Computer won't turn on, won't boot, or shows a blue screen

Work out which of these you have first, because the causes are entirely different:

• No lights, no fans, nothing at all — power.
• Lights and fans, but a black screen — display or hardware.
• Stuck on the Dell logo or a spinning circle — Windows or storage.
• A blue screen with an error — driver, update, or hardware.

No power at all

1. Check the wall socket with something else — a lamp, a phone charger.
2. Check both ends of the power cable. They work loose, especially on desktops that get moved.
3. Check the power strip and its switch. And whether its breaker has tripped.
4. Desktop: look for a small switch on the power supply at the back, marked I and O. It should be on I.
5. Laptop: plug in the charger and look for a charging light. No light at the charger, on a socket you have proven works, means a failed adapter — and a spare is a quick fix while we sort a replacement.
6. Drain residual power. Unplug everything, hold the power button down for 30 seconds, then reconnect only power and try again. This clears a surprising number of dead-machine cases.

Power but no display

1. Check the monitor is on and set to the right input. Monitors have their own power button and input selector, and both get changed by accident.
2. Reseat the video cable at both ends. Try a different cable if one is available.
3. Try a different monitor or a different port on the computer.
4. Listen and look. Fans spinning and lights on but nothing on screen is a hardware fault worth reporting rather than persevering with.
5. Dell diagnostic lights: many models flash the power button or a dedicated LED in a pattern — a number of amber flashes followed by white. Count the pattern and tell us. It identifies the failed component precisely.

Stuck on the logo or a spinning circle

1. Wait ten minutes. A large update installing on startup looks exactly like a hang. If the disk light is flickering, something is happening — leave it.
2. Force a shutdown — hold the power button for 10 seconds — then start it again. Windows will often repair itself on the second attempt.
3. Disconnect all USB devices except keyboard and mouse, and remove any USB stick. A computer trying to boot from an inserted USB drive is a genuinely common cause.
4. If Windows offers Startup Repair or a recovery screen, let it run once. Do not select reset, restore, or anything that mentions removing files — call us before touching those options.

Blue screen

1. Photograph the screen. The stop code — text like CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED or MEMORY_MANAGEMENT — is the single most useful thing you can give us, and the screen usually disappears before you can write it down.
2. Note what you were doing. Blue screens during a specific action are far easier to diagnose than random ones.
3. Let it restart once. A one-off is often just that.
4. If it loops, hold the power button to shut it down, leave it off, and call us. Repeated restart attempts during a boot loop can make recovery harder.
5. Note whether it started after an update or after new hardware was plugged in.

Running Dell diagnostics

Worth doing before we speak, if the machine gets that far:

1. Restart and press F12 repeatedly at the Dell logo.
2. Choose Diagnostics.
3. Let it complete.
4. Write down any error code and validation code exactly. With those we can often arrange a warranty part on the first call.

Your files

The question everyone asks. In most cases, no — a machine that will not boot usually has intact storage, and files stored in OneDrive or on the server are safe regardless.

But this is why we ask people to keep work in OneDrive or on the network rather than on the desktop. If you have files that exist only on that computer, say so immediately and clearly, because it changes how we approach recovery.

What to have ready

• The Service Tag — seven characters, on a sticker on the case.
• Which of the four symptoms above matches.
• A photo of any error, blue screen, or flashing light pattern.
• What changed recently — an update, new software, a move, a knock, a spill.
• Whether you have files stored only on that machine.

If liquid was spilled

Turn it off immediately by holding the power button. Unplug it. Do not turn it on to check — that is what causes the permanent damage. Leave it off and call us.

---

Machine still down? Call 440-991-9980 or email support@iconiumnetworks.com from another device, with the Service Tag and a photo of any error. If someone cannot work at all, tell us on the call — we prioritise a person who is fully down.