Is it a power supply problem, a motherboard issue, or something affecting both?
Is it a power supply problem, a motherboard issue, or something affecting both?
Hello.
I'm attempting to figure out the issue with my aging gaming laptop and would appreciate some insights from individuals more familiar with computer systems, especially power supplies.
To give you a brief overview of the situation:
Problem:
The machine freezes almost instantly—within 1 to 5 minutes after turning on. It stops responding completely. No mouse or keyboard works. The sound is distorted, and the screen remains illuminated but unresponsive.
Details & Background Information:
Over time, my laptop has faced a growing number of problems. Initially, it was just a faint discoloration at the bottom of the screen before it went dark. From what I've learned online, this points toward a damaged video cable connecting the motherboard to the display. The damage appears near the back hinge, which is slightly bent open. Since then, the screen often fails to power on during startup, and the purple streaks reappear, causing a blackout.
I initially thought it was just a faulty video cable, but there are other strange behaviors too. For example, the purple streaks don’t occur during gaming sessions—they’re more common when the system is idle. This makes me question whether heat might be affecting the connection.
Recently, about two to three years ago, I noticed the battery was deteriorating. The laptop stays plugged in all the time, and it’s left on continuously for two main reasons:
1. It’s hard to get the screen to turn on without opening the case, which could worsen the existing cable damage.
2. My home lacks insulation and central heating, so it can get very cold at night. Keeping the computer on helps maintain a more stable temperature.
The battery started losing power even while charging. About a year ago, it reached a complete standstill. A few months later, it stopped detecting any power at all. Now I see just an X through the taskbar, indicating "No battery detected." While this isn’t critical as long as it stays plugged in, I’m concerned about potential power draw from the computer if the supply or outlet isn’t sufficient.
My suspicion leans toward a combination of issues:
- The video cable is likely damaged but not completely broken.
- The battery is failing.
Given that freezing occurs even under normal load (like when booting games), and not just during gaming, it’s possible the power supply or motherboard is involved. If the power issue isn’t the main cause, then the motherboard could be the culprit.
If a replacement isn’t feasible, I’d appreciate any suggestions to revive this system.
What I recall at first glance is the GPU being GTX1060 and the CPU something like an i7. You might have simply omitted the manufacturer, model, and SKU when choosing your gaming laptop. A label on the bottom of the machine would contain that data.
The display frequently doesn’t power on during startup, and sometimes the purple lines appear, causing it to crash again.
Can you boot into the OS GUI using a separate monitor? If yes, then it’s likely the connection cable between your laptop and screen is faulty. It could also be a defective screen. A driver problem or a failing discrete GPU might be the cause.
The battery began losing voltage even while charging.
This isn’t ideal and suggests replacing the battery with an authentic part. Sometimes a damaged battery can damage the power circuitry on your motherboard. If you’re not using it, take it out and disconnect from the power adapter.
In this scenario, I don’t think this is the main issue, because if it were, the system would freeze immediately under heavy load, such as when launching a game.
It might also indicate a problem with your operating system. I’d eliminate that by getting a spare SSD, installing the OS in offline mode, and testing whether the issue continues while manually installing drivers.
Moved this discussion from the Power Supplies section to the Laptop Tech Support section.
Here are some useful suggestions. I didn't realize they were listed in the wrong forum and I haven't included the SKU yet. I wasn't expecting to find them. This advice was really helpful. I wish I had considered connecting to an external display earlier when the screen started going black. That might have helped me shut down the computer properly. Instead, I developed a (poor) habit of hard rebooting through the power button repeatedly until the screen worked again. I'm not sure that was good for the machine.
I've already opened, cleaned, and even taken out simple parts from tower PCs, but I'm not confident about laptops since they're harder to open. Still, I don't see a reason why things could get worse, so I should probably take a look inside. If I can remove the battery, I'll do that. I also want to find out if it's possible to recover data from the HDD and SSD, as there might be files I need and others I don't, but would still like to have back.
Regarding the OS installation idea, it would likely require the computer to run longer than 5 minutes, which could freeze everything, including processes. I'm not sure if I should enter BIOS or just wait 5 minutes to see if it freezes that way.
I think I'll try this approach:
1. Open the computer, check for visible damage, and remove the battery (and possibly the HDD) if possible. The OS is on the SSD.
2. Boot into BIOS, observe if it freezes, and if not, attempt a full boot again, using an external display if the screen goes black.
3. If the issue continues, reinstall Windows.
If I perform a fresh Windows install from an external drive, that would erase all my files, right? I'd rather avoid losing everything. What about removing the HDD first—would that cause any problems?
If I perform a complete reinstall from an external source, it will erase all my files, wouldn't that be risky? Wouldn't it be better to avoid losing everything? If I delete the HDD first, is that an issue? Maybe you didn't understand the instruction to place the OS on a spare SSD mentioned earlier. Please remove all internal drives from your laptop and use the spare drive for installing the operating system.
I read it, but I’m still unsure about the process. It seems I might have missed something because removing all drives wouldn’t necessarily make the computer boot from the spare SSD, as the operating system would likely remain on the internal SSD that gets removed. That being said, I’m still puzzled about how to install Windows on the spare SSD if my computer is not working. I think I’ll need a replacement machine and might have to skip entering a product key. From search results:
On a functioning PC, download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft.
Launch the tool and choose
Create installation media for another PC.
Pick a USB flash drive (minimum 8GB) to generate a bootable installer.
Insert the USB into your PC, restart it, and boot from the USB (you may need to adjust the boot order in BIOS).
Proceed with the instructions. When prompted for a product key, select
"I don't have a product key"
; activation will happen automatically.
To be honest, I’ve just opened, cleaned, and removed the battery from my laptop, but other parts will have to wait until tomorrow.
Given your laptop's current state, a donor system will be necessary to create a bootable USB installer for your operating system. After creation, you should place the OS in offline mode (disconnected from the internet) and transfer it to an additional SSD. You'll also need to obtain drivers from MSI's support page beforehand, enabling installation of all required drivers in offline mode using an elevated command—right-click the installer and select Run as Administrator. This setup allows OS installation without a license key or activation, suitable for testing purposes only.