Chapter 7: Restarting a Problem PC

Overview

Quite honestly, any time you turn on your PC and it won’t start properly is a disaster.

After all, you have something you either want or need to do and this crucial tool is unavailable. It’s not like the PC is the luxury item it used to be; it’s basic equipment through which you work, study, create, communicate, and yes, even relax.

Too often, a PC that won’t start properly inspires such frustration or trepidation in users that it can be difficult to get a good idea of exactly what behavior the PC is exhibiting. Yet how it behaves can sometimes tell you much about the symptoms that are causing the crisis.

This chapter will help you through the process of performing an initial assessment of your PC crisis, show you how to check and rectify common causes of problems in starting your system, and instruct you about the different ways you can get into Windows if it won’t come up normally. Along the way, you’ll become familiar with troubleshooting methods you may have heard of before such as clean booting, Windows Safe Mode, and a helpful tool in Windows XP called Recovery Console.

Warning 

If disaster has your PC located in a dangerous situation—where water is present, where electrical wiring may be exposed and/or damaged, and so on—don’t try to fix it there. Cut power to the PC by disconnecting it from its power source. Move it to a safer location or wait until the dangerous aspects of your work area have been resolved before trying any of the steps outlined here.