HP Pavilion dv6-6180us Troubleshooting

When in use, the computer begins to get hot and suddenly shuts off without a warning.

If the laptop overheats during use, there may be debris blocking the fan vent. Clear the fan vent (located on side) using a dry cloth, a Q-tip, or compressed air. If there is still visible dust, hair or other debris on the inside of the fan vent, the laptop case may need to be opened to fully clear the area. Refer to the motherboard replacement guide for directions on opening the case and locating the fan.

After all the debris has been cleared, if the overheating issue persists, the fan may need to be replaced. This is due to melting of the fan. Melting is caused by overuse of fan, damage to fan, or the fan being faulty.

The keys on your device keyboard are not functioning or the keys are jammed.

If you have sticky keys, the first thing you should do is determine whether the keys might be jammed. Check if some beverage was spilled on the keyboard. If so, you will need to take the keys out and clean them individually. To take the keys off individually, you can use a guitar pick, a flexible ruler, or anything that you can wedge into the key and pull it out. If nothing was spilled on the keys another solution may be a can of compressed air and apply to slits by the keys.

The headphones are not working when you plug them into the headphone jack.

Test the audio on the laptop's speakers, to see if the sound is distorted when listening through the speakers (if the sound is distorted, you might want to check out how to replace the speakers). If the laptop's speakers work, test it using headphones. If the audio is distorted only when listening through the headphone jack, the audio jack or headphones may be faulty.

Verify that the headphone audio plug is inserted all the way. If it's still not capable, the audio driver may be corrupt, grubby, or can have a small item jammed. If the headphones are suitable, verify that the default sound device is set correctly. For most users, the default device is speakers. Change the default device to Headphones. Click on the Volume icon and select the level tab, make sure the volume is on and not on mute. It can also be a tear or mishap with the jack. A common problem with the headphones being inserted and removed roughly, is it causing damage to the headphone jack.

The laptop displays a black screen but the power button is on.

If your laptop shows that the power is on, but the screen is completely black, try plugging it in to an external monitor. If the laptop displays on the external monitor and functions, you may need to replace the LCD on the laptop. With the laptop overheating, this may also impact the screen display. If the laptop still displays a black screen, you may need to replace the screen.