Top 10 causes of a Non-Booting PC or laptop – and, in some cases how to fix these.
During the past 23 years or so, these are some of the problems I’ve found that cause most of boot/non starting problems with a PC or laptop.
Software issues: Viruses, malware, or system crashes can lead to booting problems – very common. These will usually lead to the dreaded BSOD or Blue Screen Of Death but with newer versions of Windows will usually activate a “startup recovery” which is great if it works but , if not, not so helpful especially if you do not understand the tools available. I think Microsoft frightened some people off using some of the tools in the “advanced” section when some are basic like rolling back an update.
Faulty power supply: A failing power supply can prevent a computer from starting – moreso with Desktop PCs. Telltale sign are no lights or sound. With laptops check that the power supply is plugged into the wall socket and these are usually warm to the touch.
Hardware issues: Faulty hardware such as bad RAM, motherboard, or GPU can cause booting problems. Often these follow on from random crashes, poor performance. There are ways to test but outside the scope of this blog.
Peripheral devices: Attached peripherals like external hard drives or USB drives might cause power or driver conflicts. Unplug everything apart from the keyboard and mouse and power on.
Newly installed hardware or drivers: Incompatible or corrupt hardware drivers or recently installed hardware can prevent the system from booting. New desktop build? Check the Front Panel Connectors are correctly inserted – check the motherboard manual or the diagram on the motherboard – easier to do when the motherboard is outside the case!
Corrupt system files: Corrupted system files or bad sectors on the hard drive can prevent the machine from starting. Also check that nothing is causing a short circuit. Test with the motherboard is outside the case if this is a new build.
BIOS/UEFI settings: Incorrect settings, such as boot order or disabled components may result in boot failures if anything has been changed or an overclock has been attempted. On most BIOS/UEFI you can reset to default settings.
Overheating: Overheating due to insufficient cooling or dust accumulation could cause the system to fail to boot but this is usually after a extended period of use.