Startup problem on new PC

[Robert11]

Hello,

First Post. Looks like a great Forum.
Retired Engr., now in my 70's. Wow !

Have a new HP Pavillion Elite for about 2 weeks now. Running Windows7.

Everything was fine, until I hit the power strip AC switch by accident, and the PC therefore did not shut off normally.
Since then, problems on starting up.
Once started, everything is fine.

Wouldn't get past the blue-screen-of death.
Absolutely frozen on it.
None of the F option keys would work, or booting with the F8 key held or tapped.

Spoke to an HP Rep, who said to unplug everything, including the AC power plug.
Then hold the unpowered PC's ON switch for 20 seconds.
Then re-plug everything, and try

This works.

He was very nice,but hard to understand, so did not get a clear understanding of why he thought this was happening.

But he had this startup up cure procedure in hand very quickly, and my guess is that this is not the first time he ran into this.

Question: What does holding down for 20 seconds the unpowered PC ON switch "actually" do ?

He did say it might be the automatic downloading of updates when the PC is told to shut down. So, I disabled this option.

PC just did it again this AM., and every time since.

If I unplug all the USB stuff (which is just an external HD, an AC powered USB Hub,
a USB to RS 232 cable, and a router via an Ethernet cable) and just leave the keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, and Route, it seems to start OK.

But, the blue screen flashes, momentarily, but it does get past it to start.

Until all of this happening, I don't think this screen ever flashed on startup, but I might be wrong on this ? Does it, "normally" on normal startups ?

Am in my 70's now, and a bit rough climbing in the back to unplug everything every AM !

Any thoughts on all of this would really be most appreciated.
Appreciate your time.

Regards, and thanks,
Bob

 

[kimsland]

Hi Bob, welcome to TechSpot

You have typed quite a bit for an old man
But I'll give it a go

Question: What does holding down for 20 seconds the unpowered PC ON switch "actually" do ?

I have posted the same thing in my >> No POST Guide
Basically some residual voltage is always left lingering in electrical/electronic devices (as you must know)
This residual power (from capacitors) in computers can actually hold transistors in the ON or Off position, therefore when you press the ON button nothing happens.
To remove this residual power, the 20 second technique is required

Computers also have another issue and that is memory and memory corruption
By hard turning off your computer anything that was being processed in memory (either through volatile Ram, or static Hard Drive) can, and usually does, corrupt.
But, there is a way to fix this too And that's by running >> CheckDisk in the Recovery Console ideally using your Windows boot disc. (see EDIT below)

Windows has also yet another option, and that is >> Safe Mode
Safe Mode (if working) can allow you to access Windows with many drivers and startups not available.
This can help when trying to remove a newly corrupted program or driver

I hope one of the above options helps you, otherwise try re-contacting HP back again



EDIT

oops, I see you stated you have Windows 7
Windows 7 does not include the Recovery Console, instead it has the >> System Recovery Options menu
Which basically (again) requires you to start your computer from your Windows boot disc (if you have one?)
Or run CheckDisk from >> Windows Normal or Safe Mode

 

[Robert11]

From OP Re Startup Problem

Hi,

Much thanks for the help, and suggestions.
Will give them a try.
Sure is a lot to know.

Guess there are two engr. type questions floating around in my (aged) mind:

The first is that folks around my area, and probably most everywhere, have power outages now and then. Shouldn't a normal PC be able to handle these without going bonkers ?

And, the bleeding off of charge that you mentioned. Interesting. I hadn't hought, or considered, that at all.

O.K., it sure does work.

But why after perfectly normal Shut downs, should it be necessary to do again, and again, and again, on all the following new Start ups ?

Best regards, and thanks again,
Bob

 

[kimsland]

The first is that folks around my area, and probably most everywhere, have power outages now and then. Shouldn't a normal PC be able to handle these without going bonkers ?

Generally most businesses use Surge Protectors or filtered circuits or Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
Private individuals tend to purchase power boards with Surge Protection installed, these can range from $10 to hundreds of dollars for the more expensive ones

Generally manufacturers of computer systems also have Surge Protectors hardware as an optional extra when buying new computers (did your manufacture have this option too?)
Many individuals purchase Surge Protectors at Supermarkets/Computer shops/Kmart etc
Many other individuals do not even use a Surge Protector, stating they are useless or that they have never required one, or that they were unaware of such things.

With lightning and computers and power outages, it is all up to how good your computer power supply is, and if any hardware protection is installed. I tend to pull the powercord out (shutting down normally first) before such atmospheric conditions are met.
Sometimes the power does go out, without prior warning. You should expect that a standard computer will continue to work after the power comes back on, but many don't. This can be due to age or condition of the computer, or if inferior hardware (ie cheap Power Supplies) are installed

But why after perfectly normal Shut downs, should it be necessary to do again, and again, and again, on all the following new Start ups ?

There is never a time to do this on Normal shutdowns unless you have a hardware fault (covered by your warranty)
Edit: Find your HP warranty info here: https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic100655.html


I hope this answers your questions