Computer Won't Start

How to Troubleshoot
Computer Start Up Problems

Troubleshooting startup problems can be a bit tricky. There are lots of reasons why your computer might not start. Below are some steps to help you through the troubleshooting process.

Step 1 - Check Power

The problem could be as simple as the power cable is unplugged, or the surge protector is off. Check any wall switches that may be tied to the A/C outlet.

Try using a different A/C outlet if you can (or plug something else into the same outlet to verify it's working). You could also try using a different power cord.

If you've recently moved the computer for any reason, you might have accidentally hit the power switch in back of the computer. Try switching it and powering on again.

When you power on the computer, are there any lights? Can you see the fan on the power supply spinning? Do you hear the hard drive spinning? Do you hear any beeps (this could be the BIOS telling you what's wrong).

Another thing you can do to check power (if you're brave enough), is open the case and watch what happens when you power on the computer. Watch for lights on the motherboard. Watch the CPU fan to see if it spins. Listen to the hard drive to see if it's spinning. You don't have to touch anything here - just watch and listen.

If the power supply, CPU fan, and other hardware appears to be working, then continue on to the next step.

If the computer does not appear to have any power at all (and you know there is power in the A/C outlet, cords are plugged in and switches on, etc.) - you could have a dead power supply

Step 2 - Watch the Monitor

Is the monitor turned on? Do you see scrolling text on the monitor? If so, does the text stop scrolling at some point and the screen go dark? Do you hear any beeps? Does the monitor shut down after a minute or two?

If you see text scrolling on the monitor, it means that the computer is trying to boot - but something may be stopping it. It's important to note any error messages, beeps or if the monitor is shutting off after a minute or two.

If you can't get the computer to boot up to your desktop, the problem could be hardware related, or it could be a corruption in the Operating System (i.e., Windows).

At this point, you'd have to start ruling out hardware components one by one. One of the easiest ways to do this, is swap out parts if you have spares laying around.

If the problem is hardware related, swapping out a part of two should fix the problem. If the Operating System is corrupted, reinstalling the OS should fix the problem (but you'll most likely lose all your data in the process).

After replacing parts or reinstalling your Operating System, you should be able to boot to your desktop (and see your icons, start menu, etc.).

At this point, if you are still having software problems, you'll want to click here for more software troubleshooting steps.

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