HP Victus 16-r will not turn on or start

The checks in more detail

Try another outlet or adapter. Then perform a hard reset: unplug the adapter, remove any connected devices, hold the power button for about fifteen seconds and release, plug the adapter back in and press the power button. HP describes this as draining electrical charge from the laptop, and it cures many cases of a laptop that appears dead or is stuck at a black screen with fans.

If the laptop shows a light and fans but no picture, test with an external monitor and try the key combination Windows, Control, Shift and B to restart the graphics driver. If it powers on and stops at the HP logo or restarts, disconnect all external devices, including USB drives and docks, and try again. Press Esc at start-up to open HP's start-up menu, and use F2 to run the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI, which tests memory, drive and other components and gives a failure ID for support. If Windows will not load, use the recovery environment to run Startup Repair, and if a BIOS update was interrupted, HP's BIOS recovery by holding Windows and V while powering on may restore it.

Check that the battery is charged enough: a deeply discharged laptop may need an hour on the charger before it responds. Do not open the laptop under warranty. If diagnostics show a failure or nothing helps, contact HP with the serial number from the base and the failure ID. Gaming laptops add a few traps of their own. The Victus 16 can switch between its integrated and discrete graphics, and a fault in that handover can leave the fans spinning and the screen dark, which is the case the graphics restart shortcut and an external monitor are meant for.

The power button on this model also acts as the sleep and wake control, so a laptop that has crashed in sleep may look dead until you hold the button for several seconds.

A fully drained battery on a laptop with a large charger may need ten minutes before the lights appear, and a charger that is slightly too weak will keep the lights on while the laptop refuses to boot under load, so use the original adapter. Memory that has come loose after a knock or a drop can stop boot with a beep pattern or a black screen, and HP's start-up diagnostics test memory with a failure ID, which is the information the repair desk needs. Do not remove the base to reseat it yourself while the laptop is in warranty, because opened laptops can lose cover. Keep the laptop on a hard surface during troubleshooting so the vents stay clear.