Your Windows 11/10 computer cannot boot? It's scary, but don't despair. There are countless fixes. The only key is knowing how to use it.
1. Try Windows Safe Mode
Safe Mode is an alternative program that starts your computer with minimal software and drivers, bypassing any problems related to third-party drivers and applications. Before doing so, unplug all connected USB devices from the PC and reboot.
You may have trouble entering Safe Mode if your computer won't start.
2. Check the battery and charger
The battery or power supply could be the culprit causing Windows boot problems. Using an incorrect power supply with a low voltage or a damaged power supply can create unstable voltages, leading to stability problems, especially during startup. You will experience the system crashing (instead of crashing) during the boot process.
A second option is to remove the system's battery (if the battery is removable) and plug it into a power source. Make sure you only test one component at any time.
If a power supply problem affects the boot process, you must know whether the reason is the battery or the power supply.
3. Turn off Fast Boot
A setting within BIOS or UEFI called Fast Boot allows Windows 10 to boot faster by preloading drivers. Unfortunately, Windows Update can break Fast Boot compatibility. But you can enable and disable Fast Boot through the BIOS instead of from within the Windows operating system.
The method of entering the BIOS/UEFI screen varies between PC brands. For most people, pressing the key Delete During boot will enter BIOS. Two other keys that may work are F2 and Escape.
After entering BIOS or UEFI, the Fast Boot option is usually part of the options Advancedalthough it could be anywhere.
If you don't see any Fast Boot entries, your computer was manufactured before 2013, as they do not include the Fast Boot option.
4. Check other BIOS/UEFI settings
Misconfigured BIOS/UEFI can cause the computer to fail to boot. Some laptops have accessible BIOS/UEFI, but many do not.
BIOS/UEFI is the pre-boot environment that contains the hardware settings for the computer. They are useful for recovery because they work even when Windows is not working. Accessing these settings requires starting the computer in BIOS mode. While in BIOS mode, check the following settings:
Secure Boot
Secure Boot in the wrong setting can cause the computer to not boot. You can disable Secure Boot in BIOS, but doing so may require resetting Windows 11 to factory settings and/or your BIOS. However, turning off Secure Boot may prevent you from upgrading to Windows 11.
The reason Secure Boot causes problems is because it is designed to protect computers from malware. Because it checks the drivers and hardware loaded by Windows at startup, any driver or hardware component not recognized by the system will create an error at startup.
Secure Boot installation is inside Boot options. You can turn it on or off. It must be set to Windows UEFI mode instead of Other OS (usually Linux).
Compatibility Support Module (CSM)
The boot drive is formatted using a BIOS system that requires an MBR partition table. UEFI formatted drives require a GPT partition table. CSM allows a UEFI system to behave like an older MBR system.
Reset BIOS configuration
If the BIOS settings are incorrect but you don't know how to fix them, sometimes resetting the BIOS/UEFI to factory defaults will fix the problem.
5. Try scanning for malware
Malware is the main reason why a computer cannot boot. The best method for dealing with malware is a bootable anti-malware rescue disk.
Kaspersky Rescue Disk only requires downloading the image and using Etcher to create a flash drive image or other writable drive. Etcher works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
You can then boot into the affected computer using the rescue disk and remove the malware that is preventing the computer from starting.
Note that you will need another computer to create this disk, and it requires a UEFI system to work. Review step 4 for details.
6. Use Startup Repair
Startup Repair is a general-purpose troubleshooter for problems that prevent Windows from starting. Open the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) page the way described in the first method.
Then navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair. It will try to resolve startup issues with the PC.
7. Uninstall recent updates
If Startup Repair fails, try the tool Uninstall Updates on the WinRE site.
Click on it then select options Uninstall latest quality update and follow the onscreen instructions to remove the update. Check if your Windows PC boots to the desktop.
8. Use System Restore
System Restore is a utility that allows you to return to a previous restore point when your computer is operating normally. This utility can fix startup problems caused by changes you make, not caused by hardware errors.
On the WinRE page, click System Restore. Select an available restore point and follow the on-screen instructions to apply it.
9. Reassign the drive letter
Systems with more than one drive installed can cause boot problems for Windows users if their operating system (OS) volume has an unassigned drive letter accidentally.
However, you can fix this problem without much worry by booting into the Command Prompt interface. Click options Command Prompt on the WinRE site.
Enter the following command to run the disk partition utility:
diskpartOnce done, enter list volumes to print detailed information about all available drives on the system. If the boot volume does not have a letter as the drive name, you must assign it a letter.
To assign a letter to the drive, you can use the command select and assign letter.
For example, if you want to assign the letter E to the Audio CD volume in the image above, enter it first select volume 0 then enter assign letter=E to complete the process.
As always, be very careful when making changes in Command Prompt. Making a mistake here can cause further problems for your PC.
10. Replace Windows 10 Bootloader
If you're having trouble trying to reinstall Windows 10, you may encounter a new version of the bootloader utility. Sometimes this can affect starting an existing copy of Windows.
Luckily, there's a relatively simple fix. Boot into the Command Prompt interface and enter the following command:
bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacyRestart your computer and you will see the legacy bootloader interface has replaced the Windows 10 version. You should have no more problems entering Safe Mode Windows 10 or accessing your current operating system settings.
11. Try third-party utilities
Finding the cause of the problem is the most difficult part of troubleshooting startup problems. When the system cannot even boot, diagnosing the problem will be very difficult. However, a third-party utility called Boot Repair Disk may be more successful.
Boot Repair Disk is an open source rescue disk that you can use to find and fix problems that prevent your PC from starting. You just need to choose the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows. Tests and any fixes are performed automatically, although there are options that allow for tighter control.
The tool is not guaranteed to fix your PC, but it can identify hidden problems.
12. Restore factory settings
We're diving into more difficult and impactful repair options. In addition to factory reset, more difficult options include restoring and refreshing the computer. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Factory reset will delete some apps and other data, but you can choose to keep some of your files. Resetting Windows to factory settings (Microsoft calls this procedure just “resetting”) will restore the computer to its default operating state.
Start with easy methods like removing the USB device, using a recovery drive, and performing a soft reset. More complex options, such as in-place repair settings and hard resets, will erase data and are less likely to be successful.
Remember that “booting” the computer is different from the Power On Self Test (POST). The computer does not display the welcome screen and cannot even enter BIOS or UEFI mode requiring hardware diagnostics to find the problem.
Unfortunately, solving boot problems in Windows 10 and 11 is more difficult than in previous versions of Windows due to Microsoft removing the easy-to-access Safe Mode (key F8). That's why you should always keep a recovery drive.
