle this is just to wipe and reinstall Windows. Trying to run various antivirus scans on a laptop that slow is probably more trouble than it's worth.

First, go ahead and download CPU-Z so we can get a better look at what those laptop temperatures are actually doing. You're more than welcome to just drop a screenshot here on the forum if that's easier. Once we check that, maybe try running a scan with Norton—who knows, there might be some malware lurking around causing trouble? After that, you could always run CCleaner to clear out all that digital junk that builds up over time.

http://oi62.tinypic.com/vgmo7m.jpg Here are my temperatures. I'm honestly not sure if these look okay or if I should be worried.

The temperatures aren't exactly critical, but if I were you, I'd grab some compressed air and give the laptop a good cleaning. CLICK HERE

Once that's done, go ahead and download those programs I mentioned in my previous post and run a scan on the system...

Thanks for the advice! Do you think this would actually fix the issue with my laptop suddenly shutting down?

Laura Campbell63 said:Thanks for the tips! Do you think this would fix my laptop's issue with sudden shutdowns?

It certainly could...

If you have someone nearby with a bit of technical know-how, the best move might be to take the laptop apart, clean it out properly, and perhaps replace the thermal paste...

It's hot outside right now, and laptops naturally run quite warm by design...

Where are you keeping the laptop? Make sure it isn't sitting on a bed or something similar.

Kenneth Mitchell91 said:it's possible that....

If you know someone nearby who actually knows their way around hardware, honestly, the best move might be to have them crack the laptop open, give it a proper cleaning, and maybe swap out the thermal paste...

It’s hot outside, and laptops are basically space heaters by design anyway...

Where are you keeping the thing? Please tell me you aren't running it on a bed or something. con

A friend of mine went through something similar recently. They kept their laptop on a bed all winter long—when you leave a machine sitting on blankets or anything like that, it's pretty obvious what happens.
You don't even need to go out and buy those canned air sprays or whatever. Just follow what Chloe suggested: find someone who knows what they're doing to take it apart and blow it out with a compressor.

Kenneth Mitchell91 said:it might be that....

If you know someone nearby who's decent with tech, it might be best to have them crack the laptop open, give it a thorough cleaning, and maybe swap out the thermal paste...

It's sweltering outside, and laptops naturally run hot as it is...

Where do you usually keep it? Please tell me you aren't using it on your bed! con

Well, it's mostly on my desk, but I spend quite a bit of time using it on my lap or sitting in bed.

Seriously, stop putting your laptop directly on your lap without some kind of stand (doesn't matter if it has built-in fans or not). You can probably grab one for like twenty bucks online.

Laura Campbell63 said:The laptop stays on my desk most of the time, though I do spend quite a bit of time using it on the bed or in my lap.

I would suggest having someone professionally clean that machine. If you've been using it on a bed or in your lap for two years, there is bound to be dust buildup inside. If it continues to shut down after a cleaning, take it to a repair shop; since it’s under two years old, it should still be covered under warranty.

Just as a first step, have a technician blow out the dust and run some diagnostics.

Kenneth Mitchell91 said:Honestly, you should probably have someone give that laptop a good cleaning. If it’s been sitting on your bed or your lap for two years, there’s definitely dust buildup in there... if it keeps shutting down after a cleaning, take it straight to a repair shop. Since it's under two years old, it might still be covered under warranty....

Just as a first step, let someone blow out the dust and run some tests....

Understood. Thanks for the advice, both to you and everyone else. 🙂

Every time I try to power up my laptop, the Caps Lock and Num Lock lights just blink twice, go dead for a few seconds, and then start the whole cycle all over again. The screen stays pitch black and refuses to kick in. Anyone got any ideas? Please help! 🙂

You didn't give me the full rundown on the blinking patterns, so go check them out here and find a fix.

Two blinks means you've got BIOS issues. Here’s what I’d suggest doing:

"Laptop BIOS corruption failure

If there's a BIOS corruption error (Blink code 2), you might not even catch the blink codes. Usually, as soon as the machine detects the error, it just restarts, tries to recover the BIOS, and then restarts again. You might just notice the startup taking way longer than usual, or maybe a message pops up saying the BIOS was recovered. If that happens, just update the BIOS on the computer. For more information, see Updating The BIOS.
If The computer does not automatically recover The BIOS, you'll have to do a manual recovery by following these steps:

Turn off the computer.

Plug the notebook into power using the power adapter.

While The computer is still OFF : Press and hold The Windows Key and The b Key AT The

...then hold down the Power button on the notebook for a second.

Release The Power button and The Keys.

Doing this allows the BIOS to hit the EFI partition so it can pull the last working version of the BIOS from the hard drive.

For Information on How to restore The BIOS, check out the HP support doc: HP notebook PCs - Restoring the BIOS."

darkowl72 said:You didn't really go into detail about the blinking patterns, so you should probably check them out here to find a fix.

Two blinks usually point to some BIOS trouble, and here’s my best shot at a fix:

"Notebook BIOS corruption failure

If you run into a BIOS corruption error (Blink code 2), you might not even catch the actual blink codes. Honestly, as soon as the machine realizes something is wrong, it just tries to reboot, attempts to recover The BIOS, and then kicks itself back into a restart cycle. You'll likely just notice the startup taking forever, and you might see a message saying The BIOS has been recovered once it finally boots up. If that happens, you should probably just go ahead and try Updating The BIOS. For more information, see Updating The BIOS.
if The computer does not automatically recover The BIOS, you can try to manually trigger a BIOS recovery by doing this:

Shut the computer down.

Hook your HP notebook PCs up to a power outlet using the AC adapter.

While The computer is still OFF : Press and hold The Windows Key and The b key AT The

Power button for a second.

Release The Power button and The Keys.

Doing this forces the BIOS to hit the EFI partition so it can pull the last working version of the BIOS straight from the hard drive.

For Information on How to restore The BIOS, check out this official guide: HP Notebook PCs - Restoring the BIOS."

Man, thanks a million 😁 it actually worked! 🙂 🙂