I have had problems with my desktop computer for some time; it was often freezing at startup, usually after login and while connecting to the network, but it could occur at any moment between the “Starting Windows” screen and the end of the boot process.
Recovering the system using the Windows installation CD didn’t work (it wouldn’t locate the installed system) so I just reinstalled Windows 7 yesterday night. I also temporarily disabled the network adapter because I wanted to install antivirus, firewall and spyware checking software before allowing it on the net - I have the install files on a flash drive.
However, when I switched the thing on this morning, it got stuck at the “Starting Windows” screen. The four-colour Windows logo thingy was swirling and pulsing as it normally does during boot, but there was no progress and I heard no hard drive noise after a bit. I tried going in Startup Repair mode but it couldn’t find anything wrong. Yet rebooting just gave me the same results - twice.
Well, I managed to get the computer in Safe Mode and now the computer is checking the disk, including bad sectors and the like. Not sure if that will bring anything up as I’ve already checked the disk last week with no particular bad results.
All this is really frustrating. I’d understand if I messed up the system (viruses, spyware and whatnot) but this was a fresh install. At the moment I really can’t afford to buy a new computer so I’d prefer to sort this out if possible.
What else should I check?