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Computer won’t recognize device when plugged in.  This would include USB mice, keyboards, cameras, or other device

Unplug Computer

Simply unplug your computer from the power supply and remove the battery. Note that this does not mean just turning off your computer using the power button because most modern computers don’t actually turn off completely and the motherboard will still get power. First turn off your computer using the Shut Down option in Windows or by pressing the power button and then unplug the PC from the wall outlet and remove the battery . Let it sit for several minutes and then plug it back in.

Update Device Driver

If Windows is not able to recognize the device, you may also see in Device Manager that the device shows up as an “Unknown Device”.

  • You can get to Device Manager by clicking on Start and typing in devmgmt.msc or by going to Control Panel and clicking on Device Manager.In that case, you should right-click on Unknown Device, click on Properties, then the Driver tab and then click Update Driver.In that case, you should right-click on Unknown Device, click on Properties, then the Driver tab and then click Update Driver.Restart & Disconnect USB Devices

Disconnect all USB devices and then restart the machine. Once you have restarted, try to connect the USB device that was causing the problem. If that particular USB port doesn’t recognize it, try another one. If the device is recognized by a different USB port, there could be a hardware problem with one of the USB ports. See USB Port Replacement guide

USB Root Hub

Open Device Manager, expand USB Serial Bus Controllers, right-click on USB Root Hub and then click on Properties. Click on the Power Management tab and uncheck the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power box. If you have more than one USB Root Hub listed, you need to repeat these steps for each one. Click OK and then restart your computer. Try to reconnect the USB device and see if it is recognized. If not, go back to the power management tab for each one and check the box again. If it does recognize the device, then leave them unchecked.

Update Generic USB Hub

  • Open Device Manager and then expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers.You should see at least one item called Generic USB Hub. Right-click on the first one and choose Update Driver Software.When the update dialog pops up, choose Browse my computer for driver software.Then click on Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer at the bottom.From the list, select Generic USB Hub. Normally, there won’t be anything else listed except for that one choice. Click Next and then click Close once it finishes installing it.At this point, the Device Manager screen should refresh and either the unknown device will still be there or it may now be recognized. If it’s still showing as not recognized, then you repeat the process for each Generic USB Hub listed.

If the device is recognized by a different USB port, there could be a hardware problem with one of the USB ports. See USB Port Replacement guide

Even though audio is being played on the computer, no sound is coming out of the speakers.

If you are playing sound on your computer but you can’t hear it from the speakers, it’s possible that the computer’s volume low or muted. To fix this, you can press the “f6” key to disable the mute or the “f8” key to increase the volume. Alternatively, you can click the taskbar’s sound button and increase the volume from there.

If the computer’s sound volume is enabled but the speakers are still not playing sound, it’s possible that they aren’t selected as your computer’s output device. To check this, navigate to your computer’s sound settings menu and verify that the device’s speakers are selected as the output device.

It’s possible that the device’s drivers may be preventing the speakers from playing sound. Navigate to the computer’s “Device Manager” and verify that the speaker’s drivers are up to date.

If the problem is not caused by the computer’s software, then the cable connecting the speakers to the motherboard may be disconnected. Follow the speaker replacement guide to find out how to check if this is the case and how to fix it.

If this issue is not caused by a software problem or a disconnected cable, the speakers may need to be replaced. Follow to speaker replacement guide to learn how to remove the broken speakers and replace them.

There is no sound coming out when the headphone Jack is used

  • Make sure you have inserted the right plug into the right jack & all the way inCheck if you can hear sound from your headphone

Sometimes you can’t hear sound from your headphone simply because the volume is mute or set too low. To make sure the volume is audible:

  • Click the sound icon on the lower-right of your screen, then move the volume slider to at least halfway up.Test if you can hear any sound from your headphone.

Broken headphones can also be the reason why you can’t hear any sound from your laptop.

To find out whether it’s a headphone problem, try a different (but functioning) pair of headphones on your laptop and see if it’s working properly:

  • If it’s working properly, then the previous pair of headphones is the problem. You might want to have it repaired or try good ones in order to hear proper sound from your headphone.If it’s not working either, then it’s not a headphone issue

Sometimes if the format of the audio you’re playing doesn’t match the default setting, you might not hear the sound as well. To change it:

  • Right-click on the sound icon in the lower-right of your screen, then click Sounds.Click Playback. Then right-click on Headphones > Properties.Click Advanced. Then select from the list one by one and click Test to see if you can hear sound from the selected format.If any of the format works, then click Apply > OK.

A headphone jack that is clogged up with dirt or lint might just be the culprit of the headphone-not-working issue. If this is the case, we need to clean the jack to solve the problem.

  • Remove the cotton from the swab until it can fit inside the jack.Insert the cotton swab inside the headphone jack and swirl around to clean the dust/lint. Be sure to do this gently so you don’t cause damage to your device.Test to see if the headphones not working on laptop issue has been resolved

If none of the above solutions worked, it could possibly be a hardware problem with the headphone jack. See the headphone jack replacement guide.

The computer is not registering some or all of the keyboard’s keys.

If the keyboard isn’t working, it’s possible that the computer’s keyboard drivers. Use an external keyboard to navigate to the system’s device manager. Once you’ve reached that menu, try updating your computer’s keyboard driver.

If specific keys on the keyboard are not working, this may be a result of said keys being disconnected or obstructed by debris from the board. To fix this, gently pry the key from the keyboard, remove any obstructions, and put the key back in its original spot.

If the entire keyboard is not working, the cable connecting the keyboard to the computer’s motherboard may be loose or disconnected. Follow the keyboard replacement guide here to see how to check if this cable is connected and how to reconnect it if it is.

If none of the above options resolve this problem, the unresponsiveness of your keys may be caused by a broken keyboard, which requires the component to be replaced. A step-by-step keyboard replacement guide can be found here.

The computer does not respond when being turned on or will turn on for a moment then turn back off.

One possible reason the computer is not turning on is that the battery is dead. Try connecting the laptop to an outlet a using its charger. Once the charger is plugged in, check that the laptop is charging by checking that the light next to the charging port is on and try to turn on the laptop again. If the problem continues after it is unplugged, the battery may need to be replaced.

If you notice that your laptop is not charging at all when connected to the power adapter, the charger may be bad and need to be replaced. If a light is not displayed on the laptop when the charger is plugged in, the charger may be bad. Another way to test this out is to use another compatible charging cord. If a different one charges your laptop and allows it to turn on, yours may need to be replaced.

If you are certain you have charged the laptop enough, the battery may not be working properly. Try removing the battery and plugging an external power source into your laptop. If the laptop turns on once this is done, this means you have a bad battery and it will have to be replaced.

The display is not working properly or the image on the screen is frozen.

The screen may be frozen because the the laptop is overheating from being used for a long period of time. To cool down the laptop safely, try restarting the laptop by holding down the power button for about 3 seconds to turn it off. Wait a couple minutes to turn it back on to let it cool back down. To prevent overheating, make sure to clean the air vents to reduce heat in the computer.

If your computer has become unresponsive after adding a software or application, it might need to be removed. Old versions of software might also be a reason as to why the screen has become unresponsive. To fix this, follow this link on how to to boot your laptop to safe mode and uninstall the software.

Even though the computer is powered on, there is nothing displayed on the screen.

A blank screen may be caused by a variety of small software issues, which could possibly be resolved by a hard reset. To hard reset the computer, hold down the power button until the computer shuts off, then start it back up.

If you are still able to use the computer with an external display, the problem may be caused by bad graphics or display software. With the display still connected, navigate to the device manager and update the computer’s display driver. Then, restart the device.

If the problem isn’t caused by software, it may be a result of a disconnected display. To fix this, follow the display replacement guide and check if the cable connecting the display to the motherboard has been disconnected.

If none of the above instructions resolve the issue, the computer’s display may be broken and needs to be replaced. To do this, follow the display replacement guide here.

The disk drive is not opening or reading disks.

A dysfunctional disk drive may be caused if your computer has outdated or corrupted driver software. To resolve this, navigate to the device manager page, and locate and update the appropriate driver.

Make sure you have tested more than one CD in the disc drive, as it may be one CD that is bad or dirty. If this is the case, there is nothing wrong with the drive and no further action is needed.

If the disk drive is not showing any signs of working, it may be disconnected from the computer’s motherboard. To fix this, follow the disk drive replacement guide to see how to connect the disk drive to the computer.

If the drive is not working, it may be caused by a hardware failure. To test whether this is true, follow the following steps:

Turn off the computer

Press the power button to turn on then immediately press esc key repeatedly until the start up menu opens

Press F2 to open the HP PC Diagnostics UEFI

Click Component Test

Click Optional Drive and then run all the available test

Follow any instructions to resolve any issues found

If the above steps do not resolve the issue, the disk drive may be completely broken. Follow the steps explained in the disk drive replacement guide.