Major issues booting into Windows 10

I’m having some serious trouble booting up Windows 10, and frankly, I’m wondering what tomorrow holds. 😢
'Your PC ran into a problem'—it’s definitely not the kind of message you want seeing on your monitor, especially when it's set against that dreaded blue background. 😢

It also displays “You can restart now,” though it isn't always that specific error; sometimes the image just freezes entirely before Windows finishes loading. In the worst cases, I have to force a restart multiple times, but once it actually boots, it runs perfectly fine and stable—just like it is right now. When it works, I don't bother shutting it down until late; usually, it stays running from sunrise to sunset without a hitch. 🙄

My specs are:

Windows 10 Pro, 64-bit
Processor AMD A8-5600K APU 3.60 Ghz
NVIDIA GeForce GT710
RAM 8 GB
Storage totals about 2 TB; using both Kingston and Toshiba SSDs.

I’ve already tried running Command Prompt commands like sfc /scannow and chkdsk. I also used Victoria to check things out. At one point, I suspected Eset Internet Security was the culprit, so I uninstalled it. I also had two graphics outputs connected, so I disconnected the one going to my TV; both of those moves seemed to "fix" the computer for a few days, but as of this morning, everything is back to being broken, much like it was yesterday. 😢

The local repair shop keeps telling me to just bring it in so they can wipe it and install fresh Windows, but I really want to avoid that. Reinstalling all my software is such a massive headache, and it’s only been about a year since we installed this Windows 10 build. Besides, when it actually starts up, it performs beautifully. 🤦

Looking at the application startup timing, nothing looks suspicious to me, and none of the apps seem to be interfering during the Windows boot process.


Thanks to anyone who decides to weigh in on this, because who knows if I'll even be around tomorrow. I even wrote a poem about the whole ordeal, but that would be off-topic. 😁

The only other thing I can think of is uninstalling Malwarebytes, but then I’d be sitting ducks for viruses. Or maybe not. 😁

I’m just wondering if this is gonna be an even bigger headache than I think.

Option A: Spend half a day reinstalling Windows and all my software from scratch...

Or option B:

Just deal with some endless Troubleshooting on some random US tech forum.

Alexander Diaz4 said:I’m just wondering if this is gonna be an even bigger headache than I think.

Option A: Spend half a day reinstalling Windows and all my software from scratch...

Or option B:

Just deal with some endless Troubleshooting on some random US tech forum.

Honestly, this feels much more manageable for now. I'm just hanging out at home in my room, so there's no heavy lifting involved. 😁
I hope that some expert might pop up who understands the situation—because if I were to restart right now, Windows would probably boot up just fine, but if I actually shut it down and try again later, I’ll likely be staring at the Blue Screen of Death... 🤦
Why is this happening, and what's the best way to handle it? 🙄

I'm hoping things stay stable enough that I can keep working like this tomorrow: ☕

- First thing, grab a tool like HD Tune or CrystalDiskInfo and check the SMART status on those drives to see if they're dying.
- While the PC is totally unplugged, double-check all the power cables hooked up to the motherboard and the rest of the gear. Just unclip them, peek at the pins to make sure nothing looks fried or burnt, then snap them back in. Do the same thing with the SATA cables for your drives—unplug 'em and plug 'em back in a few times.
- Pull the RAM sticks out and pop them back in one at a time. You can even take a standard pencil eraser and lightly rub the gold contacts to clean them off—just make sure you brush away any little eraser crumbs before you slide them back into the slots.

- Make sure that CPU fan actually spins up when you hit the power button.

- As for software, get rid of CCleaner. Windows tends to have a bit of an "allergy" to it, even if that isn't the direct reason for the startup issues.

Thanks wearymason4, this all sounds pretty reasonable to me. 👍

wearymason4 said:- First thing, grab a tool like HD Tune or CrystalDiskInfo and check the SMART status on those drives to see if they're dying.
- While the PC is totally unplugged, double-check all the power cables hooked up to the motherboard and the rest of the gear. Just unclip them, peek at the pins to make sure nothing looks fried or burnt, then snap them back in. Do the same thing with the SATA cables for your drives—unplug 'em and plug 'em back in a few times.
- Pull the RAM sticks out and pop them back in one at a time. You can even take a standard pencil eraser and lightly rub the gold contacts to clean them off—just make sure you brush away any little eraser crumbs before you slide them back into the slots.

- Make sure that CPU fan actually spins up when you hit the power button.

- As for software, get rid of CCleaner. Windows tends to have a bit of an "allergy" to it, even if that isn't the direct reason for the startup issues.

It seems like the fan is spinning, so I'll tackle the rest tomorrow morning. 😉
It looks like something even I can manage; most of this just requires fingers, since... well, it's not like I'm lacking tools. I used to have a screwdriver, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. 😁

Please feel free to reach out if anyone else has any suggestions. 🙄
I actually gave a close friend of mine—a top-tier expert in the field—a call personally, but he hasn't gotten back to me just yet. 😁

restlessdrifter4 said:I’m having some serious trouble booting up Windows 10, and frankly, I’m wondering what tomorrow holds. 😢
'Your PC ran into a problem'—it’s definitely not the kind of message you want seeing on your monitor, especially when it's set against that dreaded blue background. 😢

It also displays “You can restart now,” though it isn't always that specific error; sometimes the image just freezes entirely before Windows finishes loading. In the worst cases, I have to force a restart multiple times, but once it actually boots, it runs perfectly fine and stable—just like it is right now. When it works, I don't bother shutting it down until late; usually, it stays running from sunrise to sunset without a hitch. 🙄

My specs are:

Windows 10 Pro, 64-bit
Processor AMD A8-5600K APU 3.60 Ghz
NVIDIA GeForce GT710
RAM 8 GB
Storage totals about 2 TB; using both Kingston and Toshiba SSDs.

I’ve already tried running Command Prompt commands like sfc /scannow and chkdsk. I also used Victoria to check things out. At one point, I suspected Eset Internet Security was the culprit, so I uninstalled it. I also had two graphics outputs connected, so I disconnected the one going to my TV; both of those moves seemed to "fix" the computer for a few days, but as of this morning, everything is back to being broken, much like it was yesterday. 😢

The local repair shop keeps telling me to just bring it in so they can wipe it and install fresh Windows, but I really want to avoid that. Reinstalling all my software is such a massive headache, and it’s only been about a year since we installed this Windows 10 build. Besides, when it actually starts up, it performs beautifully. 🤦

Looking at the application startup timing, nothing looks suspicious to me, and none of the apps seem to be interfering during the Windows boot process.


Thanks to anyone who decides to weigh in on this, because who knows if I'll even be around tomorrow. I even wrote a poem about the whole ordeal, but that would be off-topic. 😁

The only other thing I can think of is uninstalling Malwarebytes, but then I’d be sitting ducks for viruses. Or maybe not. 😁

Oh, let me assure you, I have zero intention of doing that. 😁

restlessdrifter4 said:Please feel free to reach out if anyone else has any suggestions. 🙄
I actually gave a close friend of mine—a top-tier expert in the field—a call personally, but he hasn't gotten back to me just yet. 😁

Wipe the C: drive and just move forward with a fresh Windows XP installation? "I doubt it."😉 Hmm, I'm not entirely sure if he's really a "dear friend" if he hasn't shown up yet. 😛

Look, anything could be causing this, but based strictly on your description, we are likely looking at either a loose connection with the graphics card, a failing power supply, a faulty RAM seating, or perhaps a bad contact on the boot HDD.

I strongly suggest cleaning the contacts of all these devices using a dedicated solvent—ideally a specialized electronic contact cleaner spray, WD-40, or even some gasoline. You need to pull every single cable out, clean them thoroughly, and then plug them back in, including both the data cables and the power leads. It might seem a bit excessive, but it is a thorough, long-term solution that pays off. This cleaning process should include the PSU pins, the main jack, and all other connectors.

PS: A reinstallation is unlikely to fix hardware instability, though when dealing with Windows 10, you truly never know...

I never touch anything liquid except for the occasional splash of isopropyl alcohol. Using WD-40 on gold-plated contacts is a terrible idea—the label literally says it leaves an anti-corrosion layer, which is just a fancy way of saying it leaves a greasy film that attracts dust right onto your contacts. Gold doesn't need that kind of junk.
I’ve actually had to clean contacts twice because someone brought me a PC they’d sprayed down with WD-40... honestly, it was even worse when I dealt with a boombox where someone had shoved sunflower oil into the buttons.🤦

darkcyclist92 said:Oh, let me assure you, I have zero intention of doing that. 😁

Wipe the C: drive and just move forward with a fresh Windows XP installation? "I doubt it."😉 Hmm, I'm not entirely sure if he's really a "dear friend" if he hasn't shown up yet. 😛

Look, anything could be causing this, but based strictly on your description, we are likely looking at either a loose connection with the graphics card, a failing power supply, a faulty RAM seating, or perhaps a bad contact on the boot HDD.

I strongly suggest cleaning the contacts of all these devices using a dedicated solvent—ideally a specialized electronic contact cleaner spray, WD-40, or even some gasoline. You need to pull every single cable out, clean them thoroughly, and then plug them back in, including both the data cables and the power leads. It might seem a bit excessive, but it is a thorough, long-term solution that pays off. This cleaning process should include the PSU pins, the main jack, and all other connectors.

PS: A reinstallation is unlikely to fix hardware instability, though when dealing with Windows 10, you truly never know...

🤦

Look, if you absolutely have to clean them, stick to something like 99% isopropyl alcohol.

restlessdrifter4 said:Please feel free to reach out if anyone else has any suggestions. 🙄
I actually gave a close friend of mine—a top-tier expert in the field—a call personally, but he hasn't gotten back to me just yet. 😁

It seems like everyone is jumping straight to hardware issues! Good grief, 🤦

Maybe you could take a quick look at the System and Event Viewer logs? It might be worth finding a crash log and then opening it up with a Microsoft diagnostic tool to see exactly what kind of error is occurring and why the system is failing. If you encountered a Blue Screen, there is almost certainly a crash log waiting for you; I mean, computers don't usually just shut down out of nowhere without leaving a trace.

And honestly, I would just completely ignore that guy mentioning WD-40. Electronics aren't something you can fix with a hammer and brute force.

Look, if I were in his shoes, I’d just wipe the whole thing and pull the trigger on a fresh Windows install. If the issue stays gone after that, there’s a massive chance the culprit was just some messy drivers or—God knows what else—some random junk software (because honestly, who knows what kind of bloat is sitting on that machine right now?). But, if the problem keeps popping up, I'd run a full benchmark and stress test on every single component first, then decide my next move based on those results.

But hey, that's just my two cents...

Ideally, if he understands how PCs work even a little bit—and actually knows his way around some Troubleshooting—he should crack open Task Manager to see if anything looks sketchy... you know, checking out the startup programs, active processes, registry entries, and all that good stuff.

Alexander Diaz4 said:Look, if I were in his shoes, I’d just wipe the whole thing and pull the trigger on a fresh Windows install. If the issue stays gone after that, there’s a massive chance the culprit was just some messy drivers or—God knows what else—some random junk software (because honestly, who knows what kind of bloat is sitting on that machine right now?). But, if the problem keeps popping up, I'd run a full benchmark and stress test on every single component first, then decide my next move based on those results.

But hey, that's just my two cents...

Ideally, if he understands how PCs work even a little bit—and actually knows his way around some Troubleshooting—he should crack open Task Manager to see if anything looks sketchy... you know, checking out the startup programs, active processes, registry entries, and all that good stuff.

I have a feeling that the 22H2 update might turn out to be a bit of a disaster, honestly. It seems like the timing is just perfectly unfortunate, especially if someone has already gone ahead and installed it.

When my PC starts acting up, it’s usually not even a software thing. Most of the headaches I've dealt with have been straight-up hardware issues or bad connections—software glitches or OS bugs are actually pretty rare for me. 🤔

wearymason4 said:When my PC starts acting up, it’s usually not even a software thing. Most of the headaches I've dealt with have been straight-up hardware issues or bad connections—software glitches or OS bugs are actually pretty rare for me. 🤔

It seems like you haven't spent much time working with ATI/AMD products, I suppose! 😁

Thanks to all of you, my dear colleagues and fellow tech enthusiasts. 😛
Well, I suppose my presence here is a good sign. 👍

darkcyclist92 said:Oh, let me assure you, I have zero intention of doing that. 😁

Wipe the C: drive and just move forward with a fresh Windows XP installation? "I doubt it."😉 Hmm, I'm not entirely sure if he's really a "dear friend" if he hasn't shown up yet. 😛

Look, anything could be causing this, but based strictly on your description, we are likely looking at either a loose connection with the graphics card, a failing power supply, a faulty RAM seating, or perhaps a bad contact on the boot HDD.

I strongly suggest cleaning the contacts of all these devices using a dedicated solvent—ideally a specialized electronic contact cleaner spray, WD-40, or even some gasoline. You need to pull every single cable out, clean them thoroughly, and then plug them back in, including both the data cables and the power leads. It might seem a bit excessive, but it is a thorough, long-term solution that pays off. This cleaning process should include the PSU pins, the main jack, and all other connectors.

PS: A reinstallation is unlikely to fix hardware instability, though when dealing with Windows 10, you truly never know...

Anything goes.That’s the only thing we can say for certain, though as for the rest... WD-40 I didn't take it any other way than as a joke. 🙂

wearymason4 said:When my PC starts acting up, it’s usually not even a software thing. Most of the headaches I've dealt with have been straight-up hardware issues or bad connections—software glitches or OS bugs are actually pretty rare for me. 🤔

I'm in the exact same boat right now. I've spent the last twenty days cycling through just about every fix imaginable, digging through settings and testing different angles, but honestly? I’m still staring at the same mess. Event ViewerTo be honest, that didn't really do much for me.
This morning, I spent some time just nudging the wires and cables around a bit. I also went through the process of reseating the two sticks of RAM—taking them out and popping them back in. I gave the slots a quick blow to clear any dust, though honestly, that’s about the best I can do without more specialized tools. 😁 It was sitting right there on that stand, and honestly, I suspect some dust from the nearby fan managed to settle into the memory modules. I'm not saying that’s the only culprit, but it's certainly a possibility.
Windows booted up without a single error. 👍

Just a quick heads-up:
This isn't exactly a definitive diagnosis. I've had my fair share of "easy" moments like this before, only to have things take a turn for the worse again. We'll just have to wait and see. 😉

restlessdrifter4 As follows:
I reached out to a highly skilled expert and dear friend of mine personally, but he hasn't arrived just yet. 😁

I know he has quite a significant...I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "psychic energy," but if we’re talking about tapping into some kind of mental focus to get through a heavy workload, I can certainly relate. Sometimes it feels like you need a little extra spiritual boost just to stare at a monitor for eight hours straight. If you meant something else entirely, feel free to clarify.I suppose some sort of mental energy was involved here, and maybe just reading this was enough to nudge a little positivity back into the world—which, if I'm being honest, probably happened. 😛

Since you’re running both integrated and discrete graphics, maybe try pulling that dedicated card out entirely? If your motherboard has the right ports, just plug the monitor straight into the board and see if the system behaves itself.

If this glitch only happens when the PC is cold, I guess there might be an issue with the power supply (what model are you running?). Capacitors in a PSU can lose their charge, and sometimes once they warm up, they stabilize enough to stop acting up—which would explain why you're getting these stupid errors during a cold boot.

Yeah, voltage fluctuations could definitely be the culprit here. Grab HWiNFO64 and post a screenshot so we can check if everything looks stable.

https://www.fosshub.com/HWiNFO.html

The voltage readings from HWiNFO are pretty much useless because:

1. Motherboards usually do a crappy job of reading those voltages correctly.
2. Even if you use a multimeter directly on the PSU and the voltage looks "fine," you won't see how messy it actually is until you hook up an oscilloscope.

Well, obviously an oscilloscope is going to pick up a much lower interval. HWiNFO is stuck with a minimum interval of 0.5 seconds. But, if you see a significant voltage deviation on there, it might be a sign that something's actually wrong.

I honestly don't think you'll run into a Blue Screen of Death just because of voltage issues. Usually, if there's a sudden drop or spike like that, the whole system just shuts down instantly without warning. Plus, I suspect you'd probably see an "unexpected power failure" error, maybe something like code 1006, tucked away in your Event Viewer logs if that were actually the case.