Do you know what an electronics technician’s most useful tool is? A digital voltmeter? An oscilloscope? Nope. It is an eraser. Yes, an eraser. They use the eraser to clean off contact points on circuit cards, switches, and cable connectors. That is where most of the problems occur, with the connectors.
When I was in college, getting a degree in electronics, one professor warned us that it is the natural tendency of many electronics technicians to automatically assume a given problem is complex (just like us computer users) and start testing circuits with an oscilloscope. Yet after a lot of wasted time they find the problem was the power wasn’t turned on, or there was a bad on/off switch, or there was just a dirty connector at the input.
Always remember, when dealing with electronics and computers the majority of problems can be solved simply. Most problems can be solved by a simple reboot, or replacing a cable, or replacing the power module. Try doing the simple tests / fixes first. Remember this, and you’ll save a lot of time – and likely avoid reformatting your hard drive.
All right, back to the example. Let’s say that the last time you used the computer it worked fine. And you just used it to check email and then did a proper shutdown. And now Windows won’t load. What now? Start with the simple possibilities.
First ask who might be responsible. Check with anyone else who uses your computer – did they make any changes? Or have problems? Ask them. You might find a relative, with just enough knowledge to be dangerous, altered the BIOS settings via instructions from their IT friend at work. Or maybe they had a problem, and tried a diagnostic CD you had lying around (keep those CDs hidden) and tried to fix the computer themselves. They ended with a DOS prompt and they typed FDISK which they thought meant “fix disk”.
Second, list out all the possible causes of the problem you’re experiencing. Anything you can think of – simple or complex. In fact, write them out on a sheet of paper. I would also suggest calling a few computer literate friends and using another computer to post on http://forum.pcmech.com for any ideas. Doing a search of the internet “Windows not loading” is often helpful. In the case of Windows not loading, the list might look like this:
POSSIBLE CAUSES OF WINDOWS NOT LOADING:
The motherboard is bad – problem with the hard drive controller
The hard drive isn’t running
The data / boot sector / the Windows program on the hard drive is bad
The connector to the hard drive is bad
The BIOS is set to not boot from the hard drive
The BIOS battery had failed, settings have been lost or scrambled
There is a bootable or semi-bootable CD in the CD drive
There is a bootable floppy in the floppy drive
There is one time glitch in the computer boot process
Power source
OK, now start testing these possibilities, trying the simplest ones first. First you would check the CD and floppy drives to make sure they’re empty. Then you would try to reboot the computer. A reboot is simple enough to do and it solves many problems. Always try a simple reboot first. The exception would be if there were other problems, like the hard drive making lots of noise, or if there was a burning smell.
After checking for disks in the CD and floppy drives and rebooting, if the problem still exists, try the other simple solutions. Check the connector to the hard drive. Make sure the metal connectors are clean and the connector is attached solid. You might then check the BIOS settings and the BIOS memory battery. In most cases you’ll find the problem is due to a simple cause that you can fix easily.
One thing that can cause weird and intermit problems on many computers is the internal power source. An out of spec voltage, or a voltage that varies, or a small voltage ripple, can cause problems that look like overheating, hard drive, or even software problems. On many computers the voltage is displayed during boot [you might have to disable the Windows screen to see this]. And they now have voltage alarms built in. Still, if you can’t find any other problem, swapping the power section might be a good idea.
I can’t connect to the internet on my home computer. there’s a symbol at the bottom in the right, that when I click on it says cable unplugged I cant’ find this cable.
check your network cable …make sure cable is hooked into your network card or modem on rear of pc… and that other end is secured into a Modem or router or telephone jack…then reboot gl
check your internet cable . first check your modem ya wifi i dont know your connection is wired ya wirless. full service are there for internet service provider. if you checked you internet staus then you check your cable and lan . cable jack also check. easy way to check you lan you hire to lan connector.
i think u solve this problem.
I need help. I have dell vista desktop. my computer has some problem I couldnt solve it. it starts fine but when it comes to user logging and when i type my password,it sound like it will bring th screen but it just shows my background picture. it seems like nothing comes up. I test the entire system but it didnt find anything. I dont know what it could be.
i know your problem some virus in your system. your pc should be restart then go to safe mode logging in administrator then go to my computer right click go to in manage then open user account. delete your account and restart again. login and and to see your data is safe . i think ur problem is solve.
Here’s a strange one.
Every time I power up my computer it takes two attempts. The first try runs at least through the blinking lights on the CD player. The power supply comes on, the CD is checked for boot, and then the whole thing just sits there – blank screen (no initialization whatsoever) with the PS fan quietly whirring.
Then,
I simply hit the reset (warm reboot) and it starts up normally – every time!
I haven’t a clue. If anyone out there can send me in the right direction I will become a one man walking marketing phenomena for this site.
Fully puzzled….
Hi,
I have a 3-4 year old gateway desktop with XP. Tried to start it this A.M. light come on and fan turns on inside CPU, but no sounds from the hard drive. Monitor shows nothing (like CPU never turned on) Any ideas ?
try opening pc and checking hard drive connector….or try a secondary hard drive..if it spins..then first hard drive could be bad…to prove this connect non spinning hard drive in a sec pc.. if it doesnt spin…well u know it,s bad
dont worry maan….dis pblm is due to smps is not working properly.1st u hav to check ur smps,hav idea for testing ur smps..ie shorted the wire of green and black…then see ur fan..its running then ur smps is good otherwise smps is not working….thats all…try it..bye
Everytime i install a program it works good while the pc is on, but when i turn it off and back on the next day the program that i installed is gone but windows xp works fine
after install verify that prog is added to programms on pc…and run a hard drive chkdsk…..
hello alonzo i think this is a problems of start up manager beause every time you off you computer then start in again that show you software again see to insatll. you instaoo tune up utilits software then go to increase sytem performance incide go to start up manager then delete for software in start manager. i think u solve this problem.
My internet pages won’t load sometimes. The circle at the top just keeps spinning. My Internet provider said everthing was working properly they said it was my computer but when my daughter hooks up her laptop same thing happens to her but when she’s on a diffrent network her computer runs fine. Does anyone think it’s my computer or is it my network?
network…sounds like firefox…lol..try using internet explorer to access online…i have that same problem too.
I really need help. My computer has been giving me crap for forever. Its a Windows XP laptop. I start it up, and it takes forever to load, then when I think it loads, and click on somthing it just freezes, so I have to try to restart it a million times, it does chkdsk, and everything, but it still does that. So I do the goback thing, and it works fine, but a couple days later, same thing. I keep loosing my important files, and its really stressing me out. please help. thanks
u have a trojan please download microsoft virus removal tool it,s a free trial…..GL
u have to use for norton antivirus beacuse this antivirus is best for every pc i know this antivirus is heavy but to provide to good protection.
My 2 year old, wellcared fo Acer Notebok 5100 has been running slowly so I transfered all my info onto an exterior harddrive, then I inserted the disk that came with the computer for reformatting (I’m not that computer savvy but I think you know the disks I mean that redo everything that came with you computer when you bought it.
It only will get to 5% completed until it goes dark again. I have tried taking the battery out and putting it back in as someone told me that sometimes helps. I have it plugged into wall socket,cords seem fine. Any suggestions? If it is motherboard problem, how do I know which one to get? I’ve tried putting AMD turion64 MK36 into various parts searches and no results.
clean and retry cd or try another os cd and ….gl
Thanks for your reply. I ended up deciding that it might be overheating so I put it in the freezer for 15 minutes, then left it in the freezer while I ran the restore disk. Worked like a charm. It installed all the way, but then I had to wonder why it was overheating if the fan was working. I took that back plate off……and yikes the fan was FULL of fuzz. (I don’t even put my lap top on my lap!) I carefully cleaned the fuzz out, had enough to make myself a poodle. I then covered the workings of the computer with a piece of paper and taped it so no dust could get in. I blew the fan area clean with an aerosal air blower. My computer has never worked so GOOD !
hmmmmmm thats risky in the freezer..happy u didnt ruin a circuit….mines heat up too a 4 month old Acer….i,ll check now regular the fans air vent…but no freezer…that can ruin the poor thing…ty for the reply
Didn’t leave it in there like a rump roast…just long enough to cool it and then to see if it would load up the disk (15 minutes) which told me the problem actually was overheating. The relative humidity is probably high in the freezer but probably no higher than some gulf coast states like Texas. So in that small amount of time I doubt it got below 40 degrees which is the temperature around here outside the freezer every morning.
After booting up my system works normal for the first 10 minutes and then shuts down on its own. I have to reboot the system and then it works fine the rest of the day. This has happened every day for 3 weeks. Any ideas.
i would advise a system restore…hit start button to accessories….then click on system tools and find restore….back it up about a month…..and it will reboot….gl
i was wondering would anyone have any advice
i have a problem with one of my desktops
when you turn it on, same mode comes up
whether you click ’start windows normally’ or leave it
it then restarts itself and loads windows xp
once windows xp loaded, a quick blue screen of death is flashed for a quick second
and it then restarts itself and loads windows xp and samething happens itself
over and over again
any ideas whats wrong or how to fix it?
Your Computer cant load win xp…damaged some how…hate to say it but u need to reinstall windows..u also said it flashes the blue screen of death….thats definitly a sign of a crashed hard drive….u can try resoring with a windows boot cd….but reinstall is more perfered a reinstall will also let u know if u have bad sectors on Hard Drive GL
oh ok thanks… so if resintalling doesnt work, would the hard drive be changed?
yes…………….The constant blue screen means something with the OS Programm cant be loaded…try reinstall if u get errors there then sounds like bad hard drive …………….gl
hi
i’ve tried reinstalling xp
which did work by the way
when i came to set up the wireless internet
it didnt see the wireless card
i installed the driver for the wireless card, it didnt pick up the the router
so i uninstalled it and reinstalled the driver again
and it still doesnt detect the router
theres nothing wrong with the modem or router
because so far i’ve got 2 laptops already set up on the same router
any ideas?
I have a laptop (IBM ThinkPad), running windows XP Pro service pak 3. Every time I try to download software the computer shuts down, ie., roxio, belkin wireless, adobe.
Hi, I have a problem that’s stumping me. My computer boots normally, and shows the WinXP load screen, but at the point where my background pic should come up and/or the Windows login dialog should start, both my screens go blank.
I can load Windows in safe mode with no display problems, which leads me to believe it’s not a video card problem. Can anybody advise me?
- Jack
My PC forgets the DAY< DATE AND TIME after the power has been off for the night. Something about BIOS error?
What is the problem and will it cost big bucks to fix?
I have a IBM thinkpad. My son was using it and every few minutes it would pop up that a virus had infected the system. Now It will start up and we are able to choose the user and then it will not load the desktop. SO I tried to work in safemode and it will not load. Is there something we can do or what can we do.
u said some virus in my computer yes some virus in your system i think u not saw your own data. so u use xp pre loader cd and back up of you own data then new install os. ok by
when i try to continue on different websites all i get is blank screen at the bottom of the screen it says done. Example: can go to my bank website click on netteller then all it is is a blank screen.
Hi Chris,
Just clear all the cookies and temporary files from your browser. Let me know once its over.
pls check you internet is working or not your internet is working then you use which explorer .beacuse some site not open in internet explorer i thin u use for firefox ya opera. i think your bank site is open in next time .