If your Windows 11/10 PC or Laptop won’t start up or boot or the computer has power but won’t turn on, here are a few possible solutions you may want to try. There are mainly two scenarios. First, your computer does not get any power at all. Or that it gets the power but does not turn on. You need to confirm your problem, review our entire list of suggestions, and see which may apply to your case.
Windows computer will not boot up, start or turn on
If your Windows PC won’t boot to the Desktop or start after a Reset, Windows Update, etc., here are a few troubleshooting steps to fix the issue.
- Check SMPS
- Check RAM and Hard Drive
- Unplug all external devices
- Boot into Safe Mode or Advanced Startup Options
- System Restore
- Uninstall Windows Updates
- Automatic Startup Repair
- Go back to the previous version
- Reset BIOS to default
- Repair Master Boot Record (MBR)
You will need an administrator account and a clear understanding when it comes to the technical aspects of the post.
Windows fails to boot
1] Check SMPS
SMPS or Switched-Mode Power Supply is the accessory connected to the main power supply. When you switch on the power supply, the SMPS gets it first, and then it distributes the power supply among other components. If your SMPS is not healthy, your system will not boot up.
Read: Laptop won’t turn on but Power Light is on
2] Check RAM and Hard Drive
RAM is another important part that you need to check. So disconnect the RAM, clean it up very gently, and put it back. Do the same with the Hard Drive. It is recommended to take the help of an experienced person if you do not know these things.
Read: Total identified Windows installations 0
3] Unplug all external devices
Sometimes hardware can create such problems as well. Try unplugging all the external devices and checking whether your system is booting up. You must disconnect the printer, external hard disk, card reader, other USB devices (except keyboard and mouse), etc.
Read: No bootable image found, notebook will shutdown
4] Boot into Safe Mode or Advanced Startup Options
Can you boot in Safe Mode? If you can, then it makes things easier. If you have recently installed any driver or software, you can boot Windows 10 in Safe mode and troubleshoot. If you had already enabled the F8 key earlier, things are easier as you press F8 while booting to enter Safe Mode.
If you cannot enter Safe Mode, you may have to boot into your PC with your Windows Installation Media or Recovery Drive and select Repair your computer to enter Troubleshoot > Advanced Startup Options > Command Prompt. You can now use CMD to run commands. You may use a Windows 10 DVD or a bootable USB drive or burn Windows ISO to a USB drive using another computer and then use it.
To boot you into the Advanced Startup Options screen, press Shift and Restart. Here you see several options to troubleshoot.
In either case, once you have entered Safe Mode or accessed the Advanced Options, you can use several options to troubleshoot further.
This post will show you Reset Windows 11 using Advanced Startup Options when the PC won’t boot.
Post that may help you if your computer does not boot:
- Windows computer unable to boot to BIOS
- Windows does not boot after compressing System Drive
- Computer boots to black or blank screen with a blinking cursor
- Windows computer won’t boot with second hard drive plugged in
- Windows computer won’t boot after System Restore.
5] System Restore
If you entered Safe Mode or Advanced Startup Options, you could use System Restore. In Advanced Options, you will find that option in Troubleshoot > Advanced options menu.
Related: Laptop says Locking then Shuts off and won’t Turn on.
6] Uninstall Windows Updates
An official Windows update can also break your system apart from third-party drivers. If you have recently installed any Windows Update and following that, your Windows PC is not booting up, you can start the PC in Safe Mode and uninstall that update.
Fix: Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed
7] Automatic Startup Repair
Automatic Startup Repair is a useful function for Windows 10 users that lets you fix various problems blocking your system from booting up. It can scan for partition-related issues, system file issues, driver problems, and many more. You will see it here – Advanced Startup Options > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
Read: It looks like Windows didn’t load correctly
8] Go back to the previous version
It is quite easy to rollback & uninstall Windows 10, or rollback to the previous version of Windows, or go back to an earlier build of Windows where you can access the regular Windows 11/10 desktop interface. If you cannot do that, open the Advanced Startup options page > Troubleshoot > Advanced options and click on Go back to the previous version option. It will not delete any personal files, but you may not find the same app settings.
Related: HP laptop won’t turn on or charge
9] Reset BIOS to default
If you have recently made any change in BIOS and then started facing this problem, maybe this is when you revert the change or reset BIOS settings to default values. To open BIOS settings, you must restart your computer and press F2 or F9 (based on the motherboard manufacturer). Once there, find the corresponding option and reset BIOS to default settings.
Fix: The selected boot device failed error on Windows
10] Repair Master Boot Record (MBR)
There are many reasons why MBR can get corrupted, and malware is one of the most common causes. Enter Safe Mode or Advanced Startup Options and run the Command Prompt to repair MBR.
TIP: This post may interest IT admins – Windows Startup & Boot problems – Advanced Troubleshooting.
More suggestions that could help you fix your problem:
How to Hard Reset PC to Start Windows?
First, shut down the computer by pressing and holding the power button. Once the computer is powered off, unplug the power cable from the computer and wait for a few seconds. Then, press and hold the power button for at least 30-40 seconds to drain any remaining power from the system. After that, plug the power cable back in and press the power button to start the computer.
Read: Lenovo laptop won’t turn on
When should I press F8 on startup?
F8 boots the PC into advanced recovery; hence, you need to press and hold as soon as your PC starts or when you press the power button. This menu allows you to access various troubleshooting and diagnostic tools, such as Safe Mode and the Command Prompt,
