How To Fix Windows Not Working

Windows 10 won't boot? Don't despair if your reckoner won't kickoff. At that place's a huge number of fixes out at that place. The trick is knowing which tools to apply first. Our advice is to start with the easiest fixes and, in order, movement to the harder ones.

i. Try Windows Safe Way

The easiest prepare for Windows 10 kick bug is Safe Way.

It is an alternative boot scheme that starts your estimator with a minimum of software. The modified kicking process tin featherbed commuter and software problems. The weird thing is, sometimes starting the computer in Safe Fashion can ready boot problems. It's not always clear what processes run in Safe Fashion, but experience has taught me it'due south an effective and easy ready.

If your computer doesn't boot, y'all might have problems entering Safe Mode. There are 2 relatively easy ways to get into it.

Method 1: Enter Safe Mode From Windows Recovery

Some unbootable computers freeze on the Windows splash screen.

However, you can force the figurer to enter Safe Mode past interrupting the kicking process three times in a row, which automatically triggers Windows Recovery. Once the Windows Recovery menu appears, do the following:

From the Cull an option recovery window, choose Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, and so Startup Settings.

From Startup Settings, you tin can reboot the computer into Safe mode, either with the internet-enabled or disabled. Either choice should work.

Method two: Rubber Mode with a Windows 10 Recovery Drive

If y'all cannot enter Safety way, y'all will need to create a Windows 10 USB recovery drive. The recovery drive contains the Windows 10 recovery environment—which used to exist accessible by tapping F8 on boot. Unfortunately, Microsoft decided to eliminate this feature.

Creating a recovery bulldoze requires another Windows 10 computer and a USB drive with at least 512MB of storage. If you want to create a system backup (you'll come across an option to back up system files to the recovery drive), you'll demand 16GB of storage.

Launch Control Panel > Create a recovery bulldoze.

And so follow the guided instructions.

Later creating the recovery bulldoze, yous can kicking your computer from it only if you've turned on USB drives as bootable from the Postal service environment, besides known as UEFI or BIOS. After enabling USB drives as bootable, insert the drive into your computer and restart (this may crave hitting the reset button or holding the power button downward for a few seconds).

2. Check Your Bombardment

If y'all're using a laptop, battery issues can cause boot problems. It'due south worth testing an alternating charger cable to see if that solves the trouble. Confirm that the cablevision is working past trying it out on another laptop. Next, remove your arrangement's bombardment and plug the device into a power source.

Removing the battery volition 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, 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 kicking because of a disharmonize with a USB device. Y'all tin solve this trouble past 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 can solve the problem. Other times, you may need to restart the reckoner.

4. Turn Off Fast Boot

There'south a setting inside your BIOS or UEFI called Fast Boot that allows Windows 10 to starting time faster by preloading drivers. Unfortunately, Windows Update can break Fast Boot compatibility. Fortunately, you tin can turn Fast Kicking on and off through your BIOS rather than inside Windows ten.

The method of inbound the BIOS/UEFI screen differs between computers. For instructions on finding the correct method for your estimator, please consult our guide to entering a computer'south UEFI/BIOS. For almost people, tapping the Delete key while booting should trigger the Mail service environment. The two other keys that might piece of work are F2 and Escape.

After entering BIOS or UEFI, the Fast Kicking selection is ordinarily office of the Avant-garde options, although it can be anywhere.

If yous don't see any Fast Boot entry, your computer was fabricated before 2013 as they did not include a Fast Boot pick.

v. Bank check Your Other BIOS/UEFI Settings

A misconfigured BIOS/UEFI tin prevent your desktop computer from starting.

BIOS/UEFI is a pre-boot environment containing the hardware settings for your computer. They're useful for recovery considering they piece of work fifty-fifty when Windows doesn't.

Accessing these settings requires launching your reckoner in BIOS mode. Once in BIOS mode, check the following settings:

Secure Boot

Secure Boot on the incorrect setting can crusade your reckoner non to commencement. You tin can disable Secure Kicking in the BIOS, but doing then may require that you reset Windows 10 to factory settings and/or reset your BIOS. Furthermore, disabling Secure Boot may finish you from upgrading to Windows 11.

The reason Secure Kicking causes bug is that it'due south designed to protect computers against malware. Because it checks the drivers and hardware loaded by Windows at startup, any driver or hardware component non recognized by the system volition generate an error at boot.

Secure Boot settings are located under Boot options. You can plough it on or off. It should exist set to Windows UEFI way instead of Other OS (usually Linux).

Compatibility Support Module (CSM)

A boot drive formatted using a BIOS arrangement requires an MBR partition table. A UEFI-formatted disk requires a GPT division table. CSM allows for the UEFI system to function every bit the older MBR system.

Reset Your BIOS Configuration

If your BIOS settings are incorrect, but you don't know how to fix them, sometimes resetting the BIOS/UEFI to manufacturing plant defaults fixes the effect.

6. Try a Malware Browse

Malware is a major crusade of an unbootable figurer. The best method for dealing with malware is a bootable antimalware rescue disk. I adopt Kaspersky'due south free disk as it only requires downloading the paradigm and using Etcher to image a flash drive or other writable deejay. Etcher works in Windows, macOS, and Linux.

You can and then boot into the afflicted computer using the rescue disk and remove malware preventing the computer from booting.

Please note that Kasperkey'south disk image requires a UEFI organisation. Encounter Footstep 5: Check Your Other BIOS/UEFI Settings for details.

Download: Kaspersky Rescue Deejay (Gratuitous)

7. Kick to Command Prompt Interface

It might nonetheless be possible to kicking into the Command Prompt. Using this interface, you lot can perform more troubleshooting procedures. You'll need to have Windows 10 on a bootable disk or USB drive to perform the process, so use another calculator to gear up that up earlier you become started.

To kicking to the Command prompt, start your estimator. While information technology's initializing, watch out for details of a combination of keys that volition allow you to enter the BIOS. This information is typically delivered aslope the vendor logo.

Navigate to the Boot tab and brand either the USB or DVD drive the first bootable device. Your choice here volition 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 deejay or bulldoze containing Windows ten into your arrangement, salvage your configuration, and restart your PC.

When prompted, use your keyboard to specify that yous desire to kicking using the disk or drive.

Enter the requested linguistic communication, currency, and input preferences, then select Repair your computer on the side by side screen. Side by side, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt, y'all should then see a window to enter commands.

8. Use Organization Restore or Startup Repair

If you're already booting Windows 10 from a deejay or drive, it'southward well worth utilizing a couple of utilities that are bachelor as part of the process. Once you've booted from the drive as detailed to a higher place, you lot'll get access to options that can get your PC dorsum on rail. Look out for links to Organization Restore and Startup Repair on the Advanced Options screen.

Arrangement Restore is a utility that allows you lot to return to a previous Restore Point when your computer was working normally. It can remedy kicking problems caused by a modify yous made rather than a hardware failure.

Startup Repair is a general-purpose troubleshooter for problems that prevent Windows from starting up. If you're struggling to observe the source of your boot problems, it'southward a good thought to run the utility in case it tin find a solution.

nine. Reassign Your Bulldoze Letter

A system with more than than one drive installed tin cause boot issues for Windows 10 users if their operating arrangement (OS) volume has its drive letter unintentionally unassigned. Yet, yous can fix this problem with a minimum of fuss past booting to the control prompt interface.

Kicking to a command prompt window as explained above, then enter the following to run the disk partition utility:

          diskpart

Once this is done, input listing volume to impress the details of all the volumes currently hooked upwards to your system. If your kick volume doesn't have a alphabetic character drive assigned, you will need to assign i.

To assign a alphabetic character to a drive, you can use the select and assign letter of the alphabet commands.

For instance, if I wanted to assign the letter Eastward to the Sound CD volume in the above image, I would first input select volume 0 and then input assign alphabetic character=E to complete the process.

Equally ever, be very careful when making changes in the command prompt. Making mistakes here can quickly cause farther problems with your PC.

10. Dodge the Windows 10 Bootloader

If y'all encounter problems while trying to reinstall Windows 10, yous may encounter the new version of the bootloader utility. This can sometimes interfere with booting an existing re-create of Windows.

Fortunately, there's a relatively straightforward way to remedy this state of affairs. Kick to the command prompt interface and enter the following:

          bcdedit /set            {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

Restart your computer, and you lot should find that the legacy bootloader interface has replaced the Windows 10 iteration. You should have no farther problems entering Windows 10 Safety Way or accessing your existing OS installation.

eleven. Try a Third-Party Utility

Figuring out the cause of the problem is the most challenging role of remedying boot problems. When your organisation tin't even kicking, it's difficult to diagnose the trouble. Nonetheless, a 3rd-political party utility chosen Kicking Repair Disk might accept more success.

Boot Repair Disk is an open-source rescue disk that you can use to automatically notice and ready bug preventing your PC from booting. It'south very easy to employ: you only accept to select whether you're using a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows. Tests and whatsoever fixes are carried out automatically, although there are options that allow for closer command.

It makes no guarantees of fixing your PC, but it may identify hidden problems.

12. Factory Reset

We're getting into more difficult and destructive repair options. Aside from a factory reset, the more hard options include restoring and refreshing your computer. Each has its ain advantages and weaknesses.

A factory reset destroys some apps and other data, but you can opt to proceed some of your files. A Windows x factory reset (Microsoft refers to this procedure equally just "reset") restores the computer to its default operating country.

13. Repair Update ("In-Place Upgrade")

The repair installation is similar to a factory reset, except in 1 big way: it completely reinstalls your operating system. Unfortunately, it requires downloading the entire Windows operating system, and you'll demand a functional Windows computer with an internet connection.

This method requires a functional computer, a DVD or USB drive, and an internet connectedness. More than or less, y'all must download and run the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool and use it to create a bootable installer.

This method is fairly circuitous, but the post-obit video tin can guide yous through the process.

Windows 10 Boot Problems: Stock-still!

Keep in mind that boot differs from Power On Self Exam (Post). A figurer that doesn't display a splash screen and can't even enter its BIOS or UEFI way needs its hardware diagnosed for issues.

Solving Windows 10 boot problems is worse than in previous Windows versions, thanks to the removal of an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-access Safe Mode. Yes, yous read me right. Microsoft removed the F8 choice for booting in Safe Mode to requite united states a two-second faster boot. That'southward why it'southward extra important that you apply a 16GB wink bulldoze to create a arrangement recovery bulldoze.

How to Troubleshoot Computer Hardware Problems