The Computer Won’t Start
If the computer does absolutely nothing when you first turn it on, your first move is to check all cable connections. Make sure the power plug on every device that plugs into the wall is firmly plugged in. Also, make sure the mouse, keyboard, and all other devices are firmly plugged into their slots.
If it’s a desktop computer, look for a 0/1 power switch on the back of the computer and make sure it’s on (flipped to the 1 position).
If it’s a laptop computer or tablet device, make sure your battery is connected correctly. You might also ensure that the AC adapter is plugged in on your device.
Turn on the computer again and, as it is powering up, push the button on the floppy disk drive (if the computer has one) and the CD or DVD drive. If there is a disk in either drive, remove it.
If the computer sounds as though it’s starting up but you don’t see anything on the screen, make sure all plugs to the monitor are firmly seated. If it’s a desktop computer, make sure the monitor’s power cable is firmly attached to the monitor and wall socket, and that the cable connecting the computer to the monitor is firmly attached at both ends of the cable. Make sure the monitor is turned on. Then restart the computer.
Non-system disk or disk error message
This type of message appears when the computer attempts to boot from a disk on which Windows is not installed. If a floppy disk is in the floppy drive (there are still computers that have floppy disk drives), remove it. Likewise for any disk in the CD drive or DVD drive, or any drive that’s connected to the computer through a USB port. Press any key to continue startup. If that doesn’t work, press Ctrl+Alt+Del or restart the computer with the main on/off switch.
Computer starts but mouse and keyboard don’t work
If the computer starts but doesn’t respond to the mouse and keyboard, turn off the computer. Unplug both the mouse and keyboard from the computer. For USB mice and keyboards, unplug each and re-connect them. Ensure each USB connection is tight and secure. If the plug is round and green, make sure you plug it into the PS/2 port for the mouse (usually colored green). Make sure nothing is resting on the keyboard and holding down a key. Then firmly plug in the keyboard. If the plug is round and purple, plug it into the PS/2 port for the keyboard. Check all cable connections to the computer one more time. Then restart the computer.
Computer keeps trying to start but never gets there
Get to Safe Mode by pressing Shift+F8 during the boot process and choose the option to disable automatic restart. If that doesn’t help, get to the Safe Mode options again and try the Last Known Good Configuration option. See this chapter on troubleshooting startup problems.
Screen turns blue during startup and then stops
This is commonly referred to as the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). It doesn’t mean your computer is permanently broken. A frequent cause of this problem is a device driver for a hardware device that doesn’t work with Windows 8. If you recently connected or installed a new hardware device, disconnect or uninstall it. Then start the computer again. That’s your best bet.
If you still get the Blue Screen of Death, you’ll likely have to boot to Safe Mode and disable the device through Device Manager. This is not the sort of thing the average user normally does. This is more the kind of thing that a professional handles. But if you want to take a shot at fixing it yourself, see this chapter and Chapter 47.
If the error persists, look for an error number on the Blue Screen of Death page. It will most likely start with the characters 0x. Jot that number down on a sheet of paper. Then, if you can get online through another computer, go to Microsoft’s site (http://search.microsoft.com) or your favorite online search site (such as Google or Bing) and search for that number. You might find a page that offers an exact solution to that problem.
If you can get online through another computer, you might also consider posting a question at the Windows Communities site. Be sure to include the error number in your post. You might find someone who has already experienced and solved that very problem.