Laptop problems, solved by people who fix them.
45 threads, 67% answered. Search before you ask. The answer is usually here.
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How do I turn off the Copilot button on Windows 11 Home?
I have an HP laptop on Windows 11 Home, version 24H2. A Copilot button showed up on the taskbar after an update and there is a Copilot key on the keyboard too...
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Should I upgrade macOS on an older MacBook?
My son keeps telling me I should update my MacBook Air to the newest macOS. It is the thin silver one with the Retina screen, a 2018 model according to the...
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Blue screen after a driver update, how do I roll back?
I fix this kind of thing for other people all day, and now I am stuck on my own laptop. Yesterday the maker's update utility offered a new graphics driver and...
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Can I add more RAM to a laptop with soldered memory?
I refurbish used laptops, and buyers keep asking me whether soldered RAM can be upgraded. The unit on my bench is a thin 14-inch business laptop with 8 GB on...
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Which laptop specs matter for a programming student?
I start a computer science degree next year and need to pick a laptop. Spec lists make my head spin: processor tiers, RAM, SSD size, GPU. The courses I know...
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My laptop throttles during long video exports, what can I change?
My 16-inch MacBook Pro with a Max chip starts a 4K export at a good pace, and after roughly ten minutes the frame rate drops and does not recover until I pause...
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Should I keep my laptop at an 80 percent charge limit all the time?
I am writing up my thesis, and the laptop is plugged in at my desk for about twenty hours a day. I have read that holding a lithium-ion battery at 100 percent...
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Is it worth paying for an extended laptop warranty for a small office?
I buy and look after the laptops for a six person office. We are about to replace the oldest three, and every vendor asks whether we want the extended plan. I...
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Wi-Fi is fast on my phone but slow on my laptop in the same room
We have two kids doing schoolwork on laptops and the living room Wi-Fi is a mess. If I run a speed test on my phone from the sofa, it is quick. Same sofa, same...
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Which Linux distro should I put on a ten year old laptop?
I have a laptop from about 2016: dual core i5, 4 GB of RAM, and an SSD I swapped in for the original spinning disk. It still runs Windows 10, which is past its...
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Dead pixel on a brand new laptop, will the store replace it?
I bought a laptop four days ago for classes and noticed a tiny dot near the lower left of the screen that stays black when the background is white. On a dark...
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Laptop won't wake from sleep with the lid closed on a dock, what should I check?
One of our staff works with her Windows laptop closed on a docking station, driving two monitors and a keyboard and mouse. At the end of the day she lets it go...
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My MacBook Pro battery says Service Recommended. Is it still safe to use?
I edit video on a MacBook Pro, and last week System Settings, Battery started showing Service Recommended under Battery Health. The laptop is a little over two...
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My laptop takes about five minutes to boot, what can I check before giving up on it?
Thank you to everyone who helped me last week with the other problem on this forum. Here is another from the same household: my husband's laptop, which I use...
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Gaming laptop, or a thin laptop plus a desktop at home? Which makes more sense?
I am at the point where my old gaming laptop is not keeping up and I have to decide what shape the next setup takes. Option one is another gaming laptop, one...
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Fan runs loud even when the laptop is idle, nothing heavy open
I do video editing on a 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2019 with the Intel processor and a discrete graphics chip. When I am exporting, I expect the fans to go. What...
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Battery is swollen and the trackpad is lifting, is it dangerous to keep using?
I hope someone here can help me, because I am a little frightened. My laptop is about five years old. This week I noticed that it no longer sits flat on the...
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How do I replace my laptop SSD and move Windows and my games over?
My gaming laptop's SSD is nearly full. Windows 11, a 512 GB drive, and I have maybe 20 GB free. The laptop has a second M.2 slot, but it is hidden under the...
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Spilled coffee on my keyboard an hour ago, what do I do now?
I am writing this on my phone because I do not trust the laptop right now. About an hour ago a mug tipped over and roughly half a cup of coffee, with milk and...
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My 2015 ThinkPad setup is still going strong, show me yours
Thought I would start a show and tell, since this forum is mostly people with problems, and I would like to hear about the machines that quietly refuse to die...
7replies