Sorting Out a Windows Startup Problem
There are quite a few different things that can cause a Windows startup problem. It can be caused by something getting deleted by mistake, a program that didn't install itself (or uninstall itself) properly, or the wrong "driver" software for a peripheral on the computer, to name a few.
If your computer is stopping partway through loading Windows - whether with an error message or just freezing up - there are a few possibilities.
Retrace Your Steps
The first thing to determine is whether you can trace the windows startup problem back to a specific event. Did the problem start after you installed a piece of software or a new device on your computer? Did it start after you received a strange looking email message?
If you can think of something that seemed to cause the error, you might be able to go back an "undo" it, if all goes well. How easy this is to do will depend on the version of Windows that you have on your computer. If you are running Windows Me or Windows XP, they both have a System Restore feature that will restore your computer to the way it was on a specific day and time.
Windows Me and XP System Restore
The first thing you'll need to do is restart your computer and start in "safe mode". This is a trimmed down way of starting Windows that doesn't load anything except the basic Windows system. If another program or driver is causing the Windows startup problem, this should bypass it.
- Restart your computer.
- Once you see the startup screen, start pressing the "F8" key on your keyboard. Keep pressing it until you see the Windows startup menu.
- Use the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard to move to "Safe Mode" and press enter.
If you don't see the startup menu, you might have pressed F8 too late. If Windows starts loading without seeing this menu, restart and try again.
Once you select safe mode in the startup menu, Windows should start like it normally does. When you get into Windows, you'll get a message that explains what safe mode is, which you can close (click OK).
If Windows still doesn't start, even in safe mode, the Windows startup problem is more serious than this article can address. At that point, it is possible that Windows might need to be reinstalled completely. If you're not comfortable tackling that job, it is probably time to visit your local service center for computer tech help.
If your computer did start in safe mode, you can now run the System Restore program. Click on the Start button, choose All Programs (Programs in Windows Me), then Accessories, then System Tools, then click on System Restore.
Click picture for a larger view
When the System Restore program opens, you'll have two options - restore to an earlier time or create a restore point. Choose "Restore my computer to an earlier time" and click Next.
On the next screen, you'll see a calendar with some or all dates bolded. Any of the dates that are in bold are days that have a "restore point" saved that you can go back to. If you were able to trace your Windows startup problem back to a specific installation or other event, click on the most recent day BEFORE that program was loaded. Once the date is highlighted, click Next.
You should read through the information on the next screen so you know what is going to happen, but it basically says the process won't destroy any files you've saved, email, etc., it is completely reversible and it will need to restart your computer to complete the process.
Once you click next on this screen, Windows restores itself and restarts automatically. Once it has restarted, you will know pretty quickly if it solved your Windows startup problem. If Windows starts up properly, the problem was solved by restoring the system. If it still doesn't start up properly, there is likely something wrong that is more complicated than the scope of this article. Again, at this point it may require a complete reinstall of Windows or another more in-depth solution and may be the sort of PC help best suited for a service technician to tackle.
Just a note regarding this process being reversible. When you restore to an earlier day or time, Windows creates a new restore point *before the restore is done* in case the restore causes a problem. If for some reason you need to reverse the restore, you go through the same process as above and restore to the date that you ran System Restore. (I hope that makes sense... my head is spinning just writing it!) Of course, undoing a restore will likely bring the problem back as well, so it may not be a good idea.
Windows Startup Problem Troubleshooting for Win 95/98 & 2000
Windows 95, 98 and 2000 don't have the automated System Restore feature, so it's not quite as simple. With these versions of Windows, all you can really do is uninstall a program that might be causing the problem. Again, if you can trace your problem back to a specific program being installed, removing it might solve the Windows startup problem.
As with the newer versions of Windows, the first thing to do is start in Safe Mode.
- Restart your computer.
- Once you see the startup screen, start pressing the "F8" key on your keyboard. Keep pressing it until you see the Windows startup menu.
- Use the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard to move to "Safe Mode" and press enter.
If you don't see the startup menu, you might have pressed F8 too late. If Windows starts loading without seeing the menu, restart and try again.
Once Windows starts up in Safe Mode, click on the Start Menu and then Control Panel. When the Control Panel opens up, double-click on the Add/Remove Programs item.
A list of all the programs you have installed on the computer will come up. Find the one that you suspect could be the cause of the problem and click on it (once only). Click the Remove button to uninstall it. You will be asked to confirm that you want to remove it, then it will be uninstalled.
Once this process is finished, restart your computer. If all goes well, your Windows startup problem will be solved and Windows will boot just fine. If you still get the error, it's probably time for the repair shop to get involved.