WHAT IS A LAPTOP? COMPUTER?

A laptop or laptop computer is a small, portable personal computer with a “clamshell” form factor, typically having a thin LCD or LED computer screen mounted on the inside of the upper lid of the clamshell and an alphanumeric keyboard on the inside of the lower lid. The clamshell is opened up to use the computer.

A laptop computer is a small personal computer. They are designed to be more portable than traditional desktop computers, with many of the same abilities. Laptops are able to be folded flat for transportation and have a built-in keyboard and touchpad.

Most laptops are powerful enough for everyday business administrative, home, or school use. However, if a user does graphical work such as 3D rendering or movie encoding, a more advanced and powerful laptop is needed. As advanced as laptops are, the top-end ones still cannot compete with high powered desktops and workstations when processing power is needed.

Your line of work will dictate the laptop type you need. Since there are so many options, tt’s important to know what laptops with different specifications can do so that you can choose the right one for your business and budget.https://da88fe23346692af8e39d169f05e2d32.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

What Is a Laptop Computer?

A laptop computer is smaller than a desktop computer, generally less than three inches thick, and weigh less than desktop computers. The laptop’s size makes it convenient for transportation in briefcases, backpacks, and other bags.

The device derives its name from being able to be used by resting on a person’s lap without the need for a desk or other surface. Laptop computers may also be referred to as notebook computers, though a notebook computer usually describes a computer that is smaller and lighter than a laptop computer.

How Does a Laptop Computer Work?

Similar to personal computers, laptops require a power source—they can be plugged into an outlet or operate on their internal battery. Laptop computers can be used at a desk by themselves, or as a desktop-style computer by connecting a separate monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

These small computers can also be hooked into docking stations—devices that allow some laptops to easily connect to peripherals like monitors and keyboards at a desk—and then “undock” for easy mobile use and transport.

Components such as processors, motherboards, memory sticks, hard drives, graphics cards, and interface devices are all items that form a laptop computer. The smaller these components are, the smaller and lighter a laptop can be.

The drawback with reduced size, however, is that smaller components are generally not capable of performing as fast as larger components in certain scenarios.

Manufacturers of computer components continuously work to reduce their size, while keeping performance as high as possible. Laptops also are designed to require less power to operate, which can also lower their capabilities for intensive work.

These factors should be considered when choosing a laptop for your business or professional needs. Size, necessary performance, the operating system, and price are all aspects to consider when looking for the right computer. The right one for you depends on how you are going to use it.

Types of Laptop Computers

While there are no specific types of laptops, retailers generally give them categories for consumers to help them find one for their needs. Some of the labels you might find at a retailer are:

• Value
• Everyday
• Gaming
• Professional
• Ultraportable or notebook

Value laptops usually have lower price tags, with lower-performing hardware, and less storage and memory for people that only do basic computing such as a few hours of internet browsing, playing a movie, or writing some papers.

Everyday laptops might have slightly higher performance with more storage and memory for people that use computers more than a value-user would. This might be someone who uses the laptop for work or school but doesn’t require significant processing power and storage for 3D applications like 3d Max or gaming.

Some manufacturers design their laptops to be upgradeable. When choosing one, look to see if you can get more memory or storage put in. This can help lower-end laptops perform better at a lower cost than purchasing a higher-performing one.

WHAT IS A LAPTOP CHARGER?

A laptop charger,is a power supply for laptops and related electronic devices. Also called an “AC adapter” or “charger,” power adapters plug into a wall outlet and convert AC to a single DC voltage. Computers use multiple DC voltages, and the power adapter is the external part of the power supply for a laptop. The additional DC voltages are created by internal circuits. Desktop computer power supplies are in one internal unit, which converts AC to all DC voltages.

Power adapters also exist for other purposes; for example, to output a different AC voltage, rather than DC.

What to Do if Your Laptop Is Plugged In But Not Charging

If your laptop is plugged in but not getting any juice, these steps can help you troubleshoot it

When you plug in your laptop, you usually find yourself greeted with a cheerful chirp from your PC, a glowing LED indicator light, and a display that perks up and beams a bit more brightly. At least, that’s what it’s supposed to do.

Sometimes, though, you connect the AC adapter—usually because the battery is nearly drained—and you get nothing. No glowing lights, no brightened display, and no “battery charging” icon in the corner. What could be wrong?

There are numerous ways to take care of your battery but between the wall outlet and your computer there are several steps and parts that can all fail. Some are easy to fix yourself with a software tweak or a new battery, but other problems may require a visit to a repair shop, or even a full-blown system replacement.

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Knowing which is which can save you hours of frustration and hundreds of dollars in repairs. By taking an inside-out approach, you can quickly narrow down where the problem originates and find the most economical solution.

Get ready, boys and girls, it’s time to go troubleshooting.

Are You Plugged In?

It sounds silly, but you need to make sure the laptop is actually plugged in. No software tweak or hardware repair can make a disconnected laptop magically power on. So before you do anything else, ensure that the AC outlet and laptop plugs are firmly seated.

Check the AC adapter brick and verify that any removable cords are fully inserted. Next, make sure the battery is properly seated in its compartment, and that there is nothing wrong with either the battery or laptop contact points.

Finally, find out whether or not the problem even has anything to do with the laptop at all. Try plugging the power cord into a different outlet to see if you’ve got a short or a blown fuse. If it’s plugged into a surge protector or power strip, take it out and plug it directly into the wall.

At this point, if it still doesn’t work, we’ve determined that it’s not just user error causing the problem. There is a real issue with powering the laptop; now it’s simply a matter of figuring out where the problem may be. That begins with eliminating where it isn’t. We’ll start with the most common and easy-to-address issues.

Lose the Battery

First, check the integrity of the battery. If your laptop comes with a removable battery, take it out, and hold the power button down for about 15 seconds to drain any residual power from the device. Then, with the battery still removed, plug in the power cable and turn the laptop on.

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If the laptop powers on properly, that means the power adapter is working properly and the problem is likely a bum battery. Though you can always re-install the battery and try again—maybe the battery was just poorly seated.

If your laptop doesn’t have a visible battery compartment on the bottom, it may be built into the laptop (like most Macs are), and you’ll either have to open it up yourself or take it to a repair specialist to test the battery.

Make Sure You’re Using the Right USB-C Port

USB-C is a popular cross-platform standard for connecting peripherals, transferring data, and charging your battery. The new standard allows for thinner devices, but might also cause some confusion. Some manufacturers have opted to make certain USB-C ports data-only, so they won’t charge your device.

For example, some devices, like the Huawei MateBook X Pro, have two USB-C ports: one that can be used for charging or data transfer, and one that is only designated for data transfer. If you run into a non-charging issue, make sure you are connected to the correct USB-C port—you may even be able to see a little icon on the side that indicates which port is meant for charging.

Is Your Charger Powerful Enough?

Similarly, just because a power adapter fits into your laptop’s charging port doesn’t mean it’s powerful enough to charge your laptop. This goes for any type of charger, but it’s an especially common problem with laptops that charge over USB-C—you can technically plug in any USB-PD charger, but some may have too low a wattage to properly charge.

Check the wattage of the charger that came with your laptop—if it came with a 45W charger, you’ll probably want to stick with a 45W charger (or higher) to power it, and so on. A lower-wattage charger might keep the battery from draining while you use it, but it won’t be enough to charge it any higher. If it does manage to recharge your computer, it will do so much slower than usual. If you’re going to use a third-party USB-C charger, try to use one that’s been certified by the USB-IF.

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For laptops that don’t charge over USB-C, I generally recommend sticking with the manufacturer’s official, original charger. Cheap, no-brand chargers can be low quality or even dangerrous so if you have one of those, try charging with the laptop’s official charger instead.

Breaks, Burnout, and Shorts

Feel along the length of the power cord, bending and flexing as you go, to check for any kinks or breaks. Check the ends for any broken connections, such as plugs pulling loose or spots that may have gotten chewed by a pet or caught in a vacuum cleaner.

Inspect the AC brick. Is it discolored? Are any parts warped or expanded? Give it a sniff—if it smells like burnt plastic, that’s likely where the trouble lies. You may need to replace the power connector. Contact the manufacturer and see if they’ll send you a new one under warranty. (Or, barring that, if they’ll sell you one directly.)

Check the Connector

When you plug in the laptop’s power connector, the connection should be fairly solid. If there’s dust or other buildup inside the jack, it may not be able to make a clean connection. Try cleaning out the jack with a toothpick, and plugging in again.

In more extreme cases, you may find the jack is wobbly or loose, or gives when it should stay firm. This could mean the power jack has broken inside the chassis, and you’ll need to take your computer to a repair shop (or, if you’re comfortable opening it up, doing some at-home repairs).

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Beat the Heat

Batteries are susceptible to heat, so if your laptop is overheating, that could cause a problem. As the temperature rises, the battery sensor may misfire, telling the system that the battery is either fully charged or missing completely, causing the charging problems. You may even find that your system shuts down to prevent overheating a battery and causing a fire.

These problems become far more likely when dealing with older laptops, which have lower-quality cooling than more modern devices—or if you tend to use the laptop on the couch or in bed, which can block the cooling vents. Turn the system off, give it some time to cool down, and take a moment to make sure the air vents are free of dust and unobstructed by blankets.

Check Your Settings

For Windows Laptops

In Windows 10 open the Start menu and search for “Power & Sleep Settings,” then click the Additional Power Settings. (On older versions of Windows, open the Control Panel and search for “Power Options.”) Click Change Plan Settings and visually check that all are properly set.

Be on the lookout for incorrect settings for the battery, display, and sleep options. For example, your battery settings may cause trouble if you set the computer to shut down when the battery level drops too low or set the low battery level at too high a percentage.

You can also assign actions like sleep and shut down when your lid is closed or the power button is pressed. If these settings have been changed, it’s easy to suspect a power malfunction even though there’s no physical problem with the battery or charging cable. The easiest way to make sure that your settings aren’t causing problems is to restore the power profile to default settings.

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