My computer will not boot up

There are always some problems with computers, because even the “best” one is still not perfect. It can have a list of different problems but while it’s working (booting up) it’s fine. When it won’t boot up than you have a big problem.

Like every problem, this one too has a solution. When you have problem booting up there are few scenarios that could happen. Today’s computers are incredibly complex. So it’s very likely that every problem will have its own unique solution. Hopefully, some of my advices will help you find the one you need.

1. Problem – No response / just beeping

If your computer doesn’t print anything on the screen, or if even doesn’t try the hard drive, than you probably have some hardware issue. That also goes if you can’t even access the BIOS. For example, if you here a long beep or few beeps in a row (it depends on the brand of your computer), that means something is wrong with some part of your hardware.

If your computer doesn’t response at all when you turn it on, you should recheck every piece of hardware, maybe you connected something wrong, if it’s not that, you should take it on repair.

2. Problem – Hard drive issues

When software like Recovery Console doesn’t even detect your hard disk you may have some serious problems. First of all, it can be a hardware failure of the hard drive itself and it’s time to buy a new one or try repairing old one.

Other problems related to your hard drive are more common. It is possible that your CMOS memory (which keeps your hardware and BIOS configuration settings) has lost its content. That can happen due to many different reasons, but if you’re using an older machine it’s likely that the battery which keeps CMOS alive has worn out.

3. Problem – Operating system problems

Very rare but also very scary message that can appear on your screen is “Operating System Not Found”. It’s telling you that the operating system on your hard drive is not there anymore. You can try and boot from your Windows installation CD or you can try the Recovery Console.

Also, remember to remove any floppy from the machine. When you are rebooting your computer will first try to boot from it and will not find operating system.

4. Problem – Crashes just before Windows logo

You turn on your PC and just before the Windows logo and the blue screen it crashes. This is also very common error. It can have an error in software but in hardware also. I suggest you to try with Recovery Console (link above) and if it’s not working try to search for your problem in hardware (maybe in motherboard?). If you don’t know what to do call for professional help.

5. Problem – Blue screen

Nobody likes the “blue screen”. If you get one that means your computer has some big problems. The “blue screen” is a blue screen with lots of strange numbers and information that can come up when your machine crashes. A source of “blue screen” can be in bad device driver, spyware or even a virus.

You should first try to boot in Safe Mode and than check for viruses, spywares, and possibly get Windows updates. If the Safe Mode doesn’t work you should try with the Recovery Console.

These are not all problems you may experience but are at least most common ones. I hope not one of them will ever happen to your computer, and I hope this article helped you.