How to Fix a Few Simple Laptop Issues for College Students

Most college students are away from home for the first time. They have newfound independence and rather than call home the moment something goes wrong, students want to try and figure out how to do things on their own. When it comes to laptop issues for college students, they often don’t know where to turn for help, and they certainly don’t want to be subjected to getting scolded for not being careful with their computer. So, we came up with this simple troubleshooting list to help students maintain their freedom from mom and dad and get their computer back on track. 

Your Laptop’s Battery Won’t Hold a Charge

Laptops have lithium-ion batteries. Eventually, over time, the battery can lose its ability to hold a charge or charge completely. Sometimes replacing the battery is the easiest way to rectify this situation. If your laptop is set up with what’s known as a user-serviceable battery, you should be able to buy and replace your battery easily on your own. If not, you’ll want to contact a technology advisor to be sure the replacement goes smoothly. 

Sometimes replacing a battery means the back of the laptop has to be unscrewed and removed. We do not recommend trying to do this at home by yourself. You could break the computer this way.

A Damaged Keyboard

Sometimes bad things happen. You spill something on your laptop and the keys get sticky, the keys fall off, or the letters wear off the surface. Whatever the issue, there is typically a solution as long as you didn’t spill such a large quantity of liquids that you fry the motherboard. If you can’t fix the issues by cleaning the keyboard, many laptop manufacturers provide replacement keyboards or keys. To find out how to do this, consult the user’s guide or search your laptops “help” section.

Don’t Let Your Laptop Overheat

One of the main reasons a new laptop will crash or freeze up is that it overheated. Computers generate heat, and when they don’t get proper ventilation, this can cause laptop issues. Be sure to keep the air vents free of dust and dirt. The last thing you want is for them to become clogged and your laptop to disable its built-in ability to cool itself down properly. 

You don’t need complex tools to keep your laptop dust free. A smooth cloth and some q-tips can go a long way to cleaning out all the nooks and crannies on your computer. Also, don’t use your laptop on a blanket. The blanket, while keeping you comfy and cozy, can block the vents disabling its ability to self-cool. 

If cleaning the laptop doesn’t help and you allowed time for it to cool down, update your computer’s BIOS. The BIOS is the laptops heat management system. Just be sure that you have your laptop connected to its power supply while updating the BIOS; it takes a bit of time, and if the battery dies, the BIOS won’t update properly.

Virus and Malware

A computer virus or an embedded malware file can wreak havoc on a laptop, and nothing can be more frustrating than trying to get your computer up and running again in time for your next big assignment. 

The best way to avoid viruses is prevention with antivirus software. Be mindful, however, that the longer a virus is in your computer the more damage it does. 

If you find yourself too far gone, you can do a couple of things:

• Call your laptop company and see if they can provide you with support
• Head to your college IT department and see if one of the tech students is willing to help you. You may find you made a new friend at the end of the ordeal. 
• Give OneSupport’s Technology Advisors a call and let them clean up your computer and help protect you from future viruses.

These are all common laptop issues for college students but other less common issues may arise too. OneSupport is here to help 24/7. Professors don’t accept the computer problem excuse, so don’t let laptop issues stop you from making the grades you’ve been working toward. Give OneSupport a call at 844-818-3415. We’ll tech it from here.