Troubleshooting Windows Boot Up Problems

Call it a weird coincidence but why is it that when you need to use the PC the most, it starts acting up. I'm pretty sure everyone who owns a PC has come across this scenario at least once. It's as if Windows detects your need of urgency and just decides to take the day off. Now it's quite understandable if you feel life smashing your PC into bits with a sledge hammer but that's not a very fruitful solution, is it?

The reason for failure could be many; like, failing hard drives, bad motherboard, overheating or just a Windows issue. You'll know if it's a hardware issue if you don't get a short beep a few seconds after you hit the power button. Let's see what steps we can take to fix this.

In case it's a hardware issue
Before your computer starts booting into Windows, it runs a quick check to ensure all the primary components are present and getting power. This is known as the POST (Power On Self Test) that shows you the CPU details, BIOS vendor and other components connected to the machine. If everything seems ok you'll hear a short beep after which you'll proceed to the Windows loading screen.

In case you don't get the short beep or the PC turns on and immediately shuts down, here are a couple of things you can check.

Check power connections
Make sure all power plugs are connected properly and nothing is loose anywhere. Before you go digging inside your cabinet, turn off the power or just unplug the cable.

Check the RAM
A long beep usually means the RAM is not getting detected. It could be loose, dust or moisture could have got in, or it simply might not be there. If you use two sticks in dual channel mode, remove one stick and see if you're able to boot. It also helps if you clean the golden tips of the RAM and try a different slot as well.

If your CPU heat sink looks like this, then don't blame your PC for acting up

High Temperatures
If your CPU heat sink is not fitted properly or gathers a lot of dust then this could lead to high temperatures causing boot up problems. Make sure the heat sink is clear of any dust and is securely placed on the CPU. Reapplying a fresh coat of thermal paste wouldn't hurt either. Finally just make sure the cabinet is well ventilated.

In case it's a software issue
Errors like these are very common with Windows XP, which I'm sure many people still use. Some of these error messages can be the solved if you know what to do for a different error messages. I've listed below some of the most common ones and what they mean. There are two types of error messages that appear, the 'black screen' and 'blue screen' errors. The black screen errors usually appear before the splash screen (ie, the Windows loading screen) and the blue screen errors usually appear just after the splash screen, and are known as BSOD or Blue Screen of Death. Here are some of the errors you could get before the splash screen

1. "Invalid Partition Table", "Missing Operating System"

This message appears when the Master Boot record is corrupt. This can be due to either hard drive errors or even a virus infection.

2. "NTLDR is missing" , "A disk read error occurred"
This time it's the Boot sector that's corrupted which can again be due to a bad hard drive or a virus.

3. "Could not read from selected boot disk" or Windows reboots in a loop just after the splash screen
A file called "Boot.ini" is either corrupt, missing, or needs updating. This is something that happens quite often actually and is really frustrating when you don't know what to.
Blue screen errors are usually due to a hardware failure or a driver conflict. If you get this then you should follow the steps in the first section on hardware. So now that you have these errors, here are a couple of things you can do to fix it before doing anything drastic like re-installing Windows.

• Try using the "Last Known Good Configuration" method by hitting the F8 key after the POST screen. If you're lucky then you could take the easy road out.
• Repair: Run windows repair by inserting the Windows CD in the drive and booting from it.
  

In case you get one of the above messages then you can attack it directly with a specific command. First you have to open the Recovery Console by booting from your Windows XP CD.

Press 'R' to activate Recovery Console.

You'll then get a Command prompt screen asking you the select the XP installation you want to repair. If you have a password then you'll have to enter that.

After this it's just a matter typing the right command to fix the problem.
1. For a corrupt master boot record type in 'fixmbr' and enter.
2. For a corrupt boot sector, type in 'fixboot'
3. For a corrupt or missing boot.ini, type in 'bootcfg/rebuild'

In most cases these commands will fix and rebuild any corrupt files that prevent Windows from starting up. Let's say this works and you're able to boot into Windows but it's not stable or it keeps freezing up, then you can use the System Restore feature. If everything else fails then your last option is to re-install Windows. As a rule of thumb, always remember to store your sensitive information in a different drive, so when a situation like this arises, you won't lose any data. Many people tend to dump their data in 'My Documents', which ideally must be avoided. Simple steps like these can save your precious data in time. That's all for now folks. Feel free to share any tips and tricks you may have below.