Luckily, there are steps you’re free to take to sort out the issue.

This guide applies to any version of Windows, including Windows 10 through Windows XP.

Many things go on in the background when Windows is starting up.

Enable Safe Mode menu item in Windows Startup Settings

A restart might be all Windows needs to get back on track.

your machine might be configured to reboot after a BSOD.

You candisable automatic restart on system failureif you want to.

Start Windows in Safe Mode, if you might, and thenrestart your box properly.

That’s rightdon’tdoanything in Safe Mode, just get in and restart.

Like you read in the first idea above, sometimes updates or other things get hung up.

If a forced, total restart doesn’t work, try it from Safe Mode.

This works more often than you’d think.

Repair your Windows installation.

Repairing Windows replaces these important files without removing or changing anything else on your gear.

In Windows 10, this is calledReset This PC.

Windows 8 calls itReset Your PCorRefresh Your PC.

In Windows 7 and Vista, this is called aStartup Repair.

Windows XP refers to it as aRepair Installation.

Start Windows using Last Known Good Configuration.

Start Windows in Safe Mode and thenuse System Restore to undo recent changes.

Scan your system for viruses, again, from Safe Mode.

Clearing theBIOSmemory on yourmotherboardwill return the BIOS prefs to their factory default levels.

A BIOS misconfiguration could be the reason that Windows is freezing during startup.

Reseateverything it’s possible for you to get your hands on.

Check for causes of electrical shortsinside your rig.

An electrical short is often the cause of reboot loops and hard freezes while Windows is starting.

If one of your system’sRAMmodules fails completely, your system won’t even turn on.

Most of the time, however, memory fails slowly and will work up to a point.

Replace the memoryin your system if the memory test shows any kind of problem.

Test the power supply.

Just because your rig initially turns on does not mean that thepower supplyis working.

Replace your power supply if your tests show a problem with it.

Replace the hard drive’s data cable.

Don’t have a spare hard drive data cable?

Newer drives useSATAcables and older drives usePATAcables.

check that you’ve tried your best to complete the troubleshooting steps up to this one.

Test the hard drive with a free hard drive testing program.

A hard drive that can’t read and write information properly certainly can’t load an operating system properly.

Replace your hard driveif your tests show an issue.

After replacing the hard drive, you’ll need to reinstall Windows.

Perform a clean install of Windows.

This bang out of installation willcompletelyerase the drive and install Windows again from scratch.

In Step 3, we advised that you take a stab at solve Windows-caused startup issues by repairing Windows.

Maybe Windows 7 hangs on startup, forcing you to look at “Starting Windows” for an hour.

You’re forced to restart manually, only to watch it freeze at the same place again.

FAQ

If yourcomputer keeps freezing, the cause is probably software-related.

Other possible culprits include corrupt drivers, malware, or damaged hardware.

It could be due to high CPU or RAM usage, internet lag, or low disk space.

It could also be that your graphics card is insufficient or the drivers are outdated.

double-check your machine meets the minimum recommended requirements.

Other possible culprits include low battery or hardware damage.