Main Content:
Computer Will Not Boot
There are several reasons why someone might have trouble getting their computer to the login screen. Some simple troubleshooting can solve most of the problems you may encounter.
The monitor is blank and there is nothing on the screen
First try hitting the spacebar and see if the computer wakes up. It may have entered a power saving mode that is normal.
If the computer display does not come back, look at the power button on the monitor, (the part that looks like a TV screen) is the power on steady green? If it is not, try pushing the power button.
If the picture still does not come back, look at the computer case (the box with the CD-rom and floppy disk in it). You will likely see a power button and some status lights. One light usually indicates whether or not the computer is powered up. Usually you will also have lights for hard drive and network activity. Are any of the lights on? If they are not, push the power button.
If pushing the power button does not seem to power up the computer, check the power cords and surge strips. Make sure that the power cords are not loose and that the surge strip has not been turned off or been overloaded and tripped the circuit breaker (a small button that says press to reset/test). Also make sure that the surge strip is plugged into the wall.
If you are not getting power to anything on the surge strip, check the wall outlet. Try a different socket. If you get no power from the wall outlet, contact maintenance (x7262) to have them check the outlet. If the outlet has power but the surge strip does not, the strip maybe turned off, or overloaded and the breaker tripped. If you cannot get power to the surge strip call maintenance and request a replacement.
If the power lights are lit on both the monitor and computer case but you are still not getting any picture on the monitor, or you are getting a check signal cable warning on the monitor, or a flashing yellow power light on the monitor check to make sure the cable that connects the monitor to the computer as it is likely loose or disconnected.
If you are getting an error “signal out of range” on the monitor or the display appears to be scrambled it is likely due to a recent change in the monitor resolution. You will not be able to fix this yourself, call the helpdesk at 7243.
You see a computer screen that is solid blue with columns of numbers and letters (the notorious Blue Screen of Death).
The only way to recover from this error is to reboot the computer.
Push and hold the power button on the computer case until the computer shuts down (sometimes it takes 5-10 seconds). Release the button and wait 15 seconds.
Then push the power button again to turn the computer back on.
The computer should boot normally and should come back to the login screen with no further problems.
If the computer comes back to the Blue Screen of Death please record the error message
(I.E. beginning dump of physical memory IDQ less than or Equal to *)
We do not need the columns of numbers but the first few lines of text will tell us the reason the computer crashed and helps to speed up fixing the problem.
Seeing a blue screen of death on your computer does not always indicate a major problem with your computer. This can be caused by many factors like power spikes or memory errors, which can be fixed just by rebooting the computer.
But if the computer does not recover after a reboot, call the computer helpdesk and give them the error you are getting and we will be able to fix the problem.
If you have a black screen with an error code on it that says:
NTLDR missing replace system disk and press any key
This is usually caused by having a floppy disk in the floppy drive while you are trying to boot (our systems are set to boot to floppy disk first to allow us to troubleshoot problems more easily).
Remove the floppy disk from the system and reboot the computer.
Non-system disk error or no OS detected please hit F1 to retry (with a disk drive and keyboard image on screen)
Try rebooting the computer, if the computer returns to the same screen then there is a problem with your hard drive or the operating system and any data stored on your local hard drive may be lost. Call the computer helpdesk for assistance.
Windows has encountered a problem: The following file is either missing or corrupted (any file). This usually means that your operating system is damaged and will have to be reloaded. It also means that data on your local hard drive may be lost.
If you are rebooting the computer and you see a screen that tells you to Select a system profile or hit F1 to enter bios or any other screen that asks for user input before the standard login screen just let the computer select an answer on its own. The computer usually does not need you to do anything until the login screen appears.
If you do hit a key and end up at a screen that looks unfamiliar the best thing to do is reboot and let the computer start the boot up over.