A computer that won't start up is a rare problem, and probably few people have experienced it. If this problem occurs, you may be at a loss. As far as you're concerned, there doesn't seem to be any damage to your computer. Before buying a new laptop, you should ensure that this problem isn't something you can't fix yourself. So, what are some ways of troubleshooting that can help narrow down the cause of the problem?

If your window computer doesn't turn on, don't panic and try following the troubleshooting steps below.

Check the Power Cable or PSU

If your computer doesn't turn on, the fans aren't running, the lights aren't flashing, and nothing is showing on the monitor screen. Your computer may have a power problem.

Make sure that your power cable plugs into a working outlet.

If you are using a laptop, make sure you have connected the charging cable to the correct port (if charging via USB-C) because only some USB-C ports can provide power. A failed power supply can often cause problems with booting, which can prevent the device from turning on.

So, if these steps don't solve your problem, it might be time to replace your power supply.

Check Monitor

If your computer sounds like it's turning on and you don't see anything on the monitor screen, it may be booting up, and the monitor isn't displaying an image.

• Make sure your monitor's power cable is connected correctly.
• Ensure that the cables (HDMI, VGA, etc.) connecting the monitor and the computer are not problematic. And make sure it is also correctly installed.
• Make sure that your computer is not on the lowest screen brightness level, creating a black-screen-like screen that is off.

Listen for Beeps

When your computer is booting up, it will usually emit a beep which means everything is fine. But if your computer has problems, it will talk a series of beeps like Morse code that can tell you about the situation.

• Check your computer or motherboard manual for the meaning of the series of beeps. Or you can find a guide on the computer/motherboard manufacturer's website.

Unplug Unnecessary USB Devices

Before proceeding to the next step, remove all your USB devices to see if they cause the problem.

In some circumstances, the problem is the port on your computer. There are cases where a Windows computer won't start or boot when a USB device connects to the front USB port. However, the computer can boot when the USB device is not connected. 

The more variables (USB devices) you can eliminate, the better.

Check Hardware Installation

There is a possibility that your computer's components may be loose, especially if the computer has just been moved or cleaned.

• Make sure the computer components is installed correctly. Especially RAM, VGA, motherboard cables, and heatsink.
• If necessary, remove all components and reattach them, ensuring everything is installed correctly.
• If you suspect any faulty components, try booting without installing the relevant components.

Search BIOS

If the computer turns on, you can see the POST screen but cannot boot into Windows. It may be a specific BIOS setting causing the problem, perhaps an incorrect boot order setting or an overclocked setting that can cause a bluescreen.

You can enter the BIOS by pressing the Delete key, F2, or another key to enter the settings.

• Make sure your boot order is set to the correct hard drive.
• Make sure your RAM is recognized in the BIOS, and the CPU is not overheating (if the temperature in the BIOS is over 90 degrees Celsius, something is wrong).

Take photos of the BIOS settings to reset them if it doesn't work. 

Virus Scan Using Live CD

Your computer may be suffering from malware preventing it from booting up. Even if you can't enter Windows, a live environment like Hiren's Boot CD can allow the computer to scan the hard drive (looking for malware) without booting into Windows.

ISO file: https://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/
Burn instructions: https://www.hirensbootcd.org/usb-booting/

• Burn Hiren's BootCD ISO file.
• Enter BIOS and boot into Hiren's BootCD.
• You can go to Utilities > Security and run a virus scan with ESET and a malware scan with Malwarebytes. 

If either program finds something, it will let you know and try to fix it, hopefully allowing you to boot into Windows again.

Boot into Safe Mode

If your computer experiences a bluescreen on startup, this may indicate a wrong application, driver issue, or hardware oddity that could be causing problems booting up. 

You'll need to enter safe mode to fix this issue. You can abort the boot process three times to bring up the Automatic Repair screen so you can enter Advance Options to enter safe mode.

If you've installed new hardware recently, try uninstalling the drivers from Safe Mode. If you think a new app is to blame, remove it. The BlueScreenView app can help you look back at the most recent Blue Screen of Death to see the files causing the problem, or bug check strings and codes to look for.

BlueScreenView link: https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html

Roll Back The Problematic Windows Updates

If your computer won't start after you've installed a Windows update, or there are updates in the background that you may not know about.

• You can enter Automatic Repair.
• Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Uninstall Updates.
• Try to uninstall the latest Quality Update or Feature Update.

If you're lucky, this might allow you to boot back into Windows.

Check Your Hard Drive

It's possible that some of the data on the drive is corrupted, preventing Windows from booting properly. 

Microsoft has several tools that can fix the problem. 

• Open the Troubleshoot > Advanced Options menu as described above.
• Select Command Prompt.
• Type "sfc /scannow" then press Enter.

This scan will make Windows check your drive for damage and try to fix the problem.

• You can also type "chkdsk C:/r" to perform a broader search for file corruption and bad sectors.

Fixing a Damaged Bootloader

A corrupted bootloader can occur when you improperly clone the hard drive. It can also happen if you try to dual-boot Linux or create a new drive partition and mess it up.

If you have a good backup, you can try to repair the bootloader using Windows built-in tools.

• Troubleshoot > Advanced Options as described above.
• Select Startup Repair. 

This step is not recommended unless you have a backup of your files, as tampering with partitions always risks data loss.

You can also run Command Prompt from this menu and try running some of the following commands:

• bootrec /fixmbr
• bootrec /fixboot
• bootrec /rebuildbcd

If this step doesn't work, fixing your bootloader may be more complicated due to the newer EFI bootloader.

You can find more detailed bootloader repair instructions in this guide: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-id/000124331/how-to-repair-the-efi-bootloader-on-a-gpt-hdd-for-windows-7-8-8-1-and-10-on-your-dell-pc

However, reinstalling Windows from scratch is easier and faster if you have a backup file.

Test Drive on Another PC and Pray

If none of the above steps fixes the problem and you don't have a backup, you should remove the hard drive to copy your files to another computer using a USB adapter, dock, or enclosure.

If you don't have another computer, you can try booting to a Linux live CD on your computer to at least back up your essential files before reinstalling Windows.

Reference:
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/what-to-do-when-computer-wont-start

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