Likely causes:

• Port power issues; try a rear I/O port or a powered hub.
• Drive letter collision; assign a new letter in Disk Management.
• File system corruption; check with “chkdsk” or test on another PC.
• Missing chipset/USB drivers after a reinstall.
• ExFAT/NTFS compatibility issues on older systems.

Need help? Check here: /services/computer-maintenance/

What it might be (likely causes)

• Power and port quirks
  Front‑panel ports and unpowered hubs can brown‑out larger flash drives and portable HDDs. Rear motherboard ports usually deliver steadier power. For backup safety before experimenting: /posts/simple-data-backups-without-cloud/

Start simple:

• Power strip or outlet fault; try a different known-good outlet.
• For desktops, check PSU switch, 24-pin and CPU 8-pin connections.
• For laptops, test with battery removed (if possible) and adapter only.
• Look for liquid damage or burnt smells near DC jack/VRMs.
• Motherboard short from standoff or debris.

Need help? Check here: /services/repairs/

What it might be (likely causes)

• No AC or a tripped power path
  Dead outlet, tripped power strip, or a PSU rocker switch in the O position. On laptops, a failed charger or loose DC jack can present as “totally dead.”

A few possibilities:

• Wrong input selected on the monitor (HDMI1 vs HDMI2, DP, etc.).
• Cable or adapter failure (cheap DP to HDMI can be flaky).
• GPU not fully seated or needs auxiliary PCIe power.
• iGPU vs dGPU output confusion; plug into the active one.
• Dead backlight on laptops though the system boots.

Need help? Check here: /services/repairs/

What it might be (likely causes)

• Monitor input or power state
  Many monitors default to the last input and won’t auto‑switch. If the on‑screen display (OSD) works, the panel has power—cycle inputs manually and verify brightness isn’t at zero. Background: HDMI, DisplayPort

Common roadblocks:

• Printer stuck on old SSID or 5 GHz only when it needs 2.4 GHz.
• WPA mode mismatch or hidden SSID quirks.
• Router isolation settings (AP/client isolation) blocking discovery.
• Drivers or AirPrint services not installed on the computer/phone.
• Weak signal in the corner where the printer lives.

Need help? Check here: /services/house-calls/

What it might be (likely causes)

• Band/SSID mismatch
  Many budget printers only support 2.4 GHz. If your home Wi-Fi uses a combined name for 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, the printer may latch onto the wrong band or fail to join. Band-splitting tips: /posts/router-settings-small-town/

Things to check:

• Windows Update components stuck; try resetting the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders.
• Corrupted system files; “DISM /RestoreHealth” then “sfc /scannow”.
• Third-party AV or firewall interfering with update traffic.
• Disk nearly full or failing, causing write errors.
• Version end-of-life or driver blocks.

Need help? Check here: /services/computer-maintenance/

What it might be (likely causes)

• Stuck update cache
  The SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders hold temporary update files and catalogs. If they get corrupted, Windows Update can stall or error out.

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