ASUS Eee PC 1018P Troubleshooting

You press the power button, but your Eee PC does not respond. You feel a sinking sensation.

Plug the Eee PC into your AC adapter to charge. Upon being plugged into the wall, the charge indicator light should come on. At this point, you can either turn on the Eee PC and use it while it is connected to the charger, or simply wait for the battery to build up a charge.

If the Eee PC gives a series of beeps at startup and then shuts off, it is possible that your RAM card/module may be loose or missing. The netbook may also begin to start, and then freeze completely (lights on, fan stopped, no other sound.) If you have recently replaced your RAM or removed it for any reason, make sure that you have installed it correctly.

If you need installation help, here is our RAM installation guide.

Screen flickers on and off. It is oddly reminiscent of an old TV. In a bad way.

It’s possible that the wire connected to the display within the Eee PC has become loose. This is a fairly simple repair, unless the wire has been severed completely.

Your Eee PC has decided it was a George Foreman grill in a past life and is now attempting to cook your lap.

If enough dust accumulates near the CPU fan, it can restrict airflow around the CPU and inhibit the fan's cooling capabilities, leading to potential overheating issues. Cleaning the fan vent and the fan itself with canned air can remove the dust and allow more air to flow around the CPU, cooling it enough to allow normal functioning.

If overheating problems persist even when the fan appears to be free of debris, the addition of a secondary external fan may be necessary.

If you think the fan may be the problem, check out our CPU fan installation guide.

Note: If a hard drive goes down, you will lose all files on that drive. Back up files continuously.

This is the most common symptom of hard drive failure. If your netbook is clicking harshly, it is either a strange magnetic field assailing your speakers, or a hard drive failure. The hard drive should be replaced before attempting to boot.

Windows search functions can be frustrating, but if you know you put a file in a certain place and it isn't there, then it might be a hard drive error. When this begins to happen, back up all important files immediately.

While the BSOD does not necessarily indicate any sort of hard drive failure, it does occur when Windows is having severe malfunctions (which can include hard drive failure).

If you are experiencing problems with your hard drive, check out our hard drive installation guide.

You want to video call with your grandparents to show them the wonders of technology, but unfortunately, they can't see anything.

On the ASUS Eee PC 1018P, there is a slider bar right next to the webcam that can be moved to cover and uncover the webcam. If you see a silvery grey cover, then the webcam is covered, and no one can see you.

A video calling program like Skype will interface with the computer's webcam to turn on automatically. If you have been over the Skype options a thousand times and can't figure out what's wrong, make sure you installed the correct version of the software and downloaded it for the correct operating system. (Skype for Mac will not be compatible on this netbook, for example.)

The Eee PC's screen doesn't quite seem to want to hold its position.

The hinges that allow the screen to pivot can work themselves loose over time. If the Eee PC is falling open, falling closed, or just seems to move too easily, this can be fixed by tightening the hinge screws inside the device.

No matter how much you mash the keys, letters don't appear.

If the keyboard is completely unresponsive or only works occasionally, the ribbon cable that sends input from the keyboard to the motherboard may be loose or disconnected. Make sure that the wide, black ribbon cable inside the device is secured on both ends.

Sometimes, crumbs, dust, flakes of skin, or (horror of horrors!) soda pop can accumulate down between or beneath the keys, causing them to stick. If you suspect this to be the case, clean the keyboard from the outside as best you can, and then open up the bottom part of the Eee PC to reveal the underside of the keys. From this angle you can better see what specifically is interfering with the travel of the keys. Wipe away all crumbs and other debris, using canned air if necessary.

For keyboard help, check out our keyboard installation guide.

Your finger slides back and forth, up and down, but the cursor refuses to budge.

Just like the keyboard, the touch pad on the ASUS Eee PC 1018P is connected to the motherboard by a ribbon cable. If this cable is loose or severed, input on the touch pad will not be registered by the computer. Check that the thin, white ribbon cable inside the laptop is secured at both ends.