What if Windows will no longer start?

What if, after restarting, you get the same thing over and over? In other words: what if you can't get Windows to start up?

First you have to consider the way you exited the hung Windows and restarted in the hope of getting it to work. There are a few ways to do this:

- pressing ctrl-alt-del;

- pushing the reset button;

- turning the computer off and on again.

Windows reacts differently to all these 'exits': the first one is the safest, but sometimes it's not possible. Resetting and turning off are emergency measures (which may invoke different reactions).

In the worst case scenario, none of these 'solutions' will get Windows running again.

Exiting Windows properly is a good beginning, and sometimes even the end to solving this problem. But how to exit properly if you can't even start? The answer is: safe mode. Push the reset button and hold down the ctrl-key (or F8) untill you see the startup menu from which you can choose 'Safe Mode'. Start Windows in safe mode and exit it in the proper fashion. Next, don't use the reset button, but turn the computer off and wait fifteen seconds before turning it on again. There's a good chance that Windows will start up and run just fine, but you'd better immediately run some diagnosing programs.

What if worst really comes to worst and you're not able even to enter the safe mode?

In that case, there's a good possibility that the Registry is corrupted. Go about the same way as described above, but choose 'Command prompt only' from the startup menu. Now restore the registry. After that, start Windows in safe mode. If it still doesn't work, you could try and restore an older registry.

If the problem still persists, run some diagnosing programs under DOS to try and find out what the trouble is and perhaps solving it without reinstalling. 'Under DOS' doesn't mean that DOS has much to offer in the way of diagnosing. You'll have to use a utility program to do that.

What if Windows Will No Longer Start?