Things to Try When a Windows PC Won’t Boot

When New Jersey data recovery and computer repair professionals pick up the phone to customers, one of the things they hear most often is “my computer won’t boot up”. Very often those words are the first words uttered, the user being so frustrated that they even forget to start with “hello”. This is perfectly understandable, as switching on your computer and finding it unresponsive, is one of the most frustrating ways to start your business day.

In the worst case, you could be experiencing a CPU or motherboard failure, which means no amount of DIY troubleshooting, is going to cure your problem. You will definitely require a computer repair. Before you panic and phone your nearest New Jersey computer repair center though, it’s worth going through a few steps to rule out lesser problems. A computer which won’t boot up isn’t necessarily a sign of catastrophe.

If There Is No Sign that Your Computer Is Receiving Power

So you’ve pressed the “on” button or switch and your computer is completely unresponsive. No lights coming on, nothing. Without wishing to sound obvious, it could be because your computer is not actually switched on. Here are the steps to try before you call out the computer repair technician, especially if it’s a business computer used by others as well as yourself.

1. If the computer is a desktop one, check for a power switch on the back of the computer and verify that this hasn’t been switched off. It’s common for desktop computers to have a power switch as well as the on/off button at the front of the processor unit.

2. If there is no power switch at the back of the computer, try the on/off button a couple more times. Try pressing it very slowly and deliberately in case there is a faulty connection at the switch.

3. Check any power cables supplying your computer to make sure they haven’t been unplugged by someone.

4. After performing steps 1 to 3 above, if the computer is still not responding, swap out the power cables. You can borrow cables from another computer or use your monitor power cable to just do a quick cable test.

5. If your computer is still unresponsive, check the power outlet that it’s plugged into. Just take the plug out of the outlet and plug a lamp in to see if the lamp works.

If you’ve eliminated all of the possibilities above, there’s a very good chance that the internal power supply in your computer has failed. This is a much more common problem than CPU or motherboard failures, but one which is still best left to an expert in computer repair. The good news is that this kind of failure is easy for a computer repair professional to fix and won’t take very long.

If Your Computer Switches on, then Shuts Down Within Moments

If you’ve switched on your computer, only to have it switch off again within a few seconds, you may or may not have heard what’s known as a “beep code”. If you didn’t hear the computer beep at all, switch it on again to make sure. If you do hear any beeping, you should write down exactly what you hear in a way that makes most sense to you. For example, how many times did the computer beep? How long were the beeps? Were the beeps very fast or spaced out from one another?

This information is going to be important, because you will need to explain it to a computer repair technician. Beep codes actually indicate a problem with your computer’s BIOS. By noting down what you hear, you will be able to help the technician to quickly identify what’s causing the BIOS problem and speed up your computer repair.

If you didn’t hear any beep code, any of the following issues could be causing your computer to power on and then off again:

A sticky or faulty power button
A faulty internal power supply
An electrical short inside your computer (this is one of the most likely causes)
A component inside the computer may have come unseated

Unless you are confident of being able to test for the issues listed above, you should consult a computer repair technician. He or she will check all these things for you and rectify any problems found.

If The Computer Powers Up But Displays Nothing

When you switch on your computer and all the lights come on, the fans run, but you see nothing on the screen, the cause is either very simple or very serious. First check that your monitor is actually plugged in and switched on. This is so easy to overlook, because when most people switch off their PC they leave the monitor on. If you’re in this habit, you won’t be expecting anyone to have subsequently turned it off, but it can happen.

If the monitor turns out to be switched on, the next thing you should do is test it. Try attaching a different monitor to your computer. If the replacement monitor shows a display when you start your computer, you have the answer to your problem and you’ll need the original monitor repaired or replaced. If there is still no display on a second monitor, things are looking a bit more serious. Your best bet in this case is to contact a computer repair service in New Jersey or wherever you are located.

If the Computer Displays the Blue Screen of Death

Although the very name “blue screen of death” sounds ominous, there can often be a very simple cause. If you switch on your computer and you get the BSOD while it’s booting up, the first thing is to ask yourself what changes you have recently made to your computer. Have you installed a new program, update or driver? Have you added any new hardware? If you have recently done any of these things, there’s a good chance that’s the cause of the BSOD. Simply reverse the changes you made, after this you may well find your computer boots up normally. If this does not resolve the problem and you still get the BSOD, it’s time to phone an expert.

If your computer is suffering from a blue screen of death or other issue that you can’t resolve, give Dave’s Computers a call. Dave and his team are ready and waiting to help you on 908-428-9558.

by David Molnar

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