Boot Error

Boot errors and startup failures mean that something is interfering with your computer’s ability to start up normally. If your computer is having trouble booting up, it could be due to a variety of reasons ranging from hardware failure to corruption.

The most common causes include hardware failure, bad drivers, corrupt files or volumes, or a virus infection. Misconfiguration is another possible cause though it’s not nearly as common.

Hardware failures can be obvious such as when your power supply simply goes out (or even when the power cord is unplugged) or they can be elusive requiring trial and error to figure out where the problem lies.

Driver problems can affect boot up too. For example, if you recently updated a driver and the system no longer boots, you might look to the driver as the root cause of your boot error.

File corruption can cause boot errors too. Files and volumes can become corrupt for numerous reasons including an unexpected system crashes and viruses. 

No matter what caused the problem, you are still faced with the troubling problem of a PC that won’t start. It’s important to understand the various causes so that you can know which approach to take in an attempt to get your PC back up and running.

First, rule out obvious hardware failures. For instance, does the power light come on? Do you see or smell smoke? Was your hard drive making grinding or clicking noises the last time you used it?

Once you’ve ruled out a hardware issue, let’s move on to the boot error messages and the probable causes.

Invalid Partition Table, Missing Operating System, and Invalid Partition Table boot errors typically point to a corrupt master boot record due to hard disk errors or virus infections.

NTLDR is missing, a disk read error occurred, and system gets stuck after BIOS Power on Self Test finishes could be due to a corrupt boot sector due to hard disk errors or virus infections.

Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem, could not read from selected boot disk boot errors, and check boot path and disk hardware boot errors suggest that the boot.ini file is corrupt, missing, or needs updating.

If you get a “Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt error upon start up, your boot volume is most likely corrupt or the system file listed in the message is missing.

In addition to specific messages as described above, other boot errors manifest as blue screens, hung up systems, or a dialogue box that says, “One or more services failed to start.” These errors can be due to driver problems, hardware failure, registry corruption, or virus infections.

Fortunately, a variety of tools are available to help you recover from boot errors. Last Known Good restores a portion of your registry from your last successful logon. Safe Mode starts Windows with minimal drivers loaded, System Restore (XP and above) lets you restore your system to a previous configuration, Recovery Console lets you boot to a command line. Automated System Recovery uses a backup to restore the boot volume. Repair lets you run the Windows Setup program from your original product CD-ROM and select an option designed to repair your installation. These tools require the technical know-how of which one to use under which situation as well as technical skills to perform the individual tasks associated with each one.

A third party solution called RegCure is an uncomplicated tool you can use to resolve (and even prevent) boot errors. If you are able to get your PC to load up in Safe Mode, install RegCure and let it repair your Windows registry. It doesn’t require any technical ability, just install and hit “start scan.”

Because many boot errors are a result with problems found in the registry or caused by viruses, this tool is able to weed out the registry errors and any registry changes a virus may have caused. RegCure is highly recommended as a preventative tool. Use it to perform regular scans and automatic cleaning and you shouldn’t encounter any registry-related boot errors in the future.