Windows 10 Won't Boot?
12 Fixes to Get Your PC Running Again
Is your Windows 10 PC not booting? Check out these helpful fixes that can restore your PC and get it to start up.
Few computer issues are quite as
frustrating as a PC that refuses to boot up.
When your system can't even initialize, it's difficult to make any headway in
locating the source of the problem.
Of course, there's no reason to
despair if your Windows 10 PC is not booting. Even if things look bleak for
your PC, you can try plenty of fixes before it's truly beyond repair. Windows
10 offers several methods of sorting out the boot process, and there are a few
easy techniques you can carry out for yourself.
With any luck, this guide should
help find the culprit behind your computer's unwillingness to boot.
1.
Try Windows Safe Mode
The most bizarre fix for Windows 10
boot problems is Safe Mode. It is an alternative boot scheme that starts your
computer with a minimum of software. The modified boot process can bypass
driver and software problems. The weird thing is, sometimes starting
the computer in Safe Mode can fix boot problems. It's not clear to me what
processes run in Safe Mode, but experience has taught me it's an effective and
easy fix.
If your computer won't boot,
however, you might have problems entering Safe Mode.
There are two relatively easy ways to get into it.
Method
1: Enter Safe Mode From the Windows Recovery
Most unbootable computers
"hang" (or not progress beyond) the Windows splash screen. (For other
Windows issues, please consult our guide to Windows
troubleshooting.)
From here, you can force the
computer to enter Safe Mode by interrupting the boot process three times in a
row, which automatically triggers the Windows Recovery. From the Choose
an option recovery window, choose Troubleshoot, then Advanced
options, and then Startup Settings.
From Startup Settings, you can reboot
the computer into Safe mode, either with the internet enabled or disabled.
Either option should work.
Method
2: Safe Mode with a Windows 10 Recovery Drive
If you cannot enter Safe mode, you
need to create a Windows 10 USB recovery drive. The recovery drive contains the
Windows 10 recovery environment---which used to be accessible by tapping F8 on
boot. Unfortunately, Microsoft decided to eliminate this feature.
Creating a recovery drive requires
that you have another Windows 10 computer and a USB drive with at least 512MB
of storage. If you want to create a system backup (you'll see an option to back
up system files to the recovery drive), you'll need 16GB of storage.
Launch Control Panel >
Create a recovery drive.
Then follow the guided instructions.
After creating the recovery drive,
you can boot your computer from it only if you've turned on USB drives as bootable from the POST environment, also known as UEFI or BIOS. After enabling USB
drives as bootable, insert the drive into your computer and restart (this may
require hitting the reset button or holding the power button down for a few
seconds).
2.
Check Your Battery
If you're using a laptop, battery
issues could cause boot problems. It's worth testing an alternate charger cable
to see if it solves the problem. Confirm that the cable is working by trying it
out on another laptop. Next, remove your system's battery and plug the device
into a power source.
Removing the battery will help you
discover if a hardware problem is to blame. The key here is to ensure that
you're only testing one element at any given time. If power issues interfere
with the startup, it's crucial that you know whether the battery, the charging cable,
or another component requires replacement.
3.
Unplug All Your USB Devices
A serious issue with Windows 10
updates is that sometimes your computer won't boot because of a conflict with a
USB device. You can solve this problem by unplugging all USB devices (and any
other unneeded peripherals) and restarting the computer.
If your computer stays on the same
loading screen, removing all USB devices automatically solves the problem.
Other times, you may need to restart the computer.
4.
Turn Off Fast Boot
There's a setting inside of your
BIOS or UEFI called Fast Boot that allows Windows 8 and newer
operating systems to boot very rapidly by preloading drivers. Unfortunately,
Windows updates can break Fast Boot compatibility. Fortunately, Fast Boot can
be toggled on and off through your BIOS.
The method to enter the BIOS/UEFI
screen differs between computers. For instructions on how to find the correct
way for your computer, please consult our guide to finding a computer's
UEFI/BIOS. For most people, tapping the Delete key
while booting should trigger the POST environment. Two other common keys that
might work are F2 and Escape.
After entering the BIOS or UEFI, the Fast Boot option normally is part of the Advanced options, although it can be anywhere.
If you don't see any Fast Boot entry, your
computer was made before 2013 as they did not include a Fast Boot option.
5. Try a
Malware Scan
Malware is a major cause of an unbootable
computer. The common method of dealing with malware that causes boot problems
is an anti-malware program that can boot from a USB or DVD drive. Some
companies provide this software for free, such as BitDefender's rescue CD. One
of my favorites is AVG Rescue CD [Broken Link Removed] (it can be installed
onto a USB drive, despite the name).
After imaging the CD onto a USB drive, you
can then boot the afflicted computer up with the drive inserted. If you've set
the computer to boot from the rescue drive, it will start in the AVG rescue
environment. Then perform the malware scan.
Download: AVG Rescue CD (Free)
6. Boot to the Command Prompt Interface
When your computer can't boot properly, it
really can't do much at all. However, it might still be possible to boot
directly to the Command Prompt to expand its range of abilities. Using this
interface, you can perform more troubleshooting procedures, and perhaps even
fix your problem. You'll need to have Windows 10 on a bootable disk or USB drive to carry out the
procedure, so use another computer to set that up before you get started.
To boot to the Command prompt, start up
your system. While it's initializing, watch out for details of a combination of
keys that will allow you to enter the BIOS. This
information is typically delivered alongside the vendor logo.
Navigate to the Boot tab
and make either the USB or DVD drive the first bootable device. Your choice
here will depend on where your copy of Windows 10 is located. Again, the
specifics of this process may vary from one system to another, so consult the
on-screen instructions.
Next, insert the disk or drive containing Windows 10 into your system, save your configuration, and restart your PC.
When prompted, use your keyboard to specify
that you want to boot using the disk or drive. Enter the requested language,
currency, and input preferences, then select Repair your computer on
the next screen. Next, select Troubleshoot > Advanced
Options > Command Prompt, you
should then see a window to enter commands.
7. Use System Restore or Startup Repair
If you're already booting Windows 10 from a
disk or drive, it's well worth utilizing a couple of utilities that are
available as part of the process. Once you've booted from the drive as detailed
above, you'll get access to options that can get your PC back on track. Look
out for links to System Restore and Startup
Repair on the Advanced Options screen.
System Restore is a utility that allows you to return to a previous Restore Point when your computer was working normally. It can remedy boot problems that were caused by a change you made, rather than a hardware failure.
Startup Repair is a general-purpose troubleshooter for issues that prevent Windows from starting up. If you're struggling to find the source of your boot issues, it's a good idea to run the utility in case it can find a solution.
8. Reassign Your Drive Letter
diskpart
A system with more than one drive installed can cause boot issues for Windows 10 users if their operating system (OS) volume has its drive letter unintentionally unassigned. However, you can fix this problem with a minimum of fuss by booting to the command prompt interface.
Boot to a command prompt window as explained above, then enter the following to run the disk partition utility:
Once this is done, input list volume to print details of all the volumes currently hooked up to your system.
As ever, be very careful when making changes in the command prompt. Making mistakes here can quickly cause further problems from your PC.
9. Dodge the Windows 10 Bootloader
If you run into problems while trying to make a fresh installation of Windows 10, you may encounter the new version of the bootloader utility. This can sometimes interfere with attempts to reach an existing OS installation that's present on another drive.
Fortunately, there's a relatively straightforward way to remedy this situation. Boot to the command prompt interface and enter the following:
bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacyRestart your computer, and you should find that the legacy bootloader interface has replaced the Windows 10 iteration. You should have no further problems entering Windows 10 Safe Mode or accessing your existing OS installation.
10. Try a Third-Party Utility
Figuring out what exactly is the cause of the problem is the most challenging part of remedying boot issues. When your system can't even boot, it's difficult to diagnose the problem. However, a third-party utility called Boot Repair Disk might have more success.
Boot Repair Disk is an open-source rescue disk that you can use to automatically find
and fix issues preventing your PC from booting up. It's very easy to use---you
only have to select whether you're using a 32-bit or 64-bit version of
Windows. The test and any fixes are carried out automatically,
although there are options that allow for more close control.
It makes no guarantees to fix your PC, but
it may well be able to pinpoint hidden problems.
11. Factory Reset
We're getting into the more difficult and
destructive repair options at this point. Aside from a factory reset, the more
difficult options include restoring and refreshing your computer. Each has its
own advantages and weaknesses. If you've tried all the other options, you're
probably frustrated.
Go
for a factory reset. You'll lose some
apps and other data, but you can opt to keep some of your files. A Windows 10 factory reset (Microsoft refers to this
process as just "reset") restores the computer to its default
operating state.
12. Repair Update ("In-Place Upgrade")
The repair installation is similar to a
factory reset, except in one big way: it completely reinstalls your computer.
Unfortunately, it requires downloading the entire Windows operating system and
you'll need a functional Windows computer with an internet connection.
This method requires that you have a
functional computer, a DVD or USB drive, and an internet connection. More or
less, you must download and run the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool and use it to
create a bootable installer.
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