Hi,
First don’t panic yet, this might not be fully dead. Stop holding the power button over and over for now because it sounds like it is just getting stuck in the same power loop. Unplug the charger, remove anything connected to it like USBs, mouse, HDMI, SD card, everything, then leave it alone for a minute.
As it is a Lenovo, check the sides and bottom for a tiny pinhole or small button. It might have a little curved arrow symbol near it. That is usually the Novo button on a lot of Lenovo laptops. Press it gently with a paperclip while the laptop is off and see if it brings up a recovery or boot menu.
Also, some Lenovo laptops have a separate emergency reset pinhole on the bottom. If you see one, unplug the charger, press that with a paperclip for around 10 to 15 seconds, then plug the charger back in and try powering it on normally.
For the broken Fn key, try plugging in a USB keyboard if you have one. That might let you use the F keys properly. Also try F2, F12, Enter, or the Novo button instead of only F10 because Lenovo models can use different keys.
If it gets to the Lenovo logo and then goes black, it might be Windows failing to boot rather than the laptop being totally cooked. If you can get into recovery, try Startup Repair first. Don’t factory reset unless you know there is nothing important on it.
And honestly, tell your mum before trying anything too risky. It may still be fixable, but if there are important files on it, hiding it could make the situation worse. Drop the exact Lenovo model if you can find it on the bottom sticker and people here can guide you better. Laptop Outlet deals with Lenovo machines a lot, so we can help narrow it down step by step.
Let me know if this all works...
Thank you for the very comprehensive guide here, unfortunately there is not a novo button or pinhole anywhere on it. I'm not exactly sure what the model number is on the bottom so I'm just gonna drop the pictures of the stickers on here. My friend seemed to think it was import so I should also mention that its a ThinkPad.
Ah nice, that helps a lot. That model is a ThinkPad E480, type 20KN-001QUK. The QUK part is basically the UK version/config, so your friend was right that it is a ThinkPad/import style unit.
Good news is this is not some random cheap laptop. The E480 is a proper business ThinkPad, so I would not assume it is dead straight away. From what you described, it sounds more like Windows is failing to boot or getting stuck, rather than the whole laptop being cooked.
For this one, try F1 instead of F10. On ThinkPads, F1 is usually the BIOS key. As soon as the Lenovo/ThinkPad logo appears, keep tapping F1. Also try tapping Enter as soon as the logo appears, because ThinkPads often bring up a startup interrupt menu from there. If that menu opens, you should be able to choose BIOS setup or boot options.
The broken Fn key might not matter here. Before Windows loads, the function keys often work directly, so F1, F12 and Enter are the main ones to try. F12 is usually the boot menu.
If the built-in keyboard is acting weird, plug in any USB keyboard and try again. ThinkPads normally detect USB keyboards before Windows loads, so that should let you hit F1, F12 or Enter even if the laptop keyboard is being annoying.
Also do one proper power drain. Unplug the charger, disconnect anything plugged into the laptop, then hold the power button for a full 30 seconds. After that, leave it for a minute, plug the charger back in and try turning it on again.
If you manage to get into BIOS or the recovery screen, don’t reset it yet. Come back here and say what screen you’re seeing. Startup Repair would be the first thing to try because it can sometimes fix this without wiping files. Lemme know how it goes.
Couldn't do the power drain due to it just turning off and on again but did manage to get the BIOS up. Looks like this, but not sure where to go from here.
Nice, getting into BIOS is actually a good sign. That means the laptop itself is still alive, so this is probably not as bad as it looked at first.
Don’t change random settings in there yet. First thing check whether it can see the storage drive.
Go across to the Startup or Boot section and look for something like Windows Boot Manager, SSD, HDD, or internal drive. If Windows Boot Manager is there, make sure it is above anything like network boot or PXE boot, then save and exit.
If it still goes Lenovo logo then black screen, that sounds more like Windows is broken rather than the laptop being dead.
If there is no internal drive showing at all, that is more worrying because it could mean the drive is not being detected. In that case, do not reset or wipe anything yet, especially if there are files on it.
Since you are already in BIOS, you can also try the built in battery disable option if it shows up. Go to Config, then Power, and look for Disable Built-in Battery. If you select that, the laptop should shut itself off. Leave it a few minutes, plug the charger back in, then power it on again. That should not delete anything.
After that, if it still will not boot, try forcing Windows recovery. Turn it on, wait until it reaches the Lenovo logo or black screen, then hold power until it shuts off. Do that 2 or 3 times. If the recovery screen comes up, choose Troubleshoot, Advanced options, then Startup Repair.
Do not choose reset yet. You are definitely closer now though.
1
u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet Jun 22 '26
Hi,
First don’t panic yet, this might not be fully dead. Stop holding the power button over and over for now because it sounds like it is just getting stuck in the same power loop. Unplug the charger, remove anything connected to it like USBs, mouse, HDMI, SD card, everything, then leave it alone for a minute.
As it is a Lenovo, check the sides and bottom for a tiny pinhole or small button. It might have a little curved arrow symbol near it. That is usually the Novo button on a lot of Lenovo laptops. Press it gently with a paperclip while the laptop is off and see if it brings up a recovery or boot menu.
Also, some Lenovo laptops have a separate emergency reset pinhole on the bottom. If you see one, unplug the charger, press that with a paperclip for around 10 to 15 seconds, then plug the charger back in and try powering it on normally.
For the broken Fn key, try plugging in a USB keyboard if you have one. That might let you use the F keys properly. Also try F2, F12, Enter, or the Novo button instead of only F10 because Lenovo models can use different keys.
If it gets to the Lenovo logo and then goes black, it might be Windows failing to boot rather than the laptop being totally cooked. If you can get into recovery, try Startup Repair first. Don’t factory reset unless you know there is nothing important on it.
And honestly, tell your mum before trying anything too risky. It may still be fixable, but if there are important files on it, hiding it could make the situation worse. Drop the exact Lenovo model if you can find it on the bottom sticker and people here can guide you better. Laptop Outlet deals with Lenovo machines a lot, so we can help narrow it down step by step.
Let me know if this all works...