Desktop pc reluctance to launch.

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neilrr

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My old desktop (running Windows 10) has recently developed an annoying habit where it doesn't fire up first time when turned on. It starts to go & then doesn't complete the process, leaving me with a blank black screen. I have to manually turn it off at the wall & then turn it on again, sometimes 3,4,5 times before it will launch properly. If I leave it alone for an hour or more the black screen appears & pressing & clicking any number of buttons changes nothing.

Dunno what happened but I think this started around the same time I clicked 'close & update' instead of the normally chosen 'close' a couple of weeks back.

Is this a hard ware problem (cold start valve?) or software & anyone got any ideas on how to fix it?

Ta.
 
If it happened after an update, chances are it's the update that caused the problem, this happens a lot.

Could also be a million and one software issues causing this, or a failing hard drive.

I would use the "reset this pc" option, if you have lots of files you can use the keep files setting, but sometimes a good fresh install is best.
 
I get the same problem, it helped me when I turned off the PC using the on/off button rather than turning it off on the wall socket. Just hold the button in and it will turn off without cutting power completely.
 
How old is the desktop....might need replacing.....mine is 10 years old and is in dire need of a new graphics card....(already has a SSD which might help you).
 
Does ir boot into safe mode? Next time you get it booted, check in the updates and see if it actually updated or not. You can also do a system restore and see if it resolves it
 
Is it (now) running the 2004 W10 update?
That only just works on low spec / old machines.

Driver issues sit behind many problems with most updates(it's still worth the update though)

Manually going through Device Manager and checking for updates may help
 
I'd run a disk check for system errors and if that doesn't work then "reset this PC". In the end there is no substitute for a fresh install of windows. I do it roughly ever 12 months to freshen things up. With the widows installation files on a bootable USB drive and data files stored in the cloud it can become a simple exercise. With modern PC's there is no windows licence to enter as Microsoft will detect if it's previously had a legitimate installation and compare that with what it has stored on it's servers. Installing windows has never been easier or quicker.
 
Is it (now) running the 2004 W10 update?
That only just works on low spec / old machines.

Driver issues sit behind many problems with most updates(it's still worth the update though)

Manually going through Device Manager and checking for updates may help
I'm running W10 on a 2010 machine and it is still good (a SSD will make a big difference on an old machine) but mine now struggles with some of the photo editing software I use. Especially the s/w with "Ai". I only use it for photo editing and Arduino IDE so may get a cheap graphic card upgrade.
 
New here and don't know much about my R129 yet ;-) - but IT is my specialist subject - 20+ years as my day job.

I'd say almost certainly not software related, as you say it is intermittent - software is just code that translates to electronic ones and noughts at a basic level, and will predictably give the same result every time (assuming good hardware). The fact that it started to happen 'around the same time you did an update a few weeks ago is what we call a 'false positive'. The best advise so far is from 190 above. You need to run some decent hardware diags from a boot CD\USB pen drive - HDD would be my guess as being dodgy but wouldnt hurt to test RAM either. You may also have a failing PSU, or if the PC is more than 7 - 8 years old check the tops of the motherboard capacitors for signs of bulging and leaking brown\yellow dielectric juice.
If your HDD is a SATA spinner disk I'd bin it anyway in preference for an SSD
Simply re-installing Windows without first ascertaining that you have a sound base to install it on is a fools errand. It may well work fine for a while but dodgy hardware components can and will lead to software corruption - and worse still, data loss. The new W10 servicing model effectively re-installs your OS for you every time it does a full version update (180* to 190* etc), however in my experience there is nothing to beat a fresh install.

Euphoria n The brief feeling experienced following an upgrade prior to a fresh install..
 
I would start by disconnecting any additional USB drives/devices attached - then do a clean boot; once booted run windows updates.

If its hanging with a blank screen during boot up, its trying load/update some drivers for some device that is installed/attached, and thus sitting there.
 
Turned out it was the monitor & nothing to do with the PC.
 

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