Why won't my computer start up? Why do I have a blank screen? Why does it take so long for my computer to start up? There's not much in the world of computing that measures up to the stress of switching on your PC and being greeted by a blank screen, an error message, a series of beeps, or no activity at all. Yet this happens to people every day, and they overwhelmingly report that "everything was working fine last night when I shut down."

What are the symptoms? People experience all sorts of startup problems with their computers. Here are some of the typical problems our customers report:

• The power doesn't come on at all. There is no activity, no sounds, no lights. It's dead.
• The power seems like it's coming on, but my monitor screen is blank.
• When I start my computer, I just hear beeping sounds and nothing else happens.
• After I turn on my computer the monitor screen goes black with a flashing cursor or block in the corner of the screen (in this case, customers often report that the computer will eventually start up if left on long enough, but taking up to 15 or 20 minutes to start if at all).
• My computer starts up but then "hangs up" or "freezes" at the Windows or Mac logo screen.
• My computer starts up but I get an error message and can't go any further.
• My computer seems like it's starting up but then restarts itself over and over.
• My computer gets to the login screen and then restarts, shuts down, or gives me the "blue screen of death".

What can be done about it? Some of these problems can be prevented to a certain extent by the use of an Uninterruptable Power Supply or "UPS", a device that plugs into your wall outlet and provides power filtering and backup power in the event of a surge, brownout, or blackout. Please note that a UPS is not the same thing as a surge protector or power strip. A UPS provides a much higher level of protection as well as battery backup in the event of power failure.

Some of the symptoms noted can be attributed to hardware failures, some to incompatibility between your computer and equipment such as USB card readers or photo printers. If you have just added any new devices to your computer before experiencing the problem, try disconnecting the device and see if the problem goes away.

Some of the symptoms noted can be attributed to corrupted software or device drivers. If you have a Windows PC, you can try running a windows system restore to an earlier date that predates the failure. IMPORTANT: Please note that a system restore and a system recovery are two different animals with dangerously different results! If you are not sure of the difference, then we encourage you to seek professional help and not attempt it yourself.

And of course, no instructions would be complete without suggesting that you check cables and make sure nothing has become loose or unplugged. Hey, it really happens!

How can Geek Housecalls help? Your geek arrives with a wealth of experience in troubleshooting computer startup problems as well as a toolkit of hardware and software tools that helps get to the root cause of your problem.

If we find that the problem is failed hardware or components, we can work with you to replace those components, often providing or acquiring those components for you if you wish. And if your computer is under warranty, we can deal with the manufacturer for you.

If your power supply has failed, we can not only replace the power supply for you, we can also offer you a UPS (see description above under "what can be done about it") which is the best protection you can have against future power supply failures.

If your hard drive has failed, we usually can't solve that on-site. But your geek will offer to take it back to our lab for data recovery. The choice is yours and depends largely on what you consider to be the value of your data such as documents, pictures, music, contact lists or address books, etc., and whether you have a viable backup copy of that data available for restoration.

You should also consider that sometimes your geek will determine that the cost of parts or repairs is higher than may be practical for the age of your system. In this case, we won't twist your arm. If you prefer to go ahead and do the repair anyhow, we will. But if you decide that this is the best time to get a new PC, we can help with that too, either by helping you shop online or at a retail store, or by offering you a replacement PC directly from Geek Housecalls. No matter which route you choose, your problem will be solved leaving you with a well-behaved computer and a smile!