HP 15-db0004dx Troubleshooting

When you press the power button nothing happens

First check and make sure you have the correct power cord. Next plug your laptop into a functioning outlet. Remove the battery from the laptop. If the laptop powers on without the battery, then the battery is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Press the power button to turn on the device. If the fans are running and the lights on the power button and other buttons are lit you may have screen issues. Turn off any overhead lights to see if the screen is on but faint. If you do see an image the screen's inverter may be broken and it will need to be replaced. Another possibility is that your laptop’s brightness button may be faulty.

Memory cards, DVDS and USB drives could be causing it to not turn on. Your laptop could be getting “stuck” because the BIOS (basic input/ output system) could be trying to boot from a removable storage device.

If you have recently downloaded and installed new hardware, it could be the cause of the device's booting issues. Uninstall and reinstall the hardware and reboot to see if it fixes the issue. Additionally sometimes the hardware in the device causes the hard drive to malfunction. A definite sign that your hard drive has malfunctioned is when you power your device down and hear a clicking noise or the drive spinning and then powering off.

When the device is plugged into the charger nothing happens

If you have been using the device a lot recently, overworking the battery could cause it to overheat and cause the device to have sensory issues and have the battery appear to be missing or fully charged. If the device feels hot to the touch, place it in a cool room with nothing blocking the fans, and let it cool down. Additionally if your device is overheating, the fan and heat sink may need to be replaced.

Check and see if the charger is plugged properly into the device, and make sure that it is all connected where it should be. Also make sure that the charger is not damaged in any way that could prevent it from working. Additionally make sure that the outlet it is plugged into is working properly, test it by plugging the device into a different outlet. If it still does not work the issue could be caused by something else.

Make sure the charging point is free of any dust and debris. Also check to make sure that the power jack is secure and does not wiggle, if it does move, the jack could be broken on the inside of the chassis.

Next step is to check and see if the battery is the cause of the issue, if your device has a removable battery.

Step one: Turn the device over and remove the backing by removing any screws or bolts that are holding it together.

Step two: Locate the battery and remove any screws that are holding it in place, and remove the battery from the device.

Step three: Hold down the power button for about 10-15 seconds. Plug the charger back in and power on the device.

 If it turns on after doing so, the battery may be the issue.

SMART Hard Disk Error pops up on the screen

Step one: Shut down device

Step Two: Disconnect any power cables

Step Three: Remove the battery (steps for how to do so are mentioned in “Device Won’t Charge” section)

Step Four: Press and hold the power button for about 15-20 seconds

Step Six: Put the battery back in the device and power it on

Make sure there is airflow getting into the hard disk.

Clean the device’s vents if needed

Make sure to monitor the device’s temperature

Step one: Find the “file explorer” option and then click on the “This PC” or equivalent. Right-click on your system drive, and then click the “properties” option.

Step Two: In the properties menu, find the “tools” option, and then the “Error Checking” option. After that select the “Check” option.

Step Three: A pop-up that says “You don’t need to scan this drive” may pop up, go ahead and click the “scan drive” option, to scan for any possible file system errors.

The Check Disk option or “CHKDSK” is a useful way to check for any hardware errors such as the “smart disk error”

Step One: Open the windows search bar, and type “cmd” and hit enter. A command window will then pop up

Step Two: In the command prompt window write the command chkdsk C: /f /r / then hit enter.

Step Three: Let the scan complete, and then restart the device after it is done.

Computer running slow

Having too many things, such as music, pictures, applications, etc.  running at the same time can cause your device to run slowly. A quick way to fix this is to only have necessary programs selected when you start up your device.

Having too much downloaded onto your device at one time can also cause it to run slower. To find out how much memory of your device is being used press CTRL+ALT+DEL and in the “processes” option you should be able to see what all is using the data, and how much of each.

Check for any software updates the device needs, if a device is too outdated it may cause it to run slowly. Click the Start menu, and select the settings options, within the settings should be an option to check for updates.

It is possible for your device to run slowly due to a virus. Additionally there are other signs as well that could be signs of a virus, below a few are listed:

• Programs open and close by them self
• Suspicious files
• Increased pop-ups
• “Blue Screen of Death” notifications

To find out for sure if your device has a virus, run an antivirus program to check.

If your device has a virus the safest option to get rid of it would be to use an antivirus program.