How to Troubleshoot Stopping, Pc Bluescreen Freezing, or Reboot Issues during Windows operating system Microsoft login
Sometimes your computer turns on as you would expect, you get to the Windows operating system Microsoft login screen, but then something happens. Your computer might freeze up, reboot on its own, or just stop and not respond to anything you do.
Maybe you see the Microsoft login screen but after entering your password, nothing happens. On the other hand, maybe you can log in but then Windows operating system freezes and you have to reboot manually. Then again maybe Windows operating system seems to start but your desktop never shows up and all you can do is move your mouse around a blank screen.
Regardless of the specifics, this is the troubleshooting guide to use if Windows operating system starts most of the way but you cannot get logged in or your desktop never fully loads.
Important: If you don't even get to the Windows operating system Microsoft login screen, or you see any kind of error message, see How To Troubleshoot a Computer That Won't Turn On for some better troubleshooting steps for your specific error.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Anywhere from minutes to hours depending on why Windows operating system is stopping during the Microsoft login process
Here is how:
Start Windows operating system in Safe Mode. If Windows operating system fully starts in Safe Mode, just restart you computer from there as you normally would and see if Windows operating system starts correctly.
A failed update or one-time startup process can sometimes cause stopping, pc Bluescreen Freezing, or reboot-loop issues during the Microsoft login process. Often times all Windows operating system needs is a clean boot into Safe Mode and then a restart to clear up the error.
Start Windows operating system with the Last Known Good Configuration. Starting Windows operating system with the Last Known Good Configuration will return driver and registry settings to the state they were in the last time Windows operating system started up and shut down properly, possibly returning your computer to working order.
Of course this will only work if the cause of your Windows operating system Microsoft login issue is a registry or driver configuration issue. Note: It is safe to try Safe Mode before Last Known Good Configuration because the valuable information that's stored in the registry to make Last Known Good
Configuration work properly isn't written until Windows operating system starts successfully in Normal Mode.
Repair your Windows operating system installation. A common reason for Windows operating system to fail between the Microsoft login screen and the successful loading of the desktop is because one or more important Windows operating system files are damaged or missing. Repairing Windows operating system replaces these important files without removing or changing anything else on your computer.
Note: In Windows operating system 7 and Vista, this is called a Startup Repair. In Windows operating system XP it's referred to as a Repair Installation.
Important: The Windows operating system XP Repair Installation is more complicated and has more drawbacks than the Startup Repair available in later Windows operating system operating systems. If you're using Windows operating system XP, you may want to wait until you have tried Steps 4, 5, and 6 before giving this a try.
Start Windows operating system in Safe Mode and then use System Restore to undo recent changes.
Windows operating system could freeze, stop, or reboot during the Microsoft login process because of damage to a driver, important file, or part of the registry. A System Restore will return all of those things to a time when your computer was working, which could solve your error entirely.
Note: If you cannot enter Safe Mode for some reason, you can also perform a System
Restore from System Recovery Options which is available from the Advanced Boot Options menu in Windows operating system 7 and also from your Windows operating system 7 or Windows operating system Vista Setup DVD.
Important: You will not be able to undo a System Restore if it's done from Safe Mode or from System Recovery Options. You might not care since you cannot get to Windows operating system normally anyway, but it's something I wanted you to be aware of.
Scan your computer for spyware, malware, adware and pc viruses, again from Safe Mode.
A virus or other kind of malware might have caused a specific enough error with a part of Windows operating system to cause it to fail during Microsoft login. Clear the CMOS. Clearing the BIOS memory on your motherboard will return the BIOS settings to their factory default levels. A BIOS misconfiguration could be the reason that Windows operating system cannot get all the way to the desktop.
Important: If clearing the CMOS does fix your Windows operating system Microsoft login error, make sure any changes you make in BIOS are completed one at a time so if the error returns, you'll know which change caused the error.
Replace the CMOS battery if your computer is more than three years old or if it's been off for an extended amount of time.
CMOS batteries are very inexpensive and one that is no longer keeping a charge can cause all sorts of strange behavior at any point during a computer's startup process, all the way up to the loading of the Windows operating system desktop.
Reseat everything in your computer that you can. Reseating will reestablish the various connections inside your computer and could clear up the issue that's preventing Windows operating system from fully starting.
Try reseating the following hardware and then see if Windows operating system will fully start:
Re-seat all internal data and power cables
Re-seat the memory modules
Re-seat any expansion cards
Note: Unplug and reattach your keyboard, mouse, and other external devices as well. Check for causes of electrical shorts inside your computer. An electrical short is sometimes the cause of errors during the Windows operating system Microsoft login process; especially reboot loops and hard freezes.
Test the RAM – Random Access Memory. If one of your computer's RAM modules fails completely, your computer won't even turn on. Most of the time, however, just a part of your computer's memory will fail.
If your system memory is failing, your computer may freeze, stop, or reboot any point, including during or after the Windows operating system Microsoft login process.
Change the memory in your computer if the memory test shows any kind of error.
Important: Make sure you have tried your best to complete the troubleshooting steps up to this one. Steps 11 and 12 both involve more difficult and destructive solutions to Windows operating system not starting fully. It may be that one of the below solutions is necessary to fix your error but if you haven't been diligent in your troubleshooting up to this point, you cannot know for sure that one of the easier solutions above isn't the right one.
Test the pc hard disk drive. A physical error with your pc hard disk drive is certainly a reason why Windows operating system might not start fully. A pc hard disk drive that cannot read and write information properly cannot load the files necessary for Windows operating system to start.
Replace your pc hard disk drive if your tests show an issue. After replacing the pc hard disk drive, you'll need to perform a new installation of Windows operating system.
If no pc hard disk drive issues are found then the pc hard disk drive is physically fine, meaning the cause of your error must be with Windows operating system, in which case the next step will solve the error.
Perform a Clean Install of Windows operating system. This type of installation will completely erase the drive Windows operating system is installed on and then install the operating system again from scratch.
Important: In Step 3, I advised that you try to solve this issue by repairing Windows operating system. Since that method of fixing important Windows operating system files is non-destructive, make sure that you have tried that before the completely destructive, last-resort clean install in this step.
Sometimes your computer turns on as you would expect, you get to the Windows operating system Microsoft login screen, but then something happens. Your computer might freeze up, reboot on its own, or just stop and not respond to anything you do.
Maybe you see the Microsoft login screen but after entering your password, nothing happens. On the other hand, maybe you can log in but then Windows operating system freezes and you have to reboot manually. Then again maybe Windows operating system seems to start but your desktop never shows up and all you can do is move your mouse around a blank screen.
Regardless of the specifics, this is the troubleshooting guide to use if Windows operating system starts most of the way but you cannot get logged in or your desktop never fully loads.
Important: If you don't even get to the Windows operating system Microsoft login screen, or you see any kind of error message, see How To Troubleshoot a Computer That Won't Turn On for some better troubleshooting steps for your specific error.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Anywhere from minutes to hours depending on why Windows operating system is stopping during the Microsoft login process
Here is how:
Start Windows operating system in Safe Mode. If Windows operating system fully starts in Safe Mode, just restart you computer from there as you normally would and see if Windows operating system starts correctly.
A failed update or one-time startup process can sometimes cause stopping, pc Bluescreen Freezing, or reboot-loop issues during the Microsoft login process. Often times all Windows operating system needs is a clean boot into Safe Mode and then a restart to clear up the error.
Start Windows operating system with the Last Known Good Configuration. Starting Windows operating system with the Last Known Good Configuration will return driver and registry settings to the state they were in the last time Windows operating system started up and shut down properly, possibly returning your computer to working order.
Of course this will only work if the cause of your Windows operating system Microsoft login issue is a registry or driver configuration issue. Note: It is safe to try Safe Mode before Last Known Good Configuration because the valuable information that's stored in the registry to make Last Known Good
Configuration work properly isn't written until Windows operating system starts successfully in Normal Mode.
Repair your Windows operating system installation. A common reason for Windows operating system to fail between the Microsoft login screen and the successful loading of the desktop is because one or more important Windows operating system files are damaged or missing. Repairing Windows operating system replaces these important files without removing or changing anything else on your computer.
Note: In Windows operating system 7 and Vista, this is called a Startup Repair. In Windows operating system XP it's referred to as a Repair Installation.
Important: The Windows operating system XP Repair Installation is more complicated and has more drawbacks than the Startup Repair available in later Windows operating system operating systems. If you're using Windows operating system XP, you may want to wait until you have tried Steps 4, 5, and 6 before giving this a try.
Start Windows operating system in Safe Mode and then use System Restore to undo recent changes.
Windows operating system could freeze, stop, or reboot during the Microsoft login process because of damage to a driver, important file, or part of the registry. A System Restore will return all of those things to a time when your computer was working, which could solve your error entirely.
Note: If you cannot enter Safe Mode for some reason, you can also perform a System
Restore from System Recovery Options which is available from the Advanced Boot Options menu in Windows operating system 7 and also from your Windows operating system 7 or Windows operating system Vista Setup DVD.
Important: You will not be able to undo a System Restore if it's done from Safe Mode or from System Recovery Options. You might not care since you cannot get to Windows operating system normally anyway, but it's something I wanted you to be aware of.
Scan your computer for spyware, malware, adware and pc viruses, again from Safe Mode.
A virus or other kind of malware might have caused a specific enough error with a part of Windows operating system to cause it to fail during Microsoft login. Clear the CMOS. Clearing the BIOS memory on your motherboard will return the BIOS settings to their factory default levels. A BIOS misconfiguration could be the reason that Windows operating system cannot get all the way to the desktop.
Important: If clearing the CMOS does fix your Windows operating system Microsoft login error, make sure any changes you make in BIOS are completed one at a time so if the error returns, you'll know which change caused the error.
Replace the CMOS battery if your computer is more than three years old or if it's been off for an extended amount of time.
CMOS batteries are very inexpensive and one that is no longer keeping a charge can cause all sorts of strange behavior at any point during a computer's startup process, all the way up to the loading of the Windows operating system desktop.
Reseat everything in your computer that you can. Reseating will reestablish the various connections inside your computer and could clear up the issue that's preventing Windows operating system from fully starting.
Try reseating the following hardware and then see if Windows operating system will fully start:
Re-seat all internal data and power cables
Re-seat the memory modules
Re-seat any expansion cards
Note: Unplug and reattach your keyboard, mouse, and other external devices as well. Check for causes of electrical shorts inside your computer. An electrical short is sometimes the cause of errors during the Windows operating system Microsoft login process; especially reboot loops and hard freezes.
Test the RAM – Random Access Memory. If one of your computer's RAM modules fails completely, your computer won't even turn on. Most of the time, however, just a part of your computer's memory will fail.
If your system memory is failing, your computer may freeze, stop, or reboot any point, including during or after the Windows operating system Microsoft login process.
Change the memory in your computer if the memory test shows any kind of error.
Important: Make sure you have tried your best to complete the troubleshooting steps up to this one. Steps 11 and 12 both involve more difficult and destructive solutions to Windows operating system not starting fully. It may be that one of the below solutions is necessary to fix your error but if you haven't been diligent in your troubleshooting up to this point, you cannot know for sure that one of the easier solutions above isn't the right one.
Test the pc hard disk drive. A physical error with your pc hard disk drive is certainly a reason why Windows operating system might not start fully. A pc hard disk drive that cannot read and write information properly cannot load the files necessary for Windows operating system to start.
Replace your pc hard disk drive if your tests show an issue. After replacing the pc hard disk drive, you'll need to perform a new installation of Windows operating system.
If no pc hard disk drive issues are found then the pc hard disk drive is physically fine, meaning the cause of your error must be with Windows operating system, in which case the next step will solve the error.
Perform a Clean Install of Windows operating system. This type of installation will completely erase the drive Windows operating system is installed on and then install the operating system again from scratch.
Important: In Step 3, I advised that you try to solve this issue by repairing Windows operating system. Since that method of fixing important Windows operating system files is non-destructive, make sure that you have tried that before the completely destructive, last-resort clean install in this step.
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