Boot failure

[Sinnyone]

Hi all. I have a dell i7 with I think 32m ram. Lately it's been crashing and getting stalled or frozen on bootup. If I play with it eventually I can get it to boot. Iran AV and didn't find anything, it's doing it again. It says it's repairing itself but I'd like to see what it's exactly doing. Is there somewhere it keeps a log? And any other suggestions? I think the hard drive may be starting to fail, but not sure. Yhx

 

[pcrepair]

Your laptop's issues could indeed be related to the hard drive failing, but it could also be due to software problems or other hardware issues. Here are some steps you can take:

Check System Logs
Windows keeps detailed logs of system events, which can help you diagnose what's going wrong:

Event Viewer:

Press Windows + X and select "Event Viewer."
Look under "Windows Logs" for "System" and "Application." Check for any errors or warnings that occurred around the time of your issues.
Reliability Monitor:

Type "Reliability" in the search bar and select "View reliability history."
This provides a timeline of events and issues, which can help pinpoint the cause.
Check Hard Drive Health
If you suspect a failing hard drive, there are several tools you can use:

CHKDSK:

Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
Type chkdsk /f /r and press Enter. This will check the file system and fix logical file system errors and scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
SMART Data:

Download a tool like CrystalDiskInfo to check the SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) status of your drive. This can provide insight into the health of your hard drive.
Other Suggestions
Update Drivers and BIOS:

Ensure all your drivers and BIOS are up to date. Visit Dell's support website and download the latest versions for your model.
Memory Test:

Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to check if there are issues with your RAM.
Type "Windows Memory Diagnostic" in the search bar and follow the prompts.
Safe Mode:

Try booting into Safe Mode to see if the problem persists. If it doesn't, the issue may be related to a driver or software conflict.
Clean Boot:

Perform a clean boot to rule out software conflicts.
Press Windows + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.
Go to the "Services" tab, check "Hide all Microsoft services," and then disable the remaining services.
Restart your computer and see if the issue persists.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, it may be wise to back up your data and consider replacing the hard drive.