If your HP Elitebook won’t turn on, I have an easy fix. We used them at a previous job and I taught this trick to all of my coworkers who had difficulty getting their laptops to power up in the morning. It’s easy, and takes less time than calling the helpdesk, and less time than going direct to desktop support too (which they love, I’m sure).
The one-minute fix when an HP Elitebook won’t turn on
If your HP Elitebook won’t turn on, you can have it back up and running in about a minute, just like this one is.
First, unplug the AC adapter from the laptop and/or undock the laptop.
Next, flip over the laptop and slide the latch open to release the battery. Pull the battery out and set it aside.
Now, for my magic trick. Flip the laptop over, open the lid, and press and hold the power button for at least 15 seconds. I generally go the extra mile and hold it for more like 30.
Now you can replace the battery. Dock the laptop or plug the AC adapter in, and try the power button again. Chances are, your laptop will fire up now.
And that’s all there is to it when an HP Elitebook won’t turn on. Usually. Let’s talk about the two exceptions.
What to do if the battery light flashes and doesn’t turn on
If the orange light flashes briefly and the computer still doesn’t turn on, that means the battery is dead and the computer can’t get power. This means the battery isn’t charging from the AC adapter. Check to make sure the AC adapter is plugged firmly into the computer or docking station, the power cord is firmly plugged into the AC adapter, and the other end of the cord is plugged firmly into the wall. If you dock the computer, make sure it’s firmly seated in your docking station. A too-loose connection in any of those places will cause the battery to not charge and eventually run out.
Checking and fixing all of these things should only take an additional minute, if that.
When your HP Elitebook won’t turn on because of overheating
If it still won’t turn on, the laptop may be overheated. If the laptop shut off suddenly while you were using it and feels warm to the touch, it almost certainly is. Here’s how to fix an Elitebook 8440 that overheats. It’s not usually a difficult fix either. Other models of Elitebook will be very similar.
I’ve written about this trick before, and it’s not always necessary on all hardware, but it definitely helps Elitebooks when nothing else will. This trick works on other HP laptops as well. For that matter, it works on any other brand of laptop with a removable battery.
One more problem that seems related but is slightly different
Sometimes your computer has trouble coming out of hibernation. It seems to be on, because it makes noise and the LEDs all light up, but only displays a black screen. Here’s how to fix the black screen after hibernation problem.
What about HP desktops?
Desktop computers are a bit different. And if you’re wondering, there’s nothing especially different about HP desktops in that regard.