Computer won't turn on? Try this first

Laptop

1. Plug in the charger and look for a charging light on the laptop or charger.
2. Try a different wall outlet, not a power bar.
3. Hard reset: unplug it, hold the power button for 15–30 seconds, then plug in and press power normally.
4. Leave it charging for 30 minutes if the battery was completely flat.
5. Plug in an external monitor. If a picture appears there, the laptop's screen is the problem, not the computer.

Desktop

1. Check the switch on the back of the power supply, and the power cable at both ends.
2. Any lights or fan noise? Lights but no picture points to the monitor, its cable, or the graphics card.
3. Check the monitor is on and set to the right input (HDMI or DisplayPort).

Beeps or flashing lights

Many computers beep or flash a light pattern to report a fault. Count them and look up the pattern for your model. It tells a tech exactly what's wrong.

If your files matter

Don't keep pressing power on a computer that's clicking or struggling. If there's important data on it, get the data recovered first.