Nowadays, laptop manufacturers include protective gear to prevent unwanted damage. For instance, most laptops have a water-resistant keyboard to protect them from spillages. However, the keyboard can get damaged if the liquid breaks through the circuit board. Thus, you must take immediate action when such an uncanny thing happens. It’s not impossible to consider how to break a laptop beyond repair.
Renowned manufacturers like Apple claimed to offer durable Retina displays on their laptops. However, the Mac laptop screen is also vulnerable to damage. You might notice hairline cracks on the display after an accidental drop. Without replacing the screen, you can’t access the macOS device. If you don’t repair the screen on time, it can break the other units.
Now, let’s find out which practices can break a Windows, Mac or Linux laptop:
Usage of High-Voltage or Incompatible Charger
Many laptop users use third-party power adapters to charge their devices. However, it could cause severe damage to the device. How to break a laptop beyond repair with such chargers? These charges produce high-voltage than is usually required for charging the laptop. A poor-quality charger can cause electrical hazards, resulting in a major breakdown.
The high voltage can result in sparking, which can escalate into a fire quickly. If you don’t extinguish the fire immediately, it could burn the laptop. Most laptops don’t have any heat-resistant components. Thus, electric shocks or fire could destroy all the laptop units. As a result, you have to invest in a new laptop to perform the important work.
Using a USB Killer
A USB killer delivers an electrical surge to the laptops which damages its hardware. It works by injecting high-voltage (200 volts) through the device’s ports. This high power damages the motherboard and makes it dysfunctional.
The USB killer can destroy the entire laptop within 2-3 seconds. The device will turn off and you might get a burning smell after that. Thus, if you mistakenly insert a USB killer in the laptop, try to remove it within less than a second. Otherwise, the laptop might break and cause unpreventable damage.
By Overwriting a Hard Drive’s MBR
When you overwrite the MBR, the laptop generates booting issues. The device might become unbootable and the files will be hard to recover in some instances. Moreover, hackers can overwrite the MBR by injecting malware into the device.
First, the cybercriminals use a “CreateFile API” to open a writing space on the laptop. It allows them to access the hard drive which is located outside the C:\NTFS volume. Once they break into the hard drive’s sector, they create an “Overlapped” structure to overwrite the MBR.
The laptop will display a black screen and won’t turn on if this happens. You can always seek help from an expert to remove the malware from the device. Otherwise, it could corrupt the system files, preventing you from turning on the device. So, this can be a way how to break a laptop beyond repair.
The Fork Bomb Technique
A fork bomb which is also known as a rabbit virus could break the laptop. This is a type of DoS attack which overloads the device and makes it unresponsive. The laptop might not respond to any input when the hackers apply this technique.
This is how the online hackers use fork bombs to crash the laptop:
- They open the Notepad once they get access to the device
- Hackers then enter the “%0|%0” code in Windows laptops and “:(){:|:&};:” in the Linux devices
- After that, they save the notepad file on the desktop as a “.bat” file
- Once you open this saved file, the code will bug and restrict the laptop’s operations
The laptop will create more similar files until it crashes completely. Within 3-4 seconds, you will be bombarded with pop-up messages. The device might also turn off after a few seconds. You can fix the issue by restarting the Windows or Linux laptop. However, it might run slow and prevent you from using some laptop functions.
If you notice a “.bat” file on the desktop, don’t save it in the startup folder. Otherwise, the file might run in the background when you restart the device. As a result, the system will crash repeatedly when working on something important. Besides, you must also avoid saving the “.bat” file in the Registry Editor
Overheating
The advanced laptops are designed with highly heat-resistant material. However, the internal unit can get damaged when the laptop generates excess heat. There is no major heat-resistant technology on the old laptops. The device might break down when the ventilation points get blocked with dust or grime.
Did you place the laptop on the bed or over a fluffy blanket? The heat might accumulate inside the laptop and increase over time. Usually, the system will crash or the screen might freeze due to overheating. Unclog the ventilation points to prevent the Windows laptop from breaking down.
For modern laptops, a faulty fan or hard drive can generate overheating issues. Moreover, if you work on power-intensive apps, it could increase the device’s temperature. An outdated BIOS setting can be a reason behind an overheating issue. Thus, you must update the BIOS to protect the device from excess heat.
By Deleting the Operating System
The operating system ensures the laptop is working without glitches. However, the device will crash or stop working if you delete it. This action doesn’t completely damage the laptop and can be fixed by installing the latest OS.
Are you wondering how you can delete the laptop’s OS? Press the Windows and X keys together and access the Command Prompt tool from the pop-up list. If you write “DEL c:/*.*f/s/q” and press “Enter”, it will automatically delete the OS. Besides, all the program files available in the C drive will also be removed.
Install the New OS on the Laptop!
Connect a compatible USB flash drive that acquires the OS setup to the Windows laptop. Plug in the charger, turn on the laptop and press the boot menu key. The key to accessing the boot menu might vary from one Windows laptop model to another. Some common boot menu keys in advanced laptops are Esc, F10 and F12.
Choose the correct booting option from the drop-down menu. Select the OS that is compatible with the laptop. Click “Install” to get the latest operating system on the device. Wait until the Windows Setup window appears. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the Windows software installation. Remove the USB flash drive and restart the laptop and check if it is working or not.
Using a Shutdown-Restart Code
A shutdown-restart code creates a bug in the laptop and prevents it from turning on. This process is similar to the fork bomb technique. The laptop will shut down repeatedly without reinstalling any corrupted files. Here is how the shutdown-restart code works:
- The users need to open Notepad on the Windows laptop
- Write the shutdown-restart code “–r –t 000”
- Save it in the laptop’s startup folder as a “.bat” file
- The device will crash when you open the folder
The laptop will turn on and off continuously. The bug can’t be fixed until you reinstall the operating system. Thus, if you experience this issue, try installing the latest software on the device. Otherwise, you can contact a technician to repair the laptop malfunction.
Overload the RAM
The Windows or Mac laptop might crash once the RAM gets overloaded with unwanted files. The hackers can also crash the RAM by executing the “memory_crash.html” command. They first open Notepad on a Windows laptop and “TextEdit” on a Mac device.
Hackers write the “memory_crash.html” command on the new page. They will then save the file as “.html” and can be accessed from the “Files” tab. The cybercriminals open the HTML file with a browser. The execution of the file will cause the system to crash unexpectedly.
This glitch can be fixed by simply rebooting the Windows laptop. Press the “Power” button when the device crashes in the middle of important work. If that doesn’t work, hire an experienced professional to eliminate the problem.
Overclocking the Laptop’s Processor
Overclocking the laptop means increasing the processor’s speed or frequency rate. A black screen will appear if you run the CPU at a higher rate than recommended. The CPU stops working when you exceed certain limits and damage the laptop.
The higher speed causes the CPU to work more to perform laptop-related work. If the device doesn’t have advanced cooling technology, it will overheat. The CPU and other internal units can wear out due to excess heat generation. This is how to break a laptop beyond repair by overclocking the processor. Thus, you should avoid overclocking the CPU to avoid costly laptop repairs.
BIOS Update Failure
A warning message will pop up indicating not to turn off the laptop when the BIOS is updating. However, if there isn’t sufficient charge on the device, it will shut down. As a result, the laptop will stop working due to the BIOS update failure. Thus, you must always plug in the charger when updating the BIOS to prevent laptop damage.