Help! Desktop shuts down after "Starting Windows" screen

[theonewithnoluck]

Hey guys! I'm sorry if this is in the wrong thread because I'm not sure where should I post this. Please move this thread if it's at the wrong place!

I'm running a Dell Inspiron 580 desktop with Windows 7 (more than 5 years old) and this is the story of what happened to it.

For the past two months or so, the computer will randomly shut down and start giving me 6 beeps. Apparently fiddling with the graphic card (sometimes pushing it, sometimes reseating it) does the job until today.

I tried reseating the graphics card and it gave me 4 beeps instead. I reseated my RAM cards and my graphic card and suddenly it turns on - and I was happy. Until it suddenly shuts down at the "Starting Windows".

So I tried to use Start Up repair which loads finish and bring me to a blank black screen and eventually shuts down after a minute or so. Safe mode works though. I tried restoring to earlier configuration using F8, I tried fiddling with F2 and F12. I tried uninstalling my video/graphic card driver. I'm not sure what else to try anymore.

I'm kind of a computer noob so I will really appreciate if some kind souls out there can help me with my issue. Thanks in advance!

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

do u know of those beep means ? like was it indicated in ur manual?

but overall i would say maybe its ur mobo is failing

 

[Koenig168]

6 beeps - video card error
4 beeps - RAM error

Your Win 7 has probably been corrupted by all the BSODs. Suggest you do a clean reinstallation of Win 7. Better yet, upgrade to Win 10 and do a clean install.

Please don't forget to backup your data to an external drive first.

 

[theonewithnoluck]

do u know of those beep means ? like was it indicated in ur manual?

but overall i would say maybe its ur mobo is failing

Hey since my motherboard is AMI something so I Googled their beep codes and I got 6 beeps as some kind of Gate A20 failure and 4 beeps as system timer failure which both sounds serious and I have no idea how to fix them ):

 

[theonewithnoluck]

6 beeps - video card error
4 beeps - RAM error

Your Win 7 has probably been corrupted by all the BSODs. Suggest you do a clean reinstallation of Win 7. Better yet, upgrade to Win 10 and do a clean install.

Please don't forget to backup your data to an external drive first.

Hey do upgrading my softwares fix those seemingly hardware issues? And is Windows 10 good? Haha I have been rescheduling it's upgrades every single time I use the computer.

And is it easier to just clean upgrade my computer? There isn't anything I need to keep (hopefully that's the case since I don't use anything other than the Web browsers) and maybe not keep old files will make the system faster and hopefully free from any past hidden viruses haha

 

[Koenig168]

Hey do upgrading my softwares fix those seemingly hardware issues? And is Windows 10 good? Haha I have been rescheduling it's upgrades every single time I use the computer.

And is it easier to just clean upgrade my computer? There isn't anything I need to keep (hopefully that's the case since I don't use anything other than the Web browsers) and maybe not keep old files will make the system faster and hopefully free from any past hidden viruses haha

Win 10 will not solve your hardware issues. Since the beeps stopped after you re-seated the GPU and RAM, presumably it was a connection problem.

I like Win 10 but some people don't.

A clean installation is definitely better. Technically, you should be able to do a clean Win 10 install but I suggest you upgrade from Win 7 to Win 10 first and then do a clean install.

 

[Entry Level PC]

Either Hardware Loose or OS got issue.
Try
1) Using without GPU and using Onboard IGP
2) Try using single slot ram, trying different slots
3) If 1) & 2) liao Window Startup Problem still persist, plz go reinstall OS.

 

[radiobox]

To find out if it is a hardware or software issue. Make a bootable linux mint usb thumbdrive, any usb thumbdirve with more than 4gb will do, boot pc from usb, if you can use linux mint live boot to browse internet, watch youtube than is more toward software problem.

 

[marc2002]

It cld be ur gfx temp issues. Thats wat happened for me a yr back (found that mygfx fan went dead), when power up, its ok, but by the time hit windows loading the screen will go black. i reset also no use. need to force power down and wait at least 5-15mins (to cool down) then it will power up, but still cant force thru to windows (screen black out). Changed the gfx and every ok liao.

 

[theonewithnoluck]

It cld be ur gfx temp issues. Thats wat happened for me a yr back (found that mygfx fan went dead), when power up, its ok, but by the time hit windows loading the screen will go black. i reset also no use. need to force power down and wait at least 5-15mins (to cool down) then it will power up, but still cant force thru to windows (screen black out). Changed the gfx and every ok liao.

Hmm I think my fan is running when it's turned on? Or do you mean another fan? I have two in my desktop and both are spinning (not sure if that means they are fine)

 

[theonewithnoluck]

To find out if it is a hardware or software issue. Make a bootable linux mint usb thumbdrive, any usb thumbdirve with more than 4gb will do, boot pc from usb, if you can use linux mint live boot to browse internet, watch youtube than is more toward software problem.

Hello! I was actually using the computer that day and it seemed fine until it suddenly hang and shut down on me so I'm assuming it's actually hardware issue? Didn't make any changes to it so why will the software be changed. Correct me if I'm wrong because I really know nothing about computers

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

Hmm I think my fan is running when it's turned on? Or do you mean another fan? I have two in my desktop and both are spinning (not sure if that means they are fine)

spinning sometime doesn't means that ur gpu is ok, cos if some parts are spoil on the gpu and it does not show u anything its as good as been a dead gpu, but power still transferred to the gpu board.

 

[theonewithnoluck]

spinning sometime doesn't means that ur gpu is ok, cos if some parts are spoil on the gpu and it does not show u anything its as good as been a dead gpu, but power still transferred to the gpu board.

Ohh I see, how do I go about checking whether it's working then?

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

Ohh I see, how do I go about checking whether it's working then?

there is no other way beside testing it on another pc.

 

[pwongkk]

I experienced before. Problem was due to a faulty psu.

 

[theonewithnoluck]

there is no other way beside testing it on another pc.

So I have to remove the fan and put it on another pc and see if that one can boot fully? Seems like a daunting task because the fan look so difficult to remove. Which fan are you referring to, the one on the motherboard or the one in the graphics card?

 

[theonewithnoluck]

I experienced before. Problem was due to a faulty psu.

Hey! How do I check if my power supply is faulty? Is it the plug/wire or the power box within the cpu itself?

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

So I have to remove the fan and put it on another pc and see if that one can boot fully? Seems like a daunting task because the fan look so difficult to remove. Which fan are you referring to, the one on the motherboard or the one in the graphics card?

I mean u move the whole GPU to another system to test. Dun need to remove.

 

[theonewithnoluck]

I mean u move the whole GPU to another system to test. Dun need to remove.

So just try my graphics card on another desktop?

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

So just try my graphics card on another desktop?

yup. just use another system to test if its really gpu having issues or not.