Still having shutdown problem

Barnum · 22 Oct 2013

Took my PC to service shop and they started the diagnostics test, but because I needed to use it over the weekend I picked it up before the test was finished. I will take it back again.

Interestingly though once I got home and got it booted up I set it to never shut off, and now it seems fine. The folks at the shop thought my problem might be a bad hard drive, but of course that is to be determined. My question is, IF it's my hard drive why does it work now when I leave it on? If it were bad wouldn't it quit on me?

If I shut it off I still have problems starting it...have to keep hitting start button until it books and I can click on "start Windows normally".

Kaktussoft · 22 Oct 2013

have to keep hitting start button until it books and I can click on "start Windows normally".

What do you mean by "hitting start button"??

click on "start Windows normally". => You mean you see the "advanced boot options" with "safe mode", "safe mode networking" and so on? Normally this only happens after bad shutdown (crash). Did system crash, did you power off manually because shutdown freezes? Or does it crash and reboot on shutdown?

Barnum · 22 Oct 2013

I mean that when I hit the start button nothing happens. That might happen two or three times. Then suddenly I can get the safe mode screen and when I hit start windows normally it will start. Hope I am explaining myself okay.

Kaktussoft · 22 Oct 2013

Barnum said:

I mean that when I hit the start button nothing happens. That might happen two or three times. Then suddenly I can get the safe mode screen and when I hit start windows normally it will start. Hope I am explaining myself okay.

Really nothing happens, no error whatsover?

Really nothing... no BIOS screen, no error, no disk activity (for more then 1 second)?

Kaktussoft · 22 Oct 2013

When you perform a normal shutdown:

system will logoff the user accounts
shutdowns win7
powers off system

Is system really power off after doing shutdown (so shutdown was finished correctly)? "Advanced boot options" only appear on screen when you reboot after an abnormal shutdown. Or after a crash. Maybe it crashes on first "hitting power on button", but then you must see an error!! Look carefully to the screen and don't with your eyes ;-)

Kaktussoft · 22 Oct 2013

Barnum said:

I mean that when I hit the start button nothing happens. That might happen two or three times. Then suddenly I can get the safe mode screen and when I hit start windows normally it will start. Hope I am explaining myself okay.

"start button" is "power on" button I assume?

Barnum · 22 Oct 2013

Yes, on button. Every once in a while I will see the blue screen with "options" but for the most part I see nothing, until the safe mode screen shows up. I know I am not explaining things well, and sorry about that. I am just hoping to avoid having a new hard drive installed, data copied, etc.. It runs fine when I leave it on all the time....that's what baffles me. When I look at the startup folder it says empty...is that normal?

Kaktussoft · 22 Oct 2013

Barnum said:

Yes, on button. Every once in a while I will see the blue screen with "options" but for the most part I see nothing, until the safe mode screen shows up. I know I am not explaining things well, and sorry about that. I am just hoping to avoid having a new hard drive installed, data copied, etc.. It runs fine when I leave it on all the time....that's what baffles me. When I look at the startup folder it says empty...is that normal?

startup folder empty is quite normal.

Once again really nothing happens when you press power on button (most of the time)? You don't see BIOS flash screen then, no power on light? no disk activity at all?

I have to know what happens

Kaktussoft · 22 Oct 2013

Answer #5 please

Barnum · 22 Oct 2013

Yes that is correct and shutdowns are normal. I have shut down my PC for two years without problems. This just started about a month ago.