Has your laptop suffered a shock or a fall? Since the components of a laptop PC are more fragile than each other, this can cause more or less serious damage, and unfortunately sometimes irreversible. You notice that a component is damaged or no longer works? Hear abnormal hardware noise inside your PC? Or your laptop does not turn on after the fall? Before giving in to panic and imagining the worst, discover what to do when your laptop fell down?
Is your laptop insured or guaranteed against drops? What are the solutions to try to fix it or solve the problem without it costing you an arm? The answers are in this article!
What to do when your laptop has dropped?
First of all, if the laptop PC works normally after a fall or shock and that no specific dysfunction appears, luckily, it probably suffered no damage. In this case, you can continue to take full advantage of your computer. Note that a PC that falls off is more likely to survive than a PC that falls while being on. Still, think about back up data from your internal hard drive or SDD in case it is slightly damaged and eventually fails.
Si your laptop that fell on the floor no longer works properly or at all and you want to carry out the repairs yourself, we will see in this first part how to try to fix your dropped laptop. Be aware now that several components can be damaged following the fall of your laptop: screen, hard drive (or SSD drive), graphics card, processor, RAM, motherboard, etc. Depending on the breakdown you encounter, the treatment will not be equivalent.
Caution, risk of electric shock and irreversible damage to the device. feel free to call on one of your insurance which covers damage related to a fall (for more information on this subject, refer to the last part of this article). If necessary, do not hesitate to contact a professional repairman if you cannot find the cause of the fault or repair it.
Important:
- If your PC is insured, only the deductible will be paid! Generally, this will be much more advantageous. To learn more, refer to the last part of the article.
- If you carry out the manipulations, remember to always turn off the PC before dismantling and to remove the battery to turn it off completely.
Laptop dropped on the floor: broken or damaged screen
If faults appear on your screen (scratches, dead pixels, black or on the contrary white screen, visible cracks, etc.), damage has surely occurred to the backlighting of the screen. In case your screen is broken, damaged or cracked, no doubt: your slab is affected.
First of all, make sure the screen cable is not disconnected. It is located at the bottom of the screen when you disassemble it and it is generally protected by an insulating tape. To disassemble the screen, simply use a Phillips screwdriver and successively remove the screw covers and screws, then the screen contour bezel. Of course, this manipulation is done off, battery removed. If the tablecloth is in place, it will therefore be necessary to replace the slab.
Having a screen replaced by a professional repairer is usually very expensive. Count several hundred euros (often between 150€ and 300€). Therefore, it is better then to do it yourself. However, you will surely need some electrical knowledge and the basics of a handyman. If you do not have one, call on someone you know who does or a professional who has previously purchased the replacement panel for a less exorbitant price. To buy and replace a new screen, here's how it works:
- Buy a new panel for your laptop on a specialized website. You should be able to find some for less than 100 euros. You will need to buy a tile of the same brand and the same reference. This is on the back of the tile. You will then have to disassemble it and look at the inscriptions on the back. Once again, remember to remove the battery before any intervention.
- Replace the screen. To do this, remove the damaged slab, being careful not to damage the tablecloth at the bottom of the screen. Replace the new screen like the old one, taking care to connect and insulate the tablecloth well to avoid a short circuit.
We invite you to consult a video tutorial among the hundreds that exist on the net to guide you in this operation.
Please note: If the screen of your PC does not appear damaged physically but simply virtually (black screen, blue screen, abnormal pixels, scratches etc), there may be a another component of your laptop is damaged and that simply replacing the screen is not enough to revive it. This is especially if you hear strange and unusual noises coming from the PC. Then try connecting another screen to your laptop. If an image is displayed, the problem is only with the screen. On the other hand, if nothing is displayed, another internal component of your computer is probably damaged. It could be the hard drive or the graphics card. Depending on the case in which you are, it will be necessary to replace the screen or the defective component or both in the event of a combined problem.
Laptop dropped and does not start correctly or at all: the internal components to check
If your dropped laptop no longer works properly, won't turn on at all, or you hear a strange noise inside the PC, it's a safe bet that a internal component has been damaged during the accident. In this case, you will have to open your laptop which has fallen or suffered a shock, then analyze whether a component appears damaged, disconnected or moving. The components most at risk are:
1 – the connection
Check if a plug did not disconnect during the fall. Check that the wires and cables are all in their place and firmly seated in their respective connectors. Indeed, during a fall on the ground, the connectors can be brought to disconnect and to move which will probably cause a malfunction on your PC. If a connector enabling the power supply has become disconnected, the PC will not be able to start.
Read also: Laptop heats up and shuts down, what to do?
2 – Check the hard drive
The hard disk is the most fragile element of a computer. So when your laptop falls down and malfunctions, the hard drive has probably been damaged following the tremor. And this is all the more likely if your device was on during the accident.
Note that recent and high-performance computers are equipped with a SSD disk instead of the hard disk, which is more resistant to shock. However, it's not immune to breakage, especially if your laptop is dropped while it's on.
When the hard drive fails, it's usually because it's broken. In this case, the problem is mechanical and you should hear strange noise(s) when you move your PC. When it is simply damaged, it is also possible that the PC turns on but the screen remains black, that you hear an abnormal electrical noise, or that it encounters significant problems (error messages).
To check if the hard drive is indeed responsible for the problem, several techniques exist. You will therefore have to choose the one that corresponds to your situation:
- If your laptop PC turns on and you can access the interface, use software that analyzes the state of your disk.
- If your laptop turns on but the screen remains black, try connecting an external monitor to your laptop (TV or PC monitor). Then check via software if the problem comes from the hard drive.
- If your laptop won't turn on, remove the battery, open the back of the PC, then visually check the status of the hard drive. If you find that it is dislodged, you will need to reattach it. In case it is broken or damaged, he is indeed responsible for the problem. It will need to be replaced. If no damage is visible, remove the hard disk (many video tutorials exist) then try to restart the PC without a hard disk. If it works and/or the weird noise has disappeared, it is indeed HS.
Note: The disc hard contains all your personal data ! If your laptop turns on but you are unsure about the status of the disk, back up your data first. If your hard drive is damaged, it will likely be difficult to recover your data. You can still hire a professional repairer to do this.
If your PC's hard drive or SDD drive is defective, you will need to buy a compatible hard drive or one of the same reference. In all cases, it should be of similar intensity or more powerful but never weaker.
3 – the graphics card
If the problem is not with the hard drive but your PC screen shows strange things after the drop (display with bugs, scratches, pixelated, blue screen etc), the problem probably comes from the Graphic card. You can test this hypothesis one more time by plugging another screen into your PC. If the image bug continues on the external screen, then the graphics card is faulty. It will have to be replaced although the price is often very high. Also, be careful, on some laptops, the graphics card is integrated into the motherboard. In this case, the price will probably be unaffordable.
4 – the other components
When your laptop has fallen, other components of the PC may be faulty although it is more rare. Then check that the fans turn and the ram sticks work (test them one by one).
If all these elements appear to be functional, the problem is certainly due to the motherboard or processor. In this case, call a professional for further diagnosis, but be aware that these components are not intended to be replaced and, in any case, it will be very expensive.
Make insurance work for your fallen laptop
If you are not suitable for the previous manipulations or the repair requires too big a budget, check if your laptop that fell on the floor is covered by insurance.
Indeed, we often ask ourselves the question: is a laptop that has fallen on the floor insured? The answer is not so simple since everything will depend on your insurance contracts. You will then certainly have to find the terms of your contract to find out whether you can claim it or not. Note that the legal guarantee of conformity (legal and compulsory coverage of 2 years in France) is not valid in the event of a fall! Only insurance taken out on a private basis will be likely to cover breakage following a fall or shock.
Here is the different insurance coverages which can then save your laptop and at the same time your wallet:
- Compulsory home insurance. Note that not all home insurance policies include the breakage of portable electronic devices such as your computer in their contract. On the contrary, habituation insurance generally only covers fire, water damage, natural disasters, electrical damage or burglary. To obtain compensation, the breakage must therefore have occurred during one of these events. To be entitled to compensation if the accident took place outside of these events, and therefore during an accidental breakage (or accidental breakage) you will need to have subscribed to an extension of guarantee, an optional guarantee or a multi-risk home insurance.
- The civil liability of the person responsible for the breakage. If someone other than you or someone else in your household has dropped your laptop on the floor, play their public liability.
- Personally purchased insurance : nomadic insurance, all-risk household inventory insurance, purchase guarantee for certain bank cards, or even specific insurance for your laptop. On the other hand, pay attention to the terms of your contract: some insurance only compensates if the device is completely out of order or if it results from an unforeseeable external event such as theft.
To be entitled to compensation from your insurance, it will of course be necessary for you to have the bill of your dropped laptop. This acts as proof of purchase. Note that some contracts exclude electrical appliances that are over a certain age. Finally, be aware that the compensation will not be identical depending on your coverage and your insurer.
0 Comments