If your laptop won't boot up, there could be a number of reasons for this. There are simple solutions for the most common problems.
Laptop won't boot: How to find the error
If your laptop won't start, you should first find out what's behind it.
- Remove the battery from the laptop (if possible) and then reinsert it. Also check whether your power adapter is still working or if it is damaged. But be careful: do not use any power adapter other than your own to charge your computer. After many years of use or in the event of a power surge, the battery may fail.
- If the laptop starts but the screen remains black, it may be due to a defective display or a faulty connection to the display. To check this, connect an external display to your laptop and restart it.
- If you hear beeps, they are being sent by the BIOS. This list of BIOS beeps will help you find out what the computer is trying to tell you.
- If a part of the hardware that is necessary for starting up a laptop is defective, it cannot be easily detected. In this case, you will need to have a specialist take a look.
Laptop won't start: These are possible solutions
To start your laptop, try the following:
- If the problem is hardware or software related, you can try starting Windows in safe mode. This only requires the most necessary hardware and software.
- If the problem is with the Windows operating system, you can repair it by inserting the original Windows CD. If you no longer have it, you can also restore Windows without the CD.
Laptop won't boot up anymore: saving data as a last resort
If the above solutions don't work, make a backup of your data. If you managed to get into the BIOS in the previous step but couldn't start Windows, you may still be able to save your data using a free small operating system that you first have to burn onto a CD.
- Download the free Knoppix operating system on another PC with a CD/DVD drive. It is only 700 MB in size and therefore fits perfectly on a normal CD.
- Now the downloaded ISO file must be burned onto a blank CD. If you already have burning software installed on your PC, you can use it.
- Otherwise, download “CDBurnerXP”. Once installed, it will start automatically. Click on the “Burn ISO Image” button and in the new window, click on the “Browse” button. Select the downloaded ISO file. Finally, you can create the CD using the “Burn Media” button.
- Insert the CD into the laptop that no longer starts and start it up. “Knoppix” starts automatically. After about three to five minutes, you will have an operating system that is relatively similar to Windows. You can now save the data from your hard drive to a USB stick or an external hard drive.
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