USB fan killed my Laptop

[CaitlinRenee15]

I plugged a USB fan into my laptop during a power outage. My laptop instantly turned off and now will not charge or turn on. 

please tell me I didn’t just ruin a brand new $600 laptop. 

[WAWood]

What most likely happened, since the laptop was already running on the battery (due to the power outage) was that the power draw of the USB fan was enough to overpower the battery.  If the battery is now dead, the laptop will no longer turn on -- and the only short-term fix for that is to replace the battery, which is expensive and very difficult with modern laptops.

So, it is unlikely that you harmed the laptop itself, but replacing the battery is going to be a major chore.

And, while we are not permitted to speak for HP regarding warranty service, my guess, is if you try to submit a warranty claim, they are going to ask what killed the battery in a new laptop, and once you tell them about the fan, they are likely to claim "accidental damage" -- which voids the warranty.

Not good news, I'm afraid.