Still having shutdown problem

[Barnum]

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]

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]

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]

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]

When you perform a normal shutdown:

1. system will logoff the user accounts
2. shutdowns win7
3. 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]

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]

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]

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]

Answer #5 please

 

[Barnum]

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.

 

[Kaktussoft]

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.

Let's recap: shutdown is normal. System powers off at the end.

System does nothing if clicking on "power on" button. The power on button doesn't even show any light. No BIOS screen at all.

After a few more tries.... power on button does show light. And you DO SEE bios screen. Correct?

 

[Barnum]

Okay, my last attempt at this. I just now shut down my PC twice. When I restarted first time I had to hit the button twice. First time nothing. Second time I saw Windows Starting (words only) and it froze. I the pushed the button again and got to the startup repair/start windows normally screen. I hit start windows normally and it started fine. I have tried the startup repair numerous times but it can never fix problems.

The second time I tried and I got the startup repair/ start windows normally, and when I hit start windows normally it started. I "occasionally" see the blue screen with F8, F11, etc.. but for the most part no. If I am not explaining this to your understanding I will drop it. I just don't know enough about the various terms.

 

[Kaktussoft]

If it simply does NOTHING when pressing power on: power on button is little bit stuck.. it doesn't make contact. Or no power at all (can't understand why it does work the second or third time). If it's simply doing NOTHING when pressing power on it hasn't entered the phase of detecting the harddisk yet. No reason to think disk is faulty.

to prove it 100%: Detacth harddisk from system and (try to) boot from bootable DVD. Then you know for sure it's not harddisk related (so not win7 related as well) but other hardware.

 

[Barnum]

Hmm, I don't have a bootable DVD. My PC came with Windows 7 loaded on it.

 

[Kaktussoft]

Hmm, I don't have a bootable DVD. My PC came with Windows 7 loaded on it.

If you want to prove it, you have to create one bootable DVD. Can be any bootable cd/dvd you want.
Free download Magic Partition Manager Software, partition magic alternative, free partition magic, partition magic Windows 7 and server partition software - Partition Wizard Online the last download for example.

 

[Barnum]

I will simply take it back to the shop. Many thanks for your help...