This troubleshooting page will help diagnose problems with the HP Compaq Presario CQ56-110US.
Student-Contributed Wiki
An awesome team of students from our education program made this wiki.
The laptop runs out of battery power quickly.
The battery life could be affected because the computer’s power plan may be set to “High Performance”. Navigate to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options and choose a Balanced or Power Saver plan.
Powering keyboard backlights can drain batteries quickly. Ensure that the keyboard backlights are turned off when not in use.
If the battery continues to drain quickly, battery life may be over. Try replacing it with this guide.
Computer freezes up momentarily while running several programs at once.
To properly check if the RAM is causing the problem, open the Task Manager using Ctrl+Alt+Del, and navigate to the Performance tab. There should be a section with a Physical Memory heading. Underneath it, find Total and Available. If the available memory is low in comparison to the total memory, there is not enough RAM to run program(s). Use this guide to learn to install RAM sticks.
The keyboard does not respond properly or there are missing/broken keys.
Keys which are hard to press down or are stuck usually have foreign substances underneath them that are holding them in place. To fix this issue, remove the key and clean the space underneath for any unwanted debris. Once pad is properly cleaned, snap the key back in place.
If the entire keyboard is unresponsive or not functioning properly, replace the keyboard using this guide.
The computer is incapable of connecting to wireless networks.
Ensure that the Wi-Fi capability on the notebook is enabled by checking that the blue light on the F12 button is shining. If not, press the F12 button to turn on Wi-Fi connection.
Wireless drivers are software programs that are necessary for a computer to communicate with the hardware that allows it to pick up wireless networks. Typically, wireless connectivity issues arise when the wireless drivers are outdated, corrupt or missing. To fix any of these three driver issues, navigate to this HP Customer Support webpage select the operating system and the correct version for the computer’s operating system. Then, expand the “Driver-Network” list and click the download button next to “Intel PRO/Wireless Drivers for Microsoft Windows”.
The wireless card may have come loose and needs to be readjusted, or it may be dead, in which case it may need to be replaced altogether. To fix these issues, see this guide to remove and replace the card.
The laptop will not recognize or run discs loaded into drive.
The laptop will be unable to read a damaged or dirty disc. Check the disc for any sign of scratches or unwanted debris. If there is debris or if the disc is damaged, use a repair or cleaning kit to restore the disc.
An outdated driver will not perform its function properly. The driver may crash, become unresponsive, or not work entirely. To update the disc driver, select the Start Menu in the lower left-hand corner, right-click on Computer, and select Manage. In the left-pane, select Device Manager. Once in the Device Manager window, click the arrow to the left to expand the categories then select the name of the disc driver. Right-click the name of the disc driver and select Update Driver Software. Wait for the hardware wizard to complete the update.
If the disc is clean and undamaged and the disc driver is up-to-date, the disc driver may need to be replaced using this guide.
