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  • Computer wont start

    Many moons ago, I replaced my computer with the plan to set up an office and use the old one there for little things. Weeks went into months, months went into years, but it's finally set up. I turned it on from time to time and there were no problems. When I finally got the desk set up, I turned it on with no problem. But I decided to uninstall a few programs. They were nothing programs and no warnings came up so I didn't think anything of it, I shut down and thought things were all good. But now the computer won't start. It turns on, but windows won't load, nothing starts up.

    I am very much a novice in this kind of thing, I don't even know where to start to troubleshoot. Any help would be appreciated.
    D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F.
    Quoth = Crossbow "EvilHomer, Irv, Gravekeeper, and Seraph: the Four Horsemen of the Dumbpocalypse."

  • #2
    No error messages? Does it normally show a boot splash of some sort? Does it still show it? If not, something may have happened to the computer hardware.

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    • #3
      Assuming this is a PC and not a MAC.

      Does anything show up on the screen? Monitor could be bad. Test it on another computer.

      If the monitor appears to be working, try going into the system config. You should get a message before the OS loads to press F2, F10, Delete, something like that. You should see boot options. Check to see if the system recognizes your hard drive.

      Try booting from a CD. See if you can access your hard drive.

      Thi sshould start to narrow down where the problem may be.
      Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
      Save the Ales!
      Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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      • #4
        Somehow got things going again. It was weird because it would start with a normal "intel" message, then nothing, just a blank screen and no activity from the hard drive. I tried putting the cd in, still nothing. Then on the 10th or 20th try starting it, it just decided to start up. I remember there being a lot of gremlins in this computer, it's why we replaced it. But for now, fingers crossed, it's working and it will serve my puttering around purposes.

        Thanks for the assistance.
        D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F.
        Quoth = Crossbow "EvilHomer, Irv, Gravekeeper, and Seraph: the Four Horsemen of the Dumbpocalypse."

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        • #5
          You can also try hitting F8 just when the screen is switching from the BIOS/startup screen to the Loading Windows screen (may not work on some versions) and see if you can get in via Safe Mode.

          FWIW -- If it does end up dying in the end, hang on to the hard drive. You can always pop it into another computer down the road in order to retrieve any data or documents on there. That being said, next time you can get it going, see about backing up anything important to an external drieor something; the drive itself nay be dying.
          "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
          "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
          "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
          "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
          "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
          "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
          Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
          "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

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          • #6
            The other day I had a scare with my computer not starting up; the problem turned out to be that the switch on the nearest power-bar had somehow been nudged.

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            • #7
              So I foolishly shut it down and let it sit for a couple of days. Now it's screwed again. Windows tried to start and failed. That happened a few times, then it got stuck in a loop of the initial power on "intel" screen, it just sticks in a cycle of this screen.

              I think the hard drive is just shot or something like that. It's not worth it for me to take it to anybody and I'm too illiterate to fix it myself.

              Quoth csquared View Post
              Try booting from a CD. See if you can access your hard drive.

              This should start to narrow down where the problem may be.
              I can give this a try, but I don't know how.
              D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F.
              Quoth = Crossbow "EvilHomer, Irv, Gravekeeper, and Seraph: the Four Horsemen of the Dumbpocalypse."

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              • #8
                If you have an installation CD, pop it into your CD/DVD drive (insert a straightened paper clip into the little hole to force the tray to open. Close it again and see if the PC boots direct to the CD. If not, watch during the first boot screen (BIOS/POST) and see if it has a message like "Press F12 to choose boot order" or "...to enter Setup"; select the CD drive from there and reboot, then see what happens. Keep in mind -- If you reinstall from a CD, your C drive will be wiped entirely as part of the process
                "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

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