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Why won't Windows 7 start and how can I restore it to start?

Why won't Windows 7 start? Loading the operating system may fail for a variety of reasons: due to a hardware failure, due to incorrectly installed software, due to viruses, but most often due to problems in Windows itself. To make the description of the process of searching for the source of the failure more clear, we will first analyze the startup sequence of the seven.

Windows 7 Boot Steps

The launch of Windows 7 is conventionally divided into three stages, which are divided into phases.

OSLoader

OSLoader is the first stage of loading Windows 7, which begins immediately after executing the BOIS code. At the beginning of this stage, a small group of basic drivers is loaded, necessary for further reading data from the hard drive. Next, winload.exe, the Windows 7 loader, proceeds to initialize and begin loading the kernel, loading the SYSTEM registry hive and the next batch of drivers with the BOOT_START launch parameter into RAM.

The OSLoader stage lasts 2-3 seconds. By the time the system logo appears on the screen, it is already completed.

MainPathBoot

MainPathBoot is the main and longest stage of Windows boot. Consists of several phases. Visually, this stage continues from the appearance of the system logo on the screen and ends with the start of loading the desktop. The duration of this stage can vary - on average, from ten seconds to a couple of minutes.

PreSMSS phase

During this phase, the Windows 7 kernel is fully initialized, the plug and play hardware manager is launched, and previously running BOOT_START drivers and hardware drivers are initialized.

Errors that occur during this phase are often associated with problems with the main computer devices or their drivers.

SMSSInit phase

The phase begins from the moment control is transferred to the session manager - SMSS.exe. At this time, the remaining registry hives are initialized and drivers are loaded with the “auto” launch parameter. At the end of the phase, control passes to the Winlogon.exe file, the Windows user logon program. Visually, the completion of SMSSInit is indicated by the appearance of a login prompt on the screen.

Crashes and slowdowns during this phase are often due to delays in loading the video driver or problems with the video subsystem.

WinLogonInit phase

This phase begins with the start of Winlogon.exe (the welcome screen) and ends with loading the desktop - the start of the Windows shell - the file Explorer.exe. During its progress, the system reads and executes group policy scripts and starts services (system and third-party). The phase can last quite a long time and be accompanied by high processor load.

Failures at this stage are often caused by third-party application services, including antivirus.

ExplorerInit phase

It begins with the start of the shell and ends with the start of the desktop window manager process. During this phase, desktop icons appear on the screen. At the same time, services are further launched, startup applications start, data caching, etc. All this is accompanied by a high load on hardware resources - hard drive, memory, processor.

Problems and delays during ExplorerInit are often due to insufficient power or hardware failure.

PostBoot

The PostBoot stage begins with the appearance of the desktop and ends after everything that is specified in autorun has been loaded. During this period, the bulk of applications launched with Windows begin to work. After the end of the stage, the system goes into inactivity.

Delays and failures at the PostBoot stage are associated with startup programs, and sometimes with virus activity.

Failures at various stages of system boot

As already briefly mentioned, problems at different stages of Windows 7 startup manifest themselves in different ways: some are related to hardware, others to drivers, and others to the system registry or other boot-critical files. By understanding what processes occur at each stage of system startup, you can determine the range of possible problems.

Briefly about hardware problems

We will not dwell on hardware problems in detail, since our topic concerns Windows 7, but sometimes it can be very difficult to determine what is broken - a physical device or a system.

Repeated failure of the same driver at the Windows startup stage may be due to a malfunction of the device controlled by this driver.
A series of various errors (blue screens of death) that occur at different stages of boot are often caused by problems with RAM.
The absence of an image or artifacts on the screen, while the sounds of the system booting can be heard, may indicate problems with the video card.
If Windows does not even start loading or suddenly stops – “freezes” in one place – it is possible that the hard drive is failing.
Sudden shutdowns of the computer while Windows is loading indicate problems with the power supply or motherboard, and sometimes something else.

Corrupt boot files

During the early stages of Windows startup, damage or missing critical files may indicate “Bootmgr is missing” or other error messages on the screen. But it happens that no messages are displayed, and the user simply sees a black screen with or without an arrow cursor.

Bootmgr - the bootloader of the Windows 7 and 8 operating systems, like other boot elements, is inaccessible to the user - it is located in a separate hidden partition and cannot be deleted accidentally. However, the user may unknowingly format this partition by booting from external media. Then Windows will not boot.

The screenshot shows the boot partition of the hard drive, accessed from the recovery environment.

Another part of the files important for downloading is located on the system disk in the C:Windows directory and subdirectories. The system registry is also located there.

Registry corruption

If the registry is inaccessible or damaged, Windows may not even start loading.

The system itself will inform you about the failure and automatically launch the built-in recovery wizard. It often helps to identify and fix the problem - the registry will be restored from a backup copy.

But self-healing Windows 7 booting is not always possible. Thus, it does not occur if the recovery wizard cannot find backup copies of missing or damaged data. In these cases, the system needs the user's help.

Windows 7 startup recovery

Recovery Environment

Restoring the boot of Windows 7 is much more convenient than Windows XP, because the seven is equipped with a set of Windows Recovery Tools (WRT), which is accessible from the recovery environment. The recovery environment during Windows installation is installed on the hard drive, in a separate partition, and has its own bootloader. Therefore, it remains operational no matter what happens to the system.

To get to the recovery environment, select “Troubleshoot your computer” from the F8 menu (Windows 7 advanced startup options menu).

To access the recovery options, the system will ask you to enter a password. If you do not have administrator rights or have forgotten your password, you will have to run Windows 7 Recovery Environment from the installation disc.

After the “System Recovery Options” window opens in front of you, select the first option from the list: “Startup Recovery”. After self-diagnosis, damaged boot files, registry or individual startup parameters will be restored.

This tool helps solve the problem in most cases, and should be used when you don’t know exactly why Windows won’t start.

Two ways to restore the system

If a failure occurred after installing the program, due to a virus infection or due to changes in the registry, “System Restore” will help restore the seven’s ability to boot. But it will only be useful if recovery checkpoints have been saved on the hard drive.

The way this tool works is familiar to many: you select a suitable checkpoint when the system was functioning normally and perform a rollback. Any changes made after the selected date will disappear and you will be able to boot into Windows normally.

If there are no points, but you saved a backup copy of the system on an external drive, the “System Image Restore” tool will help. Connect the media with the archive image to your computer and follow the instructions in the recovery wizard.

Manual registry repair

If the above manipulations did not help and Windows is unclear why, but does not start, you can try to manually restore the registry from a backup copy. A copy of the Windows 7 registry is automatically created every 10 days and stored in the C:WindowsSystem32configregback directory. To restore the system, you need to copy all 5 files from the above folder to the C:WindowsSystem32config folder, where the current registry files are located. It is better not to delete old files, but to rename them (as a last resort).

From the list of options, select Command Prompt. Open it and command notepad Launch Notepad - you will need it to launch Windows Explorer.

In the notepad window, go to the “File” menu and select “Open” from it.

Go to the C:WindowsSystem32config directory. To see everything in this folder, change the file type from .txt to “all files”.
The files Default, Sam, Security, System and Software (without extension) are the current registry. Rename them to something - add at least the .old extension to them.

Open the Regback folder with your backup registry files and copy them one by one to the config folder.

After you have copied everything, restart your computer. If Windows failed to load due to the fault of the registry, the problem will be solved.

The reboot button is located at the bottom of the Recovery Options window.

File recovery

Windows' own tool for restoring protected files, the sfc.exe utility, can be successfully launched in the recovery environment. It is usually launched with the /scannow parameter to automatically search for and fix problems found. In the recovery environment, you will also have to specify additional parameters: the location of the offline boot directory and the offline Windows directory (for the recovery environment, the Windows folder and the drive where it is located are offline directories) These are the /offbootdir and /offwindir parameters.

The complete command is written as shown in the picture:

In offbootdir you need to specify the path to the system disk, and in offwindir you need to specify the path to the Windows folder. Just remember that in the recovery environment, the partition letters may not match those that you see in Explorer when you normally boot Windows. The “correct” letters can be viewed by opening Explorer using a notepad.

If Windows 7 still won't start after this, you may have to manually repair your boot files, as well as rewrite your hard drive's Master Boot Record (MBR) and the system partition's boot code. Windows' own tools will also help you with this.

To recreate the boot files, open a command prompt and run the following command: bcdboot.exe C:Windows. Don't mix up the partition letter.

To rewrite the MBR and VBR (partition boot code), run the following commands: bootrec/fixmbr And bootrec/fixboot.

After that, check the download.

You came home from school or work, decided to check new messages in your email inbox and social networks, turned on your computer with the latest version of the Windows operating system installed on it, but for some reason the OS refused to start normally. What to do, if Windows 7 won't load?

There may be a lot of reasons why Windows 7 won't load., ranging from problems with installed software to hardware malfunction. Usually, if any of the computer parts are faulty, this can be heard during the initial testing of the computer components.

Surely, when you booted your computer, you heard a short beep coming not from the speakers, but from the built-in speaker in the system unit. This signal means that all computer components are working properly. If there is no signal, or if the signal is long or there are several of them, this indicates a malfunction of one of the components. That’s why Windows 7 won’t boot. You can read about what exactly these or other signals mean during boot.

But what to do if, judging by the signal, everything is fine with the “stuffing” of the computer, but the operating system still does not boot? If you have two hard drives, the boot order in the BIOS may be out of order: The first disk in the boot queue is not the one on which the system is installed. Naturally, the system cannot boot. To check this guess, you need to check the boot queue when you boot the computer (how to do this should be written in the instructions for your motherboard) and, if necessary, change it.

If the desired disk is first in the boot queue, remember Have you installed any new programs or connected new devices?. Perhaps this is where the problem lies (especially if the operating system loaded normally before, but crashed immediately after installation). What to do in this case?

Try again the next time you boot your computer. If you succeed, first check and remove all unnecessary programs from there. If you recently installed a program or piece of hardware and think it might be the problem, try uninstalling the program in Safe Mode or disabling the hardware and uninstalling the associated driver. It also wouldn’t hurt to scan your computer for viruses using one of the antivirus utilities in safe mode.

If Windows 7 does not boot even in safe mode, try to find an installation disk with the operating system - it will be useful to you. Most likely, the problem is a damaged MBR (Master Boot Record), the installation disk will help restore the MBR and, accordingly, normal loading of the operating system.

Insert the Windows 7 installation disk or system recovery disk into the drive and boot from disk(usually to boot from disk you need to press a certain key at boot or set the boot priority in the BIOS). If you are prompted to select a language when booting from a disk, do so, and then select recovery from the list of suggested options.

You will have to wait for some time for the computer to collect information about the installed systems and offer you a list of possible systems to restore. You need to select the appropriate Windows installation. You may be prompted to automatically fix your system. Why not try it - it might help. If you don’t want to try automatic correction, you just need to select “No”.

The next step will be the system recovery settings window. Here you can start with the Startup Repair option - restoring startup in automatic mode. It is also possible to restore the MBR manually. To do this, select command line mode and enter the following commands at the command prompt:

bootrec.exe /fixmbr
bootrec.exe /fixboot

The first command will restore the MBR (in some cases this is quite enough), the second - boot sector of the system hard disk partition and boot configuration data. After completing the recovery, restart the computer without the boot disk in the drive.

As you can see, there are several reasons why Windows 7 does not load, so the ways to solve this problem may be different. In advanced cases, it may be necessary to reinstall the system, but Usually it is possible to solve the problem in other ways.

Very often we encounter operating system problems. The issue is especially unpleasant when Windows 7 does not start at all. But let’s look at everything in more detail. In order to correctly and reliably understand this issue, it would be good to study its main components.

After all, this problem does not happen on its own. In the article we will also tell you what to do to try to quickly resume Windows 7 (if possible).

You can contact our service for a solution to this and other problems of laptops and computers using the contacts in the header of the site and our specialists will do the work inexpensively, efficiently and on time

And so, let's go.

The operating system (OS) Windows 7 and its predecessors are very popular, and a huge amount of money is spent on their development. Despite this, it happens that they often do not work very stable or do not want to start at all.

Moreover, it would seem that you didn’t do anything special at the computer, but Windows works unstable and incorrectly. Well, since a lot of important and necessary information is usually stored on the computer (), a sudden interruption in work can bring a lot of trouble.

You have to take the computer in for repairs, and there is a possibility of losing all important information on the hard drive (as a result, if you try to solve the problem yourself). And these are usually working documents and educational documents, ranging from electronic lectures to coursework and a host of other important files.

Almost everything lost (deleted) can be restored; for more details about this service, read the article recover data. Therefore, you should never hope that “it will carry me through.”

It is important to understand that many problems can be avoided by treating the operating system correctly.

Common reasons why Windows 7 won't start

One of the reasons is the inability to boot due to damage to the OS registry, as a result of which it cannot boot and proceeds according to instructions, i.e. does a reboot in the hope that the next boot will fix the problem.

The situation is, of course, not simple; to understand it, it is worth finding out the possible reasons for its occurrence.

So why might Windows 7 crash? This usually happens for the following reasons:

Failure in computer parts, which can also occur due to problems with the network power supply
Malicious programs or viruses that damage the registry itself (you need a good antivirus, even a free but reliable one will do)
Hard drive failures - its complete or partial failure. Most often without special repairs. service or replacement is not necessary. Moreover, it would be nice to always monitor its status, since you can instantly, if it breaks, lose all your accumulated files on your computer
Problems with the file system can be restored, but the process is not simple and requires special knowledge and tools
Also, if you installed some new device due to which a failure occurs, namely a problem with the drivers of this device, which simply may not be suitable for this operating system
And, what happens not so rarely is mechanical damage to the hard drive, i.e. if you somehow dropped or hit it (the system unit gave in or the laptop was dropped, etc.) or its service life has simply expired

If we summarize for the reasons listed above, then at home you can only cope with point 2.5 at best. Most often, you cannot do without additional help. You ask, what is the benefit of the article then? Well at least:

You save time, do not waste it on unsuccessful attempts to fix the problem, but immediately turn to professional help. This way you save time and sometimes money
You will also find information here about what breakdowns most often occur, which means you will pay more attention to these points in order to prevent them (fortunately there is plenty of information here on the site and on the Internet in general) or to know how to act most quickly when they occur, which again saves time

It’s unfortunate to conclude, but if you still can’t start Windows 7, you’ll have to reinstall it

There is a lot of information on this site on this issue in case the OS no longer starts and you have to reinstall it. In general, in most cases, this is the most reliable way to get a new high-quality and fast-running Windows.

True, we should not forget that only an experienced master can reliably carry out this process. If you decide to use the services of such a specialist, then simply contact us using the contacts in the header of the site. Don't worry, we're not saying that only we can do this, not at all.

If you can also reinstall and configure Windows quite well, then that’s just great. But it often happens that the user does not have such an opportunity, so in this case we offer our services so that the PC can be restored as quickly and reliably as possible.

Conclusion

And so we have looked at the main ways you can try to get out of the situation when for some reason Windows 7 does not start. Many other factors can influence the startup, we have looked at the most basic ones. We recommend that you contact our service for quality assistance and get the fastest, stably working computer or laptop.

In many cases, the inability to boot Windows 7 may simply be due to an incorrect boot order in the BIOS. This can happen if you have more than one hard drive installed in your computer. Typically, entering the BIOS occurs a few seconds after turning on the computer by pressing a button Delete or by pressing a special function key. Once you enter the BIOS, make sure your Windows 7 hard drive is in the correct place in the boot queue. If you don't know where to look, read the instructions for your motherboard.

Another possible reason for your computer not detecting Windows during boot is a hardware problem. If the BIOS cannot detect your system drive, then make sure that all cables are connected to it properly. If your hard drive makes strange noises, like clicking and tapping sounds, then it may be broken. Finally, it is possible that your hard drive is experiencing data corruption issues affecting important system data, such as the Master Boot Record (MBR).

If you suspect your drive has failed, it's a good idea to back up important data, scan it for errors from another computer, and even consider purchasing a replacement drive. Trying to fix a boot problem on a damaged drive may result in data loss, so back up your data before you do anything.

The MBR and other important boot data can also be corrupted by attempts to install earlier versions of Windows other than Windows 7 (like Windows XP) or by third-party programs such as viruses. In the case of a virus, even before any “corrective” actions, it is recommended to scan the disk using an anti-virus program. Otherwise, attempts to fix a disk with a virus may result in data loss.

Also, the appearance of messages about boot data corruption may be caused by incorrectly setting the active disk partition, which may come from an overly inquisitive Windows user with administrative rights.

Fixing MBR and other Windows 7 boot problems is most quickly accomplished by using a Windows 7 installation DVD. But if you don't have one, then an alternative is to use a Windows 7 system repair disc, which we'll show you how to create below.

If you don't have either an installation DVD or a recovery disc, then do yourself a big favor by creating a recovery disc now to avoid unnecessary headaches in the future.

Step one: Turn on your computer by booting from either the Windows 7 installation DVD or the Windows 7 system recovery disc. Be aware that you may have to change the boot order in the BIOS to boot from the DVD.

Step two: When booting from your installation disk or recovery disk, you may be asked to select a language. Select it and then continue downloading. If you are using the installation DVD, when prompted below (or similar in another language), select Repair your computer.

Step three: It will take the computer some time to search for installed Windows, after which you will be provided with a list of possible recoverable Windows. Select the appropriate installation and continue. If, by chance, a problem is discovered in one of your Windows installations at this early stage, the system may ask you if you want it to automatically fix it. Here you can decide for yourself - whether to allow the system to correct itself or not? If you do not want automatic correction, then simply select “no” (No).

Step four: Once you reach the System Recovery Options screen, as shown below, you will be faced with a list of choices that can help you recover your damaged Windows 7.

If you wish, you can first try the Startup Repair option, which often automatically solves many boot problems. However, in this article, we will use the Command Prompt option to solve our problems manually. Therefore, to continue, click on Command Prompt.

Step five: Once at the command prompt, type the following command and press Enter:

If it is completed successfully, you will see a corresponding welcome message, such as “The operation completed successfully.” This is what you need! Your MBR has been restored!

Even though the above command fixes the MBR (and sometimes that's enough), there may still be an error with the system partition's boot sector and Boot Configuration Data (BCD). This may happen if you tried to install another operating system in addition to Windows 7, such as Windows XP. To write a new boot sector, try the following command:

If your Windows 7 is still not detected when you boot your computer, or you want to include more than one operating system in the system boot list, try the following command to rebuild your BCD:

bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd

The above command will scan all your drives for other Windows 7 compatible operating systems and allow you to add them to the system's boot list. If this doesn't work, then you may need to backup your old BCD folder and create a new one using the commands below:

bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
c:
cd boot
attrib bcd -s -h -r
ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
bootrec /RebuildBcd

Some users simply delete the old boot folder and try the above steps to solve their boot problems. But it is not recommended to do this.

After deliberately changing the active partition on our system drive during system boot, we encountered a BOOTMGR is missing error, which prevented us from booting Windows. This is a common error that occurs when you start “playing” with partitions on the system disk. And solving it can cause a serious headache if you don’t prepare for it in advance.

To reverse the active partition, use your Windows 7 recovery disc or installation DVD and follow the steps below.

Step one: Follow the above steps (one through four). This should take you to the Windows recovery environment command prompt.

Step two: Type DiskPart and then press Enter.

Step three: Type List Disk and press Enter. This command will list all the drives connected to your computer and assign numbers to them.

Step four: Enter Select Disk x, where x is the number of the disk containing the partition you want to make active. Press Enter.

Step five: Type List Partition and press Enter. This will allow you to see a list of partitions on the selected drive. Determine which section you want to make active.

Step six: Enter Select Partition x, where x is the number of the partition you want to make active. Press Enter.

Step seven: Now just type Active and press Enter. This command will make the section you selected active.

How to create a Windows 7 system repair disc

Windows 7 makes it easy to create your own system recovery disk, if, of course, you already have the operating system installed and running.

Step one: Click on the Start button -> Programs -> Maintenance -> Create a system repair disk.

Step two: Insert a blank CD or DVD into your optical drive.

Step three: Click on the create disk button and let the program do its job.

Just what you need! The program only needs to write 140-160MB of data to disk (depending on the type of operating system), which should only take a few minutes. If you don't have a CD/DVD-R optical drive that you could use to create a recovery disc (and for subsequent use), then you can download an ISO image of a Windows 7 system recovery disc and then use it to create bootable USB flash drive.

Step one: Download the Windows 7 system recovery disk image (link).

To download you will need a torrent client such as µTorrent. Alternatively (if you have a DVD drive), you can use the Windows 7 installation disc or the Windows 7 system recovery disc. In this case, you should skip straight to step seven.

By the way, using the Windows 7 installation disk in the seventh step, you can not only restore the system, but also install Windows 7 from a USB drive, which can be very useful if you are a netbook user.

Step two: Open a command prompt with administrator rights. To do this, click on the Start button -> Programs -> Accessories -> right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step three: After confirming all UAC prompts, you should be at the command prompt. Make sure your USB flash drive is connected to your computer, then type DiskPart and press Enter.

Step four: Type List Disk and press Enter. Determine which number corresponds to your USB flash drive. In our case, the USB flash drive corresponds to Disk 1. We determined this by the capacity of the flash drive, which we have is 2GB.

Step five: Enter the following commands in order, changing the disk number to your own. Warning - Running the commands below will erase all data on your USB flash drive or drive of your choice.

Select Disk 1
Clean
Create Partition Primary
Select Partition 1
Active
Format FS=NTFS

Step six: Once DiskPart has successfully formatted your USB flash drive (which may take a few minutes), you need to enter the following commands:

Step seven: Now you need to copy the contents of the ISO image (or DVD) you downloaded to your USB flash drive. It's just a couple of folders and a file. To extract files from an ISO image, you will need a program like WinRAR.

Step eight: Now that the files have been copied, you need to make your USB flash drive bootable. To do this you need to download a small file bootsect.exe. This file can also be found in the boot directory of the Windows 7 installation disk. After downloading, place bootsect.exe in the root folder of your USB flash drive.

Step nine: Back at the command prompt, you need to change the current directory to the root directory of the USB flash drive. In our case, the flash drive corresponds to the letter E, so we will use the following commands:

e:
bootsect /nt60 e:

The bootsect command will add compatible boot code to the specified volume. If everything goes well, you will receive a bootable, recovery USB flash drive. However, when using it, do not forget that it must be indicated in the BIOS boot list.

In this article we will look at all the popular reasons why Windows 7 or xp does not load on a laptop or computer and a black screen with inscriptions appears. Those. Possible software problems and ways to resolve them will be discussed. This will be a continuation of the first part of our review, in which we looked at possible options for why the computer does not boot, and hardware problems (with hardware). So, if you haven’t found the answer to your question here, be sure to read the first part - maybe it’s there.

If your PC shows absolutely no signs of life and does not react in any way to pressing the power button, then we recommend that you read the article why your computer won’t start. It discusses the main causes and ways to eliminate this breakdown. But don’t forget that if you don’t want to deal with the problem yourself, you can always contact our service and order computer repair at home.

We tried to make this review as complete as possible and collected all the most popular reasons why Windows 7 or xp does not start on a computer or laptop. Each case has been encountered many times in our practice. But it is also possible that you will not find a solution to your problem. In this case, write in the comments and we will try to help you.

On a black screen there is an inscription: NTLDR is missing and Windows does not boot

This is one of the most common reasons why Windows xp or 7 does not start. The message "NTLDR is missing" is translated as "NTLDR is missing." NTLDR is a boot file for the operating system, which requires three files (NTLDR, boot.ini and ntdetect.com) to be present on the active partition of the hard drive from which it is configured to boot. If at least one of the files is missing or there is no access to it, then Windows 7 or xp will not boot and will give an error.

Possible reasons and what to do:

The NTLDR, ntdetect.com, and boot.ini files have been moved or completely removed from the disk containing the operating system. In this case, you need to copy the missing computer files from the working OS.
Severe virus infection - a deep scan of the PC for viruses is necessary. You may also need to restore damaged system files.
Too many files have accumulated in the root directory of the system disk.

Unfortunately, due to the peculiarities of the NTFS file system, which is used on most modern computers, simply deleting unnecessary files from the root directory of the system partition is unlikely to help eliminate the problem - Windows will not start anyway. Additionally, you may need to copy boot files from your work PC.

If several operating systems are installed on the hard drive at once, then a conflict may have occurred between them.

You can fix this problem by booting the computer using the operating system recovery disk and manually editing the boot.ini file, which is responsible for the OS boot order.

Windows XP won't boot due to registry problems

As a rule, this problem is specific to this version of the operating system. In the newer ones (seven, eight, ten) we did not encounter such a problem.

Before booting begins, one of the following messages appears on a black screen:

Windows cannot start because the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM file is corrupted or missing;
Windows cannot start because the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE file is corrupted or missing.

These messages mean that your operating system registry is faulty. There may be several reasons why this could happen and now Windows XP does not start:

Your PC has become infected with a virus.
You incorrectly shut down your computer by forcibly turning it off using a button or unplugging the cord from the outlet.
Your hard drive is failing (or has already failed).

There are several ways in which you can restore functionality to your operating system. If everything goes well, this can be done even without reinstalling the entire system. But all these methods require deep knowledge of PC software.

A beginner, having made even a small mistake or inaccuracy, risks losing the opportunity for subsequent successful recovery. In addition, you may need to restore personal information located on your hard drive. Therefore, we recommend contacting specialists for this problem.

The following message appears on the black screen: BOOTMGR is missing

"BOOTMGR is missing" is translated as "BOOTMGR is missing." If Windows 7 or XP does not boot and this message appears, it means that the boot sector is missing or damaged.

This could happen due to incorrect installation of programs, a failure in the operating system, careless user actions, or problems with the hard drive. Before trying to resolve the error, you need to diagnose the hard drive for bad sectors.

In order to fix this problem, you will need the boot disk from which you installed Windows. You need to boot your computer from the disk and select “Startup Repair” in “System Recovery Options.”

In this case, the boot sector will be restored automatically. If after this Windows 7 still won’t start, and you don’t know what to do, then it’s better to contact the service. Because restoring the boot sector manually is a very difficult operation. Careless actions can lead to the loss of all information stored on the computer.

Why Windows won't boot and freezes during boot

Many have encountered a problem when, when starting the operating system, a logo with a creeping line appears and the computer freezes. There is no point in waiting an hour, two or a day - Windows will not start.

Here are the main reasons why this can happen:

The operating system has been heavily infected with viruses - in this case, a full scan of the system disk for viruses can help. You can do this by booting your computer from a rescue disk or by connecting the hard drive to another computer.
The operating system has crashed

You can try booting into safe mode and performing a system restore, or try performing a “Last Known Known Configuration” boot. Very often this helps solve the problem. To do this, immediately after turning on the PC, start pressing the “F8” key. A menu should appear where you can select this download option.

Computer hard drive failure.

Due to improper use or simply over time, bad sectors may appear on the hard drive. The information that was written to them becomes inaccessible and, as a result, Windows 7 or XP may stop loading and freeze during the boot process. You can restore and replace bad sectors, but it would be best to replace the hard drive itself. You can read it.

Also, if such a malfunction occurs, you can try “Load last known known configuration”. If this still does not bring results, then in the same menu try the “Safe Mode” item (in English this may be “Safe mode”). When it turns on, try to rollback to the previous state. To do this, in “Start”, find and run “System Restore”.

Blue screen of death appears

Another popular problem is when Windows 7 does not load beyond the logo, but a “blue screen of death” appears. In this case, you will also need to bring up the boot menu using the "F8" key.

There should be an item in the menu called “Troubleshoot your computer.” Click it and the “Recovery Options” window should appear on your screen.

Let us briefly examine the points that are contained in it.

Startup Repair - automatically analyzes problems that prevent Windows 7 from starting and attempts to fix them. It doesn't always help, but it's definitely worth a try.
System Restore - from here you can also “roll back” the system, just like from safe mode.
Restoring a system image - if you have a saved system image on your hard drive, you can restore using it.
Windows memory diagnostics - check system memory for errors.
The command line is for “advanced users”. Using it you can delete, copy or move files manually.

So, first of all, try using the “Startup Repair” item, if that doesn’t help, then “System Restore”.

In this article, we looked at the main reasons caused by a software malfunction of the computer, due to which Windows very often does not boot. We hope that we were able to answer all the questions and clearly explain what to do in this case.

If you have not been able to figure out on your own the reason why Windows 7 or XP does not start on your computer or laptop, and you do not know what to do next, then you can always turn to us for help - the computer help center website. Our service technicians will quickly and accurately determine the cause of the breakdown and eliminate all faults. In addition, they will give valuable advice on how to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Also write your questions in the comments. And you will definitely get an answer to them.

Why won't Windows 7 start? Why won't Windows load? Solutions to the problem