Here's One For The Computer Guys

[Pattaya_Brian]

There's a knock at my door this morning and my neighbor thrusts her laptop at me and says, "Not work. Not start." Then she shuffles off to work.

 

Well, ok.

 

When I hit the power button, I get the "Start Windows Normally" prompt and all of the other options you see when Windows hasn't been shut down properly.

 

I run them all.

 

Bottom line: When Windows begins to start, the machine just pops off -- like you have pulled the battery or something.

 

Any ideas?

[Buddy Edgewood]

If it doesn't even boot in safe mode... if you have a Windows CD/DVD, boot from that and try to repair the Windows installation. 

 

Otherwise, I think your best bet is to just reinstall Windows.

[CyberPro]

Could also be a hardware problem. I've had computers stop abruptly when the CPU overheats due to dust bunnies in the CPU heat sink. 

 

How many of us vacuum our computer CPU heat sink regularly? Not me...duhh.  

 

Microsoft and learned techies can decipher log files to see why a computer crashed. I aspire to such levels of brilliance. 

 

http://www.petri.co.il/crash-dump-analysis-how-to-install-the-windows-debugger.htm

[Wolf Cat]

press to turn on the power, when it's booting up, keep tapping the "F8" key, if you see a menu ask what mode to start windows, choose the "safe mode", if windows runs in safe mode, find you way to the "restore" option and restore the computer to the most recent restore point.

[splitpin]

Sounds to me the battery has gone, happened to me a few years ago, just a thought. Try it with the power cable plugged in

[FROST MEDIC999]

Could be as the above Two posts state or maybe that copy windows she is likely to be using phrehaps tried to update saw it was a copy and fucked it up big time.

 

If it works with lead then will be the battery

 

If you get it working you gona snoop in History ?

 

I would 5555

[ingo67]

Might be hard drive damage from being dropped or bagged. Had a similar problem with my laptop; Windows would appear to start then nothing.

[BadWingman]

So what was the outcome ?

[casinoclub]

Start PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok, had to throw that in.

 

Try a couple of things....

 

1.  use compress gas and blow air into the vent to clean it up a little.  As said above, CPU will abruptly shut the computer off if it overheats.

 

2.  Try going into "Safe Mode" and start up.  Once start, you'll need to diganose what's the offending driver (most likely).  Or maybe just do a restore to previous known good copy.

 

3.  Reinstall Windows from scratch.  If neither 1 or 2 works.

 

Try those.  Those are low hanging fruit things you can try first.  After that, I am afraid it'll start to get complicated (and expensive) quick.

[Pattaya_Brian]

So what was the outcome ?

 

I gave it back to her and told her to take it to a technician and passed along the suggestions from this thread as to what the problem might be.