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I recently attempted to boot up my old desktop computer that had lain dormant for a period of three years or so, only to find that nothing would work. The power pack appears to be fine, i.e. 12v at both hard drives etc. I have renewed the CMOS battery all to no avail. The only other info that I can offer you is that the processor fan is working and the hard drive indicator lamp is lit. Could it be a problem with the bios?

Since the computer has sat for such a long time, you are in great shape with so many parts intact and working. We’ll do a bit of troubleshooting and see if we can get you up and running. It sounds as though you have checked out the power sources (i.e. CMOS battery and power pack.) Plus, you must have electrical connectivity or you wouldn’t see the indicator lamp or know that the fan is working. Try the tips listed below to see if you can get the computer going at all.

Dealing with an Unresponsive Computer: Connections

Unplug the computer from the electricity, ground yourself, and open the tower so that you can make sure that the memory modules are seated securely. If they have gotten loose, then the computer would have a problem starting up.

Dealing with an Unresponsive Computer: Boot up in “Safe Mode”

The first step that you should try is to boot up in “Safe Mode.” This strategy often lets the computer boot up since it uses the least amount of applications and drivers. Why does this make a difference? It makes a difference because fewer programs and services starting up mean less chance for errors to occur. To boot up in “Safe Mode,” try the following:

1)      Turn on the power to the computer.

2)      As soon as you hear noise of any kind, press the “F8″ key on the keyboard. If this doesn’t work the first time, keep trying as it might take a bit to get the timing down correctly. Plus, you’ll need to continually press the “F8″ key until Windows starts to load in “Safe Mode.”

3)      Use the “arrow” keys to select “Safe Mode.”

4)      At this point, if you have gotten into the computer, you should use some of these strategies: scanning the computer for spyware if it has been connected to the Internet in the past, cleaning the registry, and using the “Device Manager” to check to see if any problems exist with any of the peripheral devices that you are using with the computer. Note that the next time that you boot up, the computer should start in “Normal Mode.”

Dealing with an Unresponsive Computer: Installation Disk

Look around and see if you can find the installation disk for the computer. If you have it, then you can use it to start up the computer. When you see the option to “Repair” the operating system (Windows), select that option.

Dealing with an Unresponsive Computer: Peripherals

If you have a lot of extra peripheral devices connected to the computer, try disconnecting those that you don’t need right away. This includes any speakers, headphones, or microphones. You can also open the “Device Manager” if you are able to get the computer to boot up to see if any peripheral devices or drivers are creating a problem.

Dealing with an Unresponsive Computer: Dirt and Grime

With the computer disconnected, check it out for signs of dust, dirt, and grime. Use a can of compresses air to clean the computer out, especially the fan.

Dealing with an Unresponsive Computer: Check the CD and Floppy Drives

If you can get the computer on, see if any floppy disks or CDs have been inadvertently left in the drives. If they have, take them out since this can lead to problems booting up a computer.

My laptop will not activate and when it is powered up the light comes on but the screen is blank and nothing but the on light comes on any ideas what this could be?

Check your Disk Drive for Foreign Objects

There are a few different possibilities for this problem - some are very simple, and others are a little more complex. Let’s start with the simple. When you turn your computer on with a CD or DVD in the disk drive, the computer assumes that it is an operating system start up disk, and it will try to boot from the disk. However, if the disk is not what the computer is expecting, it will hang and display a black screen, like the one you are describing. To check, open the drive and make sure that there isn’t a disk inside. Turn the computer off, give it a minute to rest, then power up normally and see if the problem has resolved.

Corrupt Component Error

If there’s nothing in the drive, then we move on to the slightly more complicated. The black screen error might be a result of a corrupt component, such as the master boot record or boot sector. In this case, the corrupt component interferes with the computer’s pre-set boot sequence and would result in a black screen. To troubleshoot this error, you will need to have your original Windows CD ROM. If you don’t have one, you can try getting in touch with Microsoft for a replacement.

Repair your Windows Operating System Installation

You can now attempt to repair your operating system installation, which will hopefully adjust the configuration and resolve the error.

1. Put the Windows CD in the drive and reboot the computer to boot from the disk
2. On the Welcome to Setup screen, press Enter
3. Press F8 to accept the license
4. Use your keyboard arrow keys to choose your installation and press R
5. Allow the process to run and follow any instructions you’re offered
6. When complete, go to Windows Update to update your software
7. Visit your antivirus software website and re-update your virus definitions
8. Run a virus scan

I hope this works, if not, there are some much more advanced troubleshooting steps that we could walk you through so let us know if you need more assistance. You can also get in touch with a remote technician to go through the more advanced stages. We recommend the remote assistance offered here. Good luck!

Computer will not boot. Will turn on but not boot.

When a computer will turn on, but it won’t boot, it is usually indicative of a problem with missing files, broken files, or corrupt files. It can also be the result of a hardware-related issue or a virus or spyware infection. This type of problem requires a bit of trial and error.

Solving Windows Startup Errors: Boot up in “Safe Mode”

Since it uses the fewest applications and drivers, booting up in “Safe Mode” is the easiest strategy to try when experiencing problems with the computer. Follow these simple directions to access “Safe Mode” and get your computer up and running smoothly. First, turn the power on and immediately begin to press the “F8″ key on the keyboard. Hopefully, this works and gets you to the window where you can select “Last Known Good Configuration” or “Safe Mode.” If this works, skip to the directions for running a scan for spyware and computer viruses. If it doesn’t work, continue with the next strategy.

Solving Windows Startup Errors: Installation Disk

See if you have the installation disk that came with the computer. If you do, then you can use it to repair the operating system and get your computer booted up.

Solving Windows Startup Errors: Purchase a Replacement Installation Disk

If you don’t have the installation disk, it is possible that you might be able to purchase one from the manufacturer of the computer or Microsoft. Check into that possibility by contacting them directly.

Solving Windows Startup Errors: Peripherals

It is possible that you have one or more cables that belong to the computer’s peripherals loose. This can also create problems booting up. Check the cords for each device including the keyboard, monitor, mouse, etc. Unplug each one at both ends when necessary and plug it back in. Additionally, if you are getting sound, but no information is appearing on the monitor, consider using a secondary monitor to see if perhaps the monitor is dead.

Solving Windows Startup Errors: Motherboard

If you aren’t getting any sound at all from the computer when you turn it on, it is possible that the motherboard or one of the other internal components is fried. If so, then you will need to take the computer into a shop for diagnosis and to replace the damaged hardware.

If you are getting sounds, but nothing is happening, try using a can of compressed air to clean the computer and free it up (especially the fan) from dirt and dust.

Solving Windows Startup Errors: Scan for Viruses and Spyware

In case the problem is related to a computer virus or spyware, once you get the computer booted up, you should scan it with a good anti-spyware/anti-virus application. If you don’t have one to use, I can recommend that you try Anti-VirusPLUS.

The power cable was disconnected from my computer and the battery drained to 0%. Now when I turn it on it ‘Prepares a Desktop’ and says this is a temporary desktop and anything I do in this session will not be saved. The desktop looks the way it did when I first got it. I’ve tried a few things, like creating a new user account and trying to log on using that but nothing works, just the same desktop every time.

Temporary Desktop

This sounds to me as though the user account profile has become damaged. Technically, creating a new user account should do the trick but that didn’t work. I’m going to refer you to a Microsoft Knowledge Base article (947242) as well as a detailed “Your User Profile was not Loaded Correctly” tutorial (Vista). Please read both articles and see if they apply to your situation.

If these articles do not apply, I have a few other ideas that might get you back in business.

System File Checker

When computers lose their power unexpectedly or shutdown incorrectly, files can become damaged. A built-in tool called the System File Checker is used for scanning your operating system for damaged files and then replacing them with fresh copies from your Windows installation CD. Go dig out your CD and insert it into the drive. Go to Start > Run and type in: sfc \scannow.

This won’t do much for repairing your user profile, but it may repair other system files that are interfering with your computer’s ability to create new user accounts.

System Restore

Did you try using System Restore after this happened? If not, I’d give it a whirl. System Restore is a terrific tool for situations like this - if your computer has a good restore point that is. If you have Windows Vista, your computer will have System Protection on by default. If you have Windows XP, you will have had to set it up manually at some point. In either case, it’s worth checking.

Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Check to see if you have a Restore Point for a date prior to the battery draining incident. If so, rollback your computer and all of its system settings to that date. This will not affect your data whatsoever. However, if you’ve installed software or updates since then, those will need to be reinstalled.

Whenever I turn my computer on, a black screen with this message appears: “Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: system32ntoskrnl.exe. Please re-install a copy of the above file.” Pressing any button just causes the computer to restart and the message appears again. Please help?

What is the System32ntoskrnl.exe File?

Windows is loaded with hundreds of processes and system files needed in order to run. The System32/notskrnl.exe file is a program that is responsible for a number of critical Windows functions including kernel and executive services, memory and process management, hardware virtualization, cache management, and much more. Without it, your computer cannot function.

Because your computer relies on this vital file, reinstalling it is a must. While your computer is stuck in a loop, this may seem like a daunting prospect. Fortunately, if you have your original Windows CD, you should be able to boot from the CD and repair your operating system.

Check the Keyboard

Before we move through the complexities of repairing the operating system, I want you to disconnect your keyboard and see if the computer will boot. A faulty keyboard can generate this same error message, so let’s rule that out. If the computer boots, albeit with a “keyboard not found” error, then we know to replace the keyboard. If not, then dig out that old Windows installation CD and get ready to repair the operating system.

Repairing Windows XP

Insert your disc and reboot the computer. Your operating system should detect a bootable CD and prompt you to press a key to boot from disc. Go ahead and press a key. You will see a Windows XP Setup menu. Press R to enter the Recovery Console. Enter your administrative password and then type the following:

expand d:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ c:\windows\system32

Note that if your CD drive letter is anything other than “d,” you will need to enter the appropriate drive letter just before the “:\i386. . .” When prompted to overwrite the file. Press the Y key and then enter to overwrite the corrupted file and replace it with a fresh copy from the disc. Finally, type the word “exit” and then reboot the computer.

I’m curious about error warnings and numbers such as: 1xx 161 164 2xx 3xx 4xx 5xx 6xx 17xx. What do they mean?

What are these Error Codes?

The error codes you just listed are POST error codes. POST stands for Power On Self Test. Each time your computer boots up, its BIOS runs a series of tests to ensure that everything is working as it should. When all is well, Windows then loads. When all is not well, error codes are generated and you may hear a series of beeps. Because different BIOS manufacturers often have their own unique codes, it’s important to double-check with the manufacturer to ensure that you are comparing your computer’s POST test results with the correct codes.  

IBM POST Error Codes

The codes that you describe match the original IBM’s POST error codes. IBM used a series of numbers such as1xx, 2xx, 3xx, 4xx, 5xx, 6xx, 7xx, 8xx, 9xx, and 10xx. Each leading number represents a category. For example 1xx indicates a “system motherboard error” with error 161 indicating a “CMOS battery failure” and 164 indicating a “memory system size error.” Likewise, error 17xx points to hard drive problems with specific errors listed as 1701, 1702, 1791, etc.

The Major IMB POST Error Code Categories

With literally thousands of codes, we won’t go into all of them. However, below are some of the more common categories:

1xx - System motherboard error

2xx - Memory failure

3xx - Keyboard failure

4xx - Monochrome display adapter failure (video card error codes)

5xx - Color/graphics display adapter failure

6xx - Floppy drive

7xx - Math co-processor

9xx - Parallel Printer port

10xx - Second parallel printer port error

11xx - Serial Port error

12xx - Second serial port error

13xx - Game port adapter

14xx - Printer control

15xx - SDLC adapter

16xx - Display emulator cards

17xx - Hard Drive

18xx - I/O card error

19xx - 3270 card errors

20xx - Bisynchronous Communication Adapter (BCA)

30xx & 31xx - Network card/LAN Adapter error

48xx & 49xx - Internal modem

74xx - VGA card

104xxx - ESDI hard drive error

Decoding the BIOS Beeps

What about those mysterious beeps? Again, the beep codes do vary by manufacturer, but the following should give you a pretty good idea as far as what’s wrong:

• Short and steady beeps often indicate that the power supply is failing
• Long and steady beeps usually confirm that the power supply has failed
• A long, continuous beep points to memory failure
• One long beep followed by two short beeps indicates a video card failure
• No beep at all can indicate a bad power supply, a bad beeper, or the computer is not plugged in or turned on.