Dropping your laptop is never a good thing but it does not always lead to serious damage as it will depend on the following factors:

• how hard and far it fell;
• whether it was running at the time of the fall;
• what kind of surface it fell onto;
• the type and size of the laptop;
• whether you have a mechanical hard drive or a solid-state drive;

For example, if you drop a laptop from a footstool onto a thick and soft carpet, you might not see any damage. But if you drop that same laptop from 5 feet up onto a hard concrete floor it might be completely destroyed.

Let us assume the laptop looks to have survived the fall. The main chassis and screen are still in one piece and the laptop powers on, you will still need to be on the lookout for the following warning signs:

• the laptop fails to boot.
• flickering or dim screen.
• the machine doesn’t charge.
• strange noises are coming from the laptop.
• unresponsive keyboard or other devices (ie wifi, bluetooth).
• a blue “screen of death”.

Laptops cram a lot of electronics into a very small package and dropping them can jar important parts. If you have any sort of problems after a drop, it is best to take your laptop to a computer professional to help address any issues.

What do I do when my laptop has been dropped?

First, don’t panic and try and stay calm. Yes, it is hard to see your machine with many business critical documents fall to the floor, but all may not be lost. Pickup the laptop and handle it gently as you take the following steps:

• Inspect the exterior looking for scratches, dents, or cracks. Small cracks may not have caused any significant damage but larger ones may need a replacement.
• Open the screen and look and see if the screen is damaged. Keep an eye out for lines, spots or a flickering display.
• Turn on the computer and see if it boots up correctly.
• Listen for unfamiliar noises which could indicate parts are broken internally.
• Check and see if the mouse and touchpad are working and all the external ports work.

The earlier you respond to the damage from dropping a laptop, the better it is. Don’t just hope that any issue you notice will go away. Take your laptop to a local repair shop for a diagnosis, repairs and  or parts replacement. The reward could be a longer overall life  for your laptop or the retrieval of all your data before it fails for good! We are here to help so contact us today.