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Oh No! My battery does not charge and my computer does not want to turn on.

From the windows start menu, open the control panel and select the display settings option. Screen brightness and computer performance levels can impact how the laptop charges as the laptop uses as much power as it receives. To increase battery efficiency, turn down the screen brightness and adjust the computer’s performance level.

If the problem still exists after adjusting the settings, try resetting the laptop. Take out the battery and plug in your computer. Hold down the power button for 1 full minute. Plug battery back in, while keeping the charger on and try turning the computer on again.

Check the battery seating and connections. On the back of the computer, there are two release slides. Push the one on the left towards the outside of the computer and pull the battery off. Clean the area where the battery was and the connecting ports with a non-moist cloth. Replace the battery to its original place, pushing it in firmly to make sure it is properly seated.

Power failure may be due to a malfunctioning outlet. Check the outlet by plugging in another charger and seeing if it charges or find another outlet to plug your computer into.

If the outlet works properly, clean the charging port on the computer. Take a paperclip and unwind it. Carefully put the unwound end into the charging port and gently move it in a circular motion around the port.

Additionally, check the charging cord for any breaks or unnatural bends. Check the charging cord for abnormalities or exposed wires. If there are abnormalities or exposed wires, replace the charging cord.

What happened to my screen? It randomly does not respond and/or flickers at the most inconvenient times.

In most cases, randomly flickering and not responding is indicative of a software problem within the Windows operating system. A permanent dysfunction of the screen would point towards a cracked screen or a loose connection.

Sometimes the video drivers are out to date. To check you have the most recent drivers, visit the HP website and locate the computer using the serial number of your Elitebook. You can also check the video drivers through Microsoft. If applicable, download the newest version of the video driver. Double check in settings that the driver is downloaded and running. This should fix the unresponsive screen.

If the video driver is not the culprit, go into settings and select graphics properties. Click on the box to disable the refresh rate switching and the display power saving technology. This will slow the refresh rate that matches the display rate of the screen, and limit or fix the flickering.

  • Disconnect all devices and remove all USB devices and SD media cards and remove the power cord as well.Remove the battery.Press and hold the power button for 15 seconds.Reinsert the battery and plug the laptops power cord back in, leaving everything else unplugged.Restart the computer by pressing the power button.

If the windows boot files are corrupted, the laptop will not turn on all the way. If the problem exists after resetting the computer, reinstall or refresh the operating system by performing the following steps.

  • Insert a System Repair Disk into the DVD drive on the laptop or a USB port.Restart the compterLoad the boot options when the HP logo appears on screen by pressing “ESC.”Select the option to boot from a USB device or DVDSelect one of the recovery tools available

It is recommended that you use the recovery tools in the following order, restarting the computer between each attempt.

Start-Up Repair: Fixes common problems with the boot process and other issues the can prevent windows from starting.

System Restore: Restore windows to a previous point in time. You may loose program changes but not your data.

System Image Recovery: Restores windows using a system image created during a backup. Select this option if the first two do not work and if you have a recent system image.

Install a Fresh Copy of Windows: Wipes the hard drive completely and re-installs a brand new copy of windows.

Continued problems with a boot errors can indicate a corrupted hard drive or indicate a failing hard drive. If problems exist after resetting the computer and reinstalling the operating system, replace the hard drive.

Use the following steps to reset the BIOS settings.

  • Turn off the computer and wait five seconds. Press the Power button to start the computer and repeatedly press the F10 key to enter the BIOS setup menu. On the BIOS Setup screen, press F9 to select and load the BIOS Setup Default settings. Press F10 to Save and Exit.  Use the arrow keys to select Yes, then press Enter when asked Exit Saving Changes?Follow the prompts to restart your computer.

Continued problems with a boot loop can indicate a corrupted hard drive or indicate a failing hard drive. If problems exist after resetting the computer and reinstalling the operating system, replace the hard drive.

Typing with the keyboard is sporadic or does not work at all.

Plug in an external keyboard. If the external keyboard allows you to type, then your issue is hardware related. If the external keyboard does not allow you to type, then your issue is software related.

Begin by upgrading or downgrading device drivers for the keyboard. Drivers are software that allow your computer to communicate with hardware - like a keyboard or track-pad. When a device driver is out of date, it is possible that multiple drivers can conflict and prevent each other from working. In that case, manufacturers release driver updates.

To fix this issue, download drivers from the HP’s Support Center. Select the correct operating system and then click on ‘Update specific drivers in Device Manager.’

If the external keyboard allows you to type, then there is likely a hardware issue. To fix this issue, first check the capacitors surrounding the keyboard’s connection on the motherboard, the connection between the keyboard and the motherboard, and/or consider replacing the keyboard.

What happened to the audio on my computer? It used to be crystal clear.

If your audio is distorted or crackling, it is likely because the operating system has been upgraded to Windows 10. In order to correct this issue, locate the control panel and disable the DTS Audio enhancement option.

If the sound is muffled, cutting out, or crackling, restart the computer. The issue may be caused by an application that is overriding the device; causing the system audio to be directed to that application.

In this case, run the Audio Check assistant. To run the Audio Check assistant, navigate to HP’s support guide and proceed to step 2.

Plug headphones into the computer, if the audio is fine through the headphones, then the problem most likely is with the laptop speakers. In which case consider replacing the speakers on the laptop.

In unusual cases, this problem can be caused by hardware issues. If the Audio Check assistant cannot resolve the issue, seek advanced hardware replacement assistance.

Ouch! My laptop is hot to the touch and won’t cool down.

Generally, excessive heat equals bad news with the potential to damage and ruin the internal components of the laptop.

Stop and shut down computer immediately. Follow the troubleshooting steps below to clean the vents and check the operational condition of the fan. If the fan runs, replace the battery as burning smells are indicative of a battery heating up and about to fail.

IMPORTANT: if the battery is swollen or the shape is irregular, stop whatever you are doing and carefully remove the battery from the laptop casing.

A swollen battery 100% indicates a battery failure and can be very dangerous. Lithium Ion batteries used in laptops have several safe-guards built into them. If the battery is swollen or irregularly shaped, it has already bypassed all of the safe-guards.

When removing a swollen battery, be extremely careful to remove it without further damaging, twisting, or puncturing the battery. Further damaging the battery can expose gases with react with moisture and the air and cause the battery to catch fire.

Once the battery has been removed, tape over any electrical connection with electrical tape and recycle the battery immediately.

For further information and details, check out what How To Geek has to say about failed batteries.

Remove the bottom cover of the laptop and clean out all the air vents with short blasts of compressed air.

When the computer is turned on and begins to heat up, visually inspect the area surrounding the air vents on the side and bottom of the laptop. You should hear the soft whir of the fan running.

If the fan does not run, and/or the computer frequently shuts down and restarts with no warning due to the hot temperatures, replace the fan as soon as possible.

If you are really tech savvy, you can check the internal temperatures of the laptop by entering the bios settings as the computer powers up.

  • When the boot screen is displayed, hit the F10 key.Once the bios settings load, select the hardware/CPU section to find the recorded temperature of the processing unit.The Elitebook 8460p has a i5 Intel processor with a maximum heat allowed of 100 degrees Celsius.You can verify the temperature limits by searching online for the specific processor used by your computer or device. Typically, the results will be displayed by google at the top of the search page.

If the temperature recorded in the bios of the CPU exceeds the limit, remove the bottom cover of the laptop and check that the fan works properly; is not physically damaged; and look for dust stuck in the thermal paste on the processor and evidence that the thermal paste is caked/dried out.

If the fan does not work or has physical damage, visit the fan repair page to remove and replace the fan unit.

For issues with the thermal paste, clean up the surrounding area and reapply the thermal paste. Thermal paste can be found at any computer or electronics repair shop.

Additionally, consider purchasing a cooling pad for your laptop if you still have repeated issues with excessive heat to help circulate airflow.