I have a Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ABR8 with a Ryzen 5 7530U running Windows 11. Over the past few days, apps such as CapCut and LDPlayer 9 cause the display to go completely black after a few minutes. The audio cuts out, but the keyboard backlight remains on. A few seconds later, the fan spins up loudly, and the laptop will not recover unless I hold the power button to force it off.
This never happens during long sessions with Chrome or Discord. Windows reports that everything is up to date, Lenovo's hardware diagnostics passed except for the battery, whose full-charge capacity is around 77%, and updating the graphics driver did not help. The laptop is not unusually hot when these crashes occur, although it did have overheating-related crashes in the past.
I have not installed new software or changed any settings recently. The only unusual event was using a damaged USB-C charger that would only charge when held at certain angles; while trying to use it, the battery dropped from about 50% to 0%. The laptop continued working normally for a couple of days afterward. What should I test before considering a motherboard or laptop replacement? Would reinstalling Windows or performing a full format erase my personal data?
2 Answers
A full format or clean Windows installation would erase the data on the drive, so it should not be the first step. Back up important files first. Since the crash happens when the graphics hardware is under load and the machine needs a forced shutdown, the integrated GPU, motherboard power delivery, memory, or charger could be involved. Try running the affected apps while connected to a known-good compatible charger, and test with hardware acceleration disabled if those applications provide that option. If the crashes continue, a repair shop can test the board and graphics subsystem; a driver update alone may not fix a hardware or power problem.
The battery health reading of 77% by itself usually would not explain an immediate black-screen crash, but a faulty charger or charging circuitry could cause instability when the system switches between battery and external power. Check whether the failure happens only while charging or also on battery, and inspect the USB-C port and charger for damage. Also reinstall the graphics driver using the laptop manufacturer's driver package rather than relying only on Windows Update. If it still hard-locks under GPU load with a verified charger and a clean driver installation, hardware service is more likely than a Windows formatting issue.
I have not changed any settings or installed anything recently. The damaged USB-C charger incident is the only unusual thing I can think of, so I will stop using that charger and back up my files before trying anything destructive.