So...my computer failed to start once and works fine now...

Baryonyx

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It's a new computer, only got it 3 months or so ago. Anyway, would this just be a one-off glitch for whatever reason or is it a sign of bigger problems/a virus/something else nasty?

Thanks in advance y'all :)
 

defyalllogic

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back up important files.

was it a laptop or desktop?
 

stephenf

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It's imposable to say what is the problem with you computer, without a lot more info.But, I would say If you think a virus, probably not the cause , you must be unprotected ?I find computers can do the odd, strange thing now and again. It may pay you to install a tune up/maintenance package on your computer.A lot of problems are software related and easily sorted out.
 
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Baryonyx

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Thanks :)

It's a laptop by the way and, dunno if this is helps or anything but I use Avast anti-virus which is usually pretty good. Running a virus scan just in case :)

Hope it's nothing serious...nothing annoys me more than computer issues :(
 

stephenf

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It could be a battery problem,a common problem with laptops and some are sensitive to overheating ,you need to keep the vents free from blockages .Also,did you do anything before the problem occurred,loaded a new program? The only thing you can do now, if every thing seems OK ,is, as already been mentioned ,backup any thing important and cross your fingers.
 

defyalllogic

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sometimes the fan jams and they laptop won't turn on because the fan isn't working.

sometimes something gets jostled and loose and then is fine.

sometimes i think my computer is hibernating but it isn't so it won't turn on because the battery died while it it was in my bag. (this is because i have the power setting set a certain way for the plugged in computer vs the unplugged computer, then unplugg it and take it with me... if it's not sleeping/hibernating then the battery will die.) bring it home and plug it in, it charges and works.

Sometimes it just crashes because the demon in the box gets tired and cant work today...
 

Bartholomew

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This could be a sign of eventual hardware or software failure. Vague enough for you? :D

Back everything up, though. Just because it's a relatively new computer doesn't mean it can't have something fatally wrong. Even well known brands like Dell occasionally produce a defective product. Keep the warranty around just in case.

If your computer is expensive, or especially important to you, it might be worth it to pay a professional to peek at it.
 

stormie

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Just because it's a relatively new computer doesn't mean it can't have something fatally wrong. Even well known brands like Dell occasionally produce a defective product. Keep the warranty around just in case.
Yep, doesn't matter whether it's new or a well-known brand. My sister's HP came loaded with the D (recovery)drive of 9 Gg as the main drive, and the C (main)drive of 160 Gg as the recovery drive.

Back-up your important stuff onto a USB and cross your fingers. It should still be under warranty, which is good.
 

defyalllogic

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my gateway laptop has metal hardware parts flopping around inside that shorted it out...
 

ejket

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Even well known brands like Dell occasionally produce a defective product. Keep the warranty around just in case.
Dell has been taking a beating lately. They got caught putting faulty capacitors in a couple million machines and lying about it, and then the SEC nailed them for a different bunch of improprieties. At one time they were considered a dream tech company, but apparently it was all fake: their quarterly earnings were padded by payoffs from Intel.

Sometimes it seems that you have to be careful especially of well-known brands.
 

nonantroll

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Zefiris:
When you say your computer failed to boot, what, exactly, do you mean?
Did you get a black screen, or was there an error message?
If your hard disk is failing, you'll get a message saying "boot device" or "boot sector" not found. If one of Window's boot files is corrupt, you should also get a message.

No message at all can be a BIOS chip fault, and this can ususally be fixed by flashing it with a copy you download from the manufacturer.

Often, as previously mentioned, programs will add a "boot once" link to the start-up queue, and (especially anti-virus and anti-spyware and Microsloth upgrades) these run before you ever get a "Welcome screen" and so all you see is black. The new program load can take several minutes.

The key is to watch your hard disk L.E.D. and check for activity. If it's blinking, you're loading software, so let it run. Once or twice in the past I've almost pulled the plug, thinking I had a virus that was reformatting my hard drive. Then I remembered I'd installed new software.

You can run a disk test to make sure the problem isn't a weak copy of your boot loader, of course, and I'd recommend this if it happens again.

Good luck.