HELP!!! My Computer Won't Start!

We've all had this problem, one day you go to turn on your computer and nothing happens!

The most important thing to remember is Don't Panic! and read this article, it might just have the solution for you.

To find and resolve this kind of problem it is important to take a patient, systematic approach.

The first thing to establish is whether the problem is with the hardware or software. By this I mean has something physically broken in your computer (Hardware) or is it a problem with something in Windows (Software).

If absolutely nothing happens when you press the on switch, ie no noise, lights turning on, or anything being displayed on your screen, the chances are it's a hardware issue. This means a part will most likely need to be replaced. If you're not confident with opening up your computer and testing the components it would probably be best to get a computer technician in as they will have all the necessary knowledge and tools to test for hardware faults. Also if the computer beeps a number of times when turning on this would indicate hardware failure, the number of beeps can often indicate the origin of the hardware fault, in these cases you should refer to your computer's support documentation which will have information on what fault the beeps are indicating on your computer.

If you see the Windows logo or a mouse pointer on your screen and the computer either freezes or reboots the chances are it's a software fault, but this is by no means conclusive as hardware failures such as faulty memory (RAM) or bad sectors on your hard drive can cause these symptoms. When you are confronted with an issue such as this the first thing to try is to restart the computer and then repeatedly press the F8 key on your computer until you get the "Advanced Boot Options Screen" this will give you a number of options to choose from relating to booting your computer.

If you have a Windows Vista or Windows 7 you should try the "Repair Your Computer" option which will allow you to try Windows automated "Startup Repair" tool which runs through a number of tests and can solve minor issues with your computer without too much hassle. If this fails you can try recovering the system to an earlier point via the advanced recovery options as Windows 7 and Vista if set up correctly will automatically create recovery points which will allow you to revert to settings that previously worked and can get your computer working again with minimal hassle. You will also have options to test your computer's memory (RAM) from this menu, as well as the option to use the recovery console which those of you who have ever used Windows DOS will find familiar. You can also perform a complete system restore which if you regularly back up your computer can be very useful, if you haven't backed your system up in a while though be aware that a complete system restore will wipe all existing data on your computer and replace it with the data contained in your last backup.

For those of you who have Windows XP or ealier the previously mentioned options will not be available however you will have the option to boot to "Safe Mode". Windows 7 and Vista users should also try this if the previously mentioned tools don't help. "Safe Mode" is a very useful tool, it is essentially a stripped down version of Windows which only uses the essential files to enable it to boot. If your computer boots into Safe Mode you can try a number of things to get your computer up and running, for instance you can try running scans with your anti-virus and/or anti-spyware software in case a virus or some other malicious software is preventing your computer from starting. You can also try uninstalling any software that you've recently installed which may be causing your computer not to boot correctly. Scheduling a disk check will enable you to check for and recover from some hard disk problems, to do this simply select "My Computer" from the windows menu ("Computer" in Windows 7 and Vista) then right click on your boot disk (usually the C: drive) and the select properties, followed by tools from the resulting menu. You can then select "Check Now" under error-checking and you will be presented with a small check disk window, make sure you tick both check boxes and select "Start". If you've selected the correct drive you will be given the option to schedule the check for next time you reboot the computer. Do this and then when you reboot the check will run, usually it takes around an hour depending on how big your hard disk is. Once this has finished the system will boot back into windows if the problem has been resolved.

If you have Windows XP and none of the above methods have helped you can always try a "Repair Install" if you have your Windows disk. This basically reinstalls Windows over the top of your existing installation replacing any damaged or corrupted windows files without losing all your programs and data. To do this insert your Windows installation disk, when given the option to install windows or repair Windows select the install Windows option, at the next screen you can then press R to repair your existing installation, follow the instructions and hopefully your problems will be solved.

Of course if nothing else has worked there's always the one sure method of resolving software issues with Windows and that is to erase everything and reinstall Windows. This of course has its downsides as you will lose all your data, installed programs and preferences etc.

There are many more methods of solving boot problems but hopefully these can get you on the right track to solving your PC issues. If you're still having problems getting your computer working and you live in the Hertfordshire Area you can always give Herts PC a call on 07719309389 or email and we'll get it sorted for you.