A Comprehensive Guide to Troubleshooting Common Laptop Issues

Laptops have become an indispensable tool in our daily lives, and it's essential to keep them running smoothly. However, these devices are prone to various problems that can impact their performance and lifespan. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve deeper into the most common laptop issues and provide practical solutions for troubleshooting and fixing them.


Slow Performance:

Slow performance is one of the most common laptop issues that users encounter. It can be caused by various factors such as a full hard drive, outdated software, or insufficient RAM. To fix this issue, you can start by closing any unused programs, uninstalling unnecessary software, and deleting files or programs that you no longer need. You can also consider upgrading your hardware, such as increasing your RAM or replacing your hard drive with a solid-state drive (SSD). Upgrading to an SSD can provide a significant performance boost as it has faster read and write speeds compared to traditional hard drives. By far the SSD upgrade is the single best and most effective way to speed up your laptop, PC, or game console for your money.

Overheating:

Overheating is a severe problem that can damage your laptop's hardware and reduce its lifespan. This issue can be caused by several factors such as dust buildup, blocked air vents, or a malfunctioning fan. To fix this issue, you can start by cleaning your laptop's air vents and fan using compressed air. You can also invest in a laptop cooling pad that can help to dissipate heat and keep your laptop cool although this fix is arguable not effective. We at Bits N Bytes have measured negligible effects of laptop cooling pads with fans with a temperature change of only 1-2 degrees. Additionally, avoid using your laptop on soft surfaces such as a bed or a pillow, as it can block the airflow and cause overheating. This happens more often that you might think and is a huge factor in overheating. If your system gets slow and laggy while your using it, move that blanket!

Battery Life:

A laptop's battery life is a crucial factor that determines its usability and portability. If you're constantly on the go, you need a laptop with a long-lasting battery. To improve your laptop's battery life, you can start by reducing the screen brightness and turning off any unnecessary features such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. You can also optimize your power settings and adjust your screen timeout settings. If your battery is no longer holding a charge, you can consider replacing it with a new one.

Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues:

Poor Wi-Fi connectivity is a frustrating issue that can disrupt your work or leisure activities. This issue can be caused by several factors such as outdated drivers, network congestion, or interference from other devices. To troubleshoot this issue, you can start by resetting your network settings and rebooting your router. You can also update your Wi-Fi drivers, move closer to the router, or use a Wi-Fi extender to boost the signal. Additionally, you can try using a different Wi-Fi network or connecting directly to the router using an Ethernet cable.

Broken Screen:

A broken laptop screen is a severe issue that can render your device unusable. This issue can be caused by physical damage or impact, such as dropping your laptop or placing heavy objects on it. If the damage is minor, you can consider replacing the screen yourself using a guide or tutorial. However, if the damage is severe, it's best to take your laptop to a professional for repairs. You can also prevent screen damage by using a protective case or screen protector.

Keyboard Problems:

Keyboard problems are another common issue that laptop users encounter. These issues can include non-responsive keys, sticky keys, or missing keys. To fix this issue, you can start by cleaning your keyboard using compressed air or a soft-bristled brush. You can also remove the keys and clean them individually, update your keyboard drivers, or replace the keyboard altogether. In addition to the suggested solutions, there are software solutions you can use to help resolve keyboard issues. You can use a keyboard cleaning program which will detect and remove stuck keys from your keyboard. You can also try a virtual keyboard, which will allow you to type with your mouse or trackpad instead of a physical keyboard. Furthermore, you can adjust the settings of your keyboard to customize the speed, sensitivity, and other functions.

Sound:

Sound problems are one of the most common laptop issues faced by users, and it can be a major frustration if you use your laptop for multimedia or video conferencing. Some common sound problems include distorted sound, no sound, or low volume. To fix these issues, you can start by checking your volume settings and making sure that they are not muted or set too low. You can also check your laptop's sound drivers and update them if necessary. If your laptop's sound is still not working correctly, you can try disabling any audio enhancements that may be interfering with your sound output. Some laptops come with built-in audio enhancement software, such as Dolby or Beats Audio, which can cause sound issues. Disabling these enhancements can often resolve the problem. If you're still experiencing sound issues, you can try checking your external speakers or headphones to make sure they are functioning correctly. You can also try connecting your laptop to a different audio source, such as a Bluetooth speaker or home theater system, to see if the issue is with your laptop's sound card or the external device. In some cases, sound problems can be caused by outdated or corrupted drivers. You can check your laptop's manufacturer website for the latest drivers and install them if necessary. Another option is to use the Windows Sound Troubleshooter, which can diagnose and fix common sound issues automatically. Sound problems are a common issue faced by laptop users, but most can be resolved with simple troubleshooting techniques. By checking your volume settings, updating your drivers, and disabling any audio enhancements, you can often fix sound problems quickly and easily. If the problem persists, you can try checking your external speakers, or using the Windows Sound Troubleshooter.

BIOS issues:

Your laptop's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is responsible for managing the communication between the operating system and the hardware. Issues with the BIOS can cause your laptop to malfunction or not boot up properly. There are a few steps you can take to try and resolve the problem. Resetting the BIOS to its default settings will usually fix any minor problems. Updating the BIOS to the latest version available can also help, as it may contain fixes or improvements that will address the issue you're experiencing. If the problem persists, you can try restoring the BIOS from a backup you made when the laptop was functioning properly. If all else fails, it's possible that the BIOS is defective and may need to be replaced.

Hard drive failure:

Hard drive failure can result in the loss of your important data and files. Signs of a failing hard drive include unusual noises, slow performance, frequent crashes, and errors when trying to access files. You can try backing up your data and replacing the hard drive with a new one. If the hard drive failure is severe, you may need to take your laptop to a professional for data recovery. Back up your data! Remember the rule: If your data does not exist in two or more places at once... it doesn't exist...

Malware and viruses:

Malware and viruses can cause your laptop to slow down, crash, or even steal your personal information. You can protect your laptop from malware and viruses by installing a reputable antivirus* software, running regular virus scans, avoiding suspicious websites and email attachments, and keeping your software up to date. Never ever ever click any email you did not specifically request or were not expecting no matter how tempting the subject line topic is. Don't even open it. Some malware can infect your machine just by opening it and processing the malformed images inside. Mark it as Phishing or Spam and get rid of it! -*Note that third party Anti Virus can actually present an attack surface for hackers with all the extra software which can actually introduce more bugs to the system. Yuk! It's a good idea to stick with the built in Windows Defender because it's just as good as any full featured AV solution and the best part is it's free!

Driver issues:

Drivers are software programs that enable your hardware to communicate with your operating system. Issues with drivers can cause your hardware to malfunction or not work at all. You can try updating your drivers to the latest version, rolling back to a previous version, or uninstalling and reinstalling the driver. This is especially important after a virus infection as it can leave the system in an unusable state. In this case it is better to re-install the entire Operating System from scratch rather than trust a recovered system after infection.

Display problems:

Your laptop's display can experience a range of issues, including flickering, distorted or no image, and resolution problems. You can try updating your graphics driver, adjusting your display settings, running a display troubleshooter, or connecting your laptop to an external monitor. If the display issues persist, you may need to replace your laptop's display panel or graphics card. You can also check the cables* connecting your laptop to the external monitor, and make sure they're properly plugged in. If the external monitor works but your laptop's display does not, it could be a sign of a hardware issue. In this case, you should consult a professional technician to diagnose and fix the problem. Lastly, do not adjust HDMI cables while when any device is plugged in! This is a hot 12 volt line and will destroy your TV or game console HDMI chips! Make sure your devices are fully off before moving or changing the plug in locations of your HDMI cables. More devices are sent in for repair due to making the mistake of plugging or unplugging live HDMI cables than any other.

Startup problems:

Startup problems can occur due to various reasons, such as software conflicts, corrupt operating system files, or hardware issues. You can try booting your laptop into safe mode, running a system restore, or repairing the operating system. If these steps do not resolve your startup issue, you can try to identify the software causing the issue by booting into safe mode and disabling any recently installed programs. Another potential cause of startup issues is corrupt system files. You can use a system restore point to restore your computer to a previous state, or you can run a scan to detect any corrupt files. Hardware issues can also cause startup problems. It is possible that your laptop is having trouble booting due to a faulty hard drive, RAM, or other components. In this case, you may need to replace the faulty hardware.


In conclusion, laptops can encounter various issues that can affect their performance and longevity. However, by following the solutions outlined in this guide, you can troubleshoot and fix most laptop issues quickly and effectively. Remember to take good care of your laptop by cleaning it regularly, updating your software and hardware, and handling it with care to ensure it serves you well for years to come.



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Remove that annoying part of the filename!

First Example:

This will match your pattern in the filename, and is great for movie files. In the first case case I am locating the whole filename up to the "s" or "S" indicating the the season of the title (upper and lower case), and the first and second digit ranging from 1-9 in the next two positions. Then I am locating the "e" or "E" indicating the episode portion of the filename, again upper and lower case instances, then finally the last two numbers indicating the episode count. I then match everything after the episode count for removal, rename the file, but keep the extension.

Copy and paste the following into your Bash Terminal:
find /home/USER/Movies -type f -iname '*mp4' -execdir rename 's/(.*)([sS][0-9][0-9][eE][0-9][0-9])(.*)/\2.mp4/g' '{}' ';'
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Second Example:

Copy and paste the following into your Bash Terminal:
find /home/USER/Movies -type f -iname '*mp4' -execdir rename 's/(.*)(ENTER_PATTERN_TO REMOVE_HERE)(.*)/\2.mp4/g' '{}' ';'

Synopsis:

The "find" command is started looking for the data type "file", and anything with "mp4" in the filename in the users "Movies" folder. Then the "rename" shell is started inside find. We then make things more complicated by adding a command called "sed" to start the pattern match for us piped into the rename shell. It looks like this: 's///g'. The "/s" starts sed, the second "/" divides the "find and replace" fields, or 's/find/replace/g', and the "/g" switch allows "global" filename changes rather than only matching the first instance. This means if there are parts of the filename which have the same pattern they all will be changed in the string. Groups are defined by the parentheses: opened with "(" and closed with ")". I created three groups as you can see above. Group 1 is "(.*)" matching all characters before the pattern. The second group is the pattern to be removed, and group three is everything after your pattern except the filename extension. Group 2 is removed from the filename in all places throughout the filename string, then the filename extension is preserved, and the find command continues to locate more files under this folder for this processs.

Remember to make a backup of your primary library, execute this command, and enjoy your newly renamed files! No need to worry about sub-folders. Just run the command as is, and it will look in all folders under your primary folder. If you have a problem, just comment below and I will respond:)

**NOTE: Be CAREFULL to change the both parts of the line that refer to the filename extention to match! If you are looking for .mp3 files there are two places you need to change the reference from "*mp4" to "*mp3" and again from "\2.mp4" to "\2.mp3".

256 Bit Encryption:

256 bit encryption at rest has: 115,792,089,237,316,195,423,570,985,008,687,907,853,269,984,665,640,564,039,457,584,007,913,129,639,936 possibilities.. Think of it a a key to a door with 2^256 cuts along the blade or 1.1x10^77 combinations. That's 78 digits! If someone were to hack at a good password, with every single computer on earth, all at the same time, for 4 billion years, no computer or combination of computers on earth can break it.

Dban fact and fiction:

Dban-ing your data? Read this first!

Dban is "good enough" for most but remember a few things. It does NOT guarantee a complete wipe. Wiping fully 2x is sufficient for total destruction with a few exceptions. Wiping 32 x is a waste of time and this was an idea that came about because older hard drives "MFM" and "RLL" would vary their writing depth based on the frequency of the drive. This could change for several reasons causing the write to go "deeper" in the media and thus more writes could be required to remove the data or not at all in most cases. Guttman is a myth beyond this. The need for this many writes is not true with modern drives, as the way data is stored, and the relation to the depth of the write is no longer dependant on the frequency of the drives write head. However loud noises can cause data to be mis-written due to the vibration of the sound and this is important but I digress. More to the point is that 32x (or whatever) is useless. On MBR disks typically a "quick format" only writes bytes 447 to 512 on the media which destroys the table of "file" pointers to the data and actually leaves the data in tact. When creating a partition the first 0 to 446 bytes *(see note) are written (or overwritten) and this creates/destroys the old data stored there but only there. Both instances of these operations destroy the database(s) stored there but leave bytes 513 to the end of the disk in tact and can be recovered later with a skilled hand. Note this is a little different with the GPT tables but basically the same effect. Only a Full Format will destroy the data and 2 full formats just to be safe. Format with Random data in case you missed anything (*caused by a loud noise hence the 2x formating) which would stand out from the rest of the Zero's you just wrote to the drive. This way any data missed due to _error_ looks like the rest of the noise you wrote randomly.

*Note: This is a "quick" overview of this topic for the purposes of debunking the "Dban" utility as the final solution to data destruction, and is not meant to be exact in the description of other related bytes written to the disk during the formatting of the drive. So don't shoot the messenger.

The exceptions are: Bad sectors "G" list, Bad Sectors "P" list, Wear Leveling:

G list:
Bad sectors can happen at any time from the life of the drive to the death and all drive have 2 tables. This is important because Dban is useless in this case. Dban does not have a function in which it performs any kind of checking to be aware of the bad sector table and does not perform any data recovery and wiping. The Bad sectors are managed by the drives firmware and completely hidden from Dban thus if you have a fragment of a image you shouldn't let's say, and you Dban the drive in which _error_ correction was performed at ANY time by the SMART service on the drive, this sector could have been remapped, marked as bad and left fragments of the image on the sector. Ie. One byte of a 512 byte sector is bad so smart "relocates" or copies this data (or as much as it can read) to a new good sector, but because it can't write, it marks this sector as bad, updates the Bad Sector table, and goes about the day and you never see a thing. Note the rest of the 511 bytes are still there. Dban will skip these sectors. This specific list of Bad Sectors is grown while in use and is specifically known as the "Grown List" or G list.

P list:
There is another set of bad sector tables known as the "Permanent List" and this is the list the drive is mapped with from the factory and can never be changed as it is hard coded to the firmware. This list is created at manufacturer time and because no drive is perfect in manufacturing thus mapping the default bad sectors is necessary to allow the drive to pass testing and be ready to function before it is released to the distributor as a working drive.

Wear Leveling:
On ALL digital media there are limitation as to how many times you can write to the same spot before it burns out. This is because apparently when storing data on an SSD of Flash media of any kind it involves pushing an electron through a "substrate" and lodging it there, which is read later as having or not having a charge (short version). This process leaves a residue behind. The residue will accumulate causing a buildup and eventually be unable to push an electron through and thus a "bad" sector will happen. To prevent this there is e technology called "Wear Leveling". Wear leveling is a small piece of software which will randomly move the disk writes to to another location instead and update the File pointer table or File Allocation Table (FAT). The FAT is a database located at the first 447 to 512 bytes of the storage media which contains the name of the file and where the data associated with the filename is. Magnetic media does not use wear leveling because it can be written to indefinitely as long as there are no defects on the physical media and as explained before is uses the SMART software to update the "G" list if there is a problem. Wear leveling protects the longevity of writes to the drive in this fashion but never actually overwrites any data until all other available sectors are used and it must again (assuming the space is now empty) reuse the same spot. Rinse and repeat.

Conclusion:
To get around ALL of the problem associated with bad sector tables the only solution for total data destruction is not Dban, it is Full Disk Encryption deployed before you ever do ANYTHING else on the media. Full disk encryption is the ONLY way to secure your data from the life to the death of the device. Be careful that you select a sufficiently long password as you don't want a brute force attack to uncover your precious cat videos, and remember that if your disk is decrypted the record you have of "deleted" or "trashcan" files would then be recoverable. Wiping your "recycle bin" on an already Full Disk Encrypted device is a waste of time unless you are expecting to have you password breached, and don't want your deleted file recovered and that's just crazy talk. Don't be careless, use a good password when full disk encrypting and I recommend combining a security token such as RSA or a Yubikey that has no API for recovering the key once it has been written to the device with you current password to secure your data.

"Dban-ing" your data at that point won't matter.

VPN Security, and Tor: Fact and Fiction.

I would say to be aware of a few things. First is that Tor is good enough if you follow a few rules you don't need to add a VPN:

VPN:
VPN's slow down an already slow Tor, and a VPN does not protect you at all from being tracked even if you paid all cash, despite what other may say. An VPN will create an encrypted tunnel from point A to B and prevent eavesdropping and is relatively fast as there are not layers of encryption happening at each server like Tor. This is great for logging onto a untrusted and maybe not very secure hotspot and tunneling your traffic to other regions on earth only to dump out your searches and browsing traffic at the location. Note that even if you paid all cash for the service it does not protect the IP source of the traffic at all. When looking at the data in wireshark you can see the source and destination IP no matter what. The VPN (if any hiding goes on) only wraps your data with their IP while in their data center but once that traffic re-emerges on the internet it is viewable by anyone with a copy of wireshark. It is true that your geographical location will change because the traffic is spilling out onto the internet from their VPN server hosted in the target location. In other words you don't need to pay cash for your VPN as it's only good to stop locals at the coffee shop from intercepting the data of where you are going, or to tunnel past your ISP and prevent DPI from identifying what type of traffic it is, and maybe censoring your access, or from conducting other types of molestation and therefore not worth going through all the trouble to pay cash. In no way does it hide the "Source" and "Destination" ip found in the Network Layer (3 OSI) from a protocol analyser like Wireshark. Once it leaves the VPN datacenter you are visible...period...or you would never get response from anyone on the internet obviously. Even finding a "bulletproof" VPN provider that does not perform logging is not enough on a Forensic level, you will still, be identified.

Tor:
Tor is VPN also but can have access to websites hosted within the Tor node network only other users of Tor have access to. If you were to leave the Tor network and say go to a non-tor hosted website you would again be visible at let's say google although your connection from Google would be encrypted. That means you conversation with Google would be visible only to google but your Source IP at Google would be Visible to Google employes, same problem as a regular VPN. Tor has servers a geographical location set up and are spaced apart and defined by a "boundary". If your traffic goes into a Tor server and does not cross this "Boundary" it will be traceable to the original source as it was never re-encrypted by another server (thus giving you that sweet, sweet privacy). That said you need to be aware that if you are in California, and browse to a site in Texas, your traffic may not have crossed the "Boundary" and was never re-encrypted thus leaving the source IP visible to other on that server or while in transit. You MUST cross a boundary when selecting a "Circuit" or you will be subject to immediate identification. Be sure to set up Tor to select a "circuit" in which this will apply carefully. Most recent versions of Tor are attempting to correct this and you may not have to set this up manually anymore but be aware of it with older versions as they are ALL subject to this flaw. You may only expect to remain invisible on the web if you stay within the Tor routing network, have forced a boundary to be crossed while selecting a circuit and have no other programs or plugins attached to the browser or accessing the internet on other ports. If you had Lastpass running, for example, and at some point it requested an update from the server on another port, this may expose your IP outside the Tor Circuit as Tor VPN's typically do not "wrap" the entire network stack in Linux or Windows and only covers the common Web access ports 80 and 443. This means that if Lastpass updates on port "1337" you will be immediately identified. Stay inside the Tor network, cross a geographical server boundary, and do not use plugins. Despite all of this, even if you are dutifully vigilant in your practice, but you are a regular at "foo.com", there is still screen and OS fingerprinting that can be used to follow you around inside the Tor routing system. Unlikely, but true. Stay on the move and don't fall into using TAILS (or whatever) at your "favorite" spot, and keep the default screen size, stay inside Tor exclusively, etc.

Remember that site "B" no matter who it is, will be the endpoint that CAN see you even if they aren't telling on you because they are hosting the content... You've been warned educated.

P.s. Let me add one more final thought: Be aware that if a server in or out of the Tor network has been ceased (Silk Road), or the servers Master Certificate Key was otherwise obtained (hackers) that this key can be used to decrypt all previous conversations with that server, with the exception of Perfect Forward Secrecy. PFS is an encryption standard in which each session with the server is re-keyed with a new key (short version). So if anyone were to get the key, they could only see that one session and NOT everything in the past from that IP. Look for PFS in the Sites Certificate details when accessing a site you want privacy from, and be aware that a "Gag" order may prevent you from knowing you are currently under surveillance...

Take the most excellent quiz!

Take this coolness quiz I created as a google forms test!

Click here to take the quiz!

This is a test of the Google Forms API. Just deal with it...

Good luck!

Here is the Bitcoin Mining Captcha!

Click the "Verify Me" box and you can watch the Captcha solve a hash. This is not an Infected Link So therefore don't worry about clicking, Hackers aren't going to steal your money! 1M hashes equals a 0.00015279 XMR Payout which can be exchanged for Bitcoins! Click the "What is this?" link for more info on what's happening! Don't click the 'Submit' button because that is only for form submission, and this is just an example:)

Note: (difficulty: 106.96G, block reward: 3.14 XMR, payout: 70%, updated: February 21, 2019 - 12:04)

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