Lenovo ThinkPad T540P Will Not Power On

Usually, to wake up a computer from shut down, sleep, or hibernate mode, just move the mouse around or press any key on the keyboard. If this does not work, press the power button to wake up. If your Lenovo ThinkPad T540P is configured to wake up when specific keys are pressed. If these don't work with the laptop unplugged, try again but with the laptop plugged in.

Unplug your Lenovo ThinkPad T540P and make sure that the charger being used is fully connected to the outlet and that the AC chord is properly seated into the AC Adapter (power brick).

If you are using a charger that did not come with your laptop, make sure that the charger has the correct outputs. These include the appropriate connector, and that the output of the charger is 20 Volts at 4.5 Amps. Using a charger with a higher wattage rating than the original charger can offer better results. This will allow the laptop to draw as much power as it needs.

If you need to replace the battery, then it is recommended that you replace it with another battery of the same model that meets these parameters: 10.8 V, 5.2 Ah, 57Wh. For further information on how to take out and replace the battery, check out the battery replacement guide.

If reseating the connectors of the charger doesn’t work, then try to perform a hard reset. To do this, you will need to remove all external devices as well as the battery. Then you’ll need to press and hold the power button for roughly one minute. After which, you can reinsert the battery, connect the charger back to the Lenovo ThinkPad T540P, and power it on.

Check the charging port for any damage or debris. If debris is present, you can clean it out with a compressed can of air to remove dust. For anything stuck inside the port, gently use a pointed tool, such as a toothpick, to scrape it out. You can also use isopropyl alcohol to dampen something to clean the inside of the port with a toothbrush or a Q-Tip

If the laptop turns on but fails to boot into any operating system, this most likely means that there are faulty or corrupt components.

• Try re-installing your operating system to the hard drive, or see if the hard drive/boot drive is detected in the BIOS. If your hard drive is not seen as a boot device in the BIOS, try taking the larger of the two back covers off and reseating the hard drive. See the guide on how to take out the hard drive for further information [placeholder link].
• If the date on the computer was incorrect before it stopped turning on, this is a telltale sign that the CMOS battery has died. A dead CMOS battery can cause the computer to fail to POST (Power-On Self-Test) or cause boot loops. During startup up you might see an error code talking about the CMOS battery. If these sound familiar, try replacing the CMOS battery [placeholder link].
• If the computer turns on but only shows a screen that says “No System RAM / Memory detected,” this means that there is a problem with the physical RAM components. First try reseating the RAM. If reseating the RAM doesn't work, try replacing the RAM with a new set. View the guide on how to replace the system RAM for further information on this process [placeholder link].