Sooner or later, it seems to happen to all of us—you turn on the computer and it greets you with problems or maybe it won't turn on at all. An article at Microsoft (link here) gives some tips on what to do when this happens to a Windows XP system.
Here are the situations that are discussed in the article:
- You log on by clicking your user accounts, but then you can't open any programs
- Your computer displays the Windows logo, but fails before you can log on
- You see "Non-system disk or disk error," or a similar message
- Your computer stops immediately after you turn it on or displays nothing on your monitor
- Your computer does not turn on
- You need to perform a repair installation of Windows XP
Some of the suggestions in the tips are simple things like check if you have a loose connector. But don't sneer. You might be surprised by how often the simple stuff works.
Related tip: How to Prepare for Boot or System Problems by Creating a Windows 7 Repair Disk
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This tips section is maintained by Vic Laurie. Vic runs several websites with Windows how-to's and tutorials, including a computer education website and a site for learning about the command line.
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