If your laptop is not booting up after a Windows update, there are a few steps you can take to try and get it back up and running. Before trying any of the methods below, make sure your laptop is plugged into a power source and that the battery is charged or has power.
1. Restart Your Laptop
The most basic step is to restart your laptop. Press and hold down the power button for 5 seconds and then release it. Your laptop should start to power up and attempt to reboot. If this does not work, continue with the other solutions.
2. Try a System Restore
If your laptop was working properly before the Windows update, you can try using a system restore. A system restore will return your laptop to the state it was in before the update, which could fix the issue. To do this, you will need to access the Advanced Startup options. To do this, press the power button on your laptop and then press and hold the Shift key while clicking the “Restart” option. This will open the Advanced startup menu. Next, select “Troubleshoot” and then “Advanced options.” Select “System Restore” from the next menu. Choose the restore point that predates the Windows update and click “Next.” Your laptop will then restart and should be restored to its previous state.
3. Revert to an Earlier Version of Windows
If the System Restore failed to solve the problem, you can try reverting back to an earlier version of Windows. To do this, you will need to access the same Advanced Startup options as you did with the System Restore. From here, select “Go back to the previous version of Windows” and follow the instructions to do so. You will need to provide information such as your Windows account information and the product key.
4. Unplug Any Non-Essential External Devices
Sometimes, a laptop won’t boot after a Windows update because an external device that was connected to the laptop caused an issue. Try unplugging any external devices (such as a USB mouse or keyboard, an external hard drive, etc.) and see if that helps. Additionally, make sure any dongles or peripherals that came with your laptop are securely plugged in.
5. Check for Corrupted Files
Another possible cause for your laptop not booting after a Windows update is corrupted files. To check for corrupted files, open the Command Prompt window. To do this, press the Windows key and type “Command Prompt” in the search bar. Right-click on the Command Prompt icon in the resulting list and select “Run as Administrator.” Type “sfc /scannow” in the window and press Enter. This will scan for any corrupted files and attempt to repair them.
6. Create a Bootable USB Drive
If none of the above solutions work, you may need to create a bootable USB drive in order to reinstall Windows. To do this, you will need a USB drive with at least 4 GB of storage space, as well as a copy of the Windows installation media (this can usually be downloaded from Microsoft’s website). Once you have both of these items, open the Command Prompt window as outlined above. Type “diskpart” and press Enter. Type “list disk” and press Enter. This will show you the available disks connected to your laptop.
Find the USB drive you are using and type “select disk X”, where X is the number of the USB drive. Press Enter. Type “clean” and press Enter. This will erase all data from the USB drive. Type “create partition primary” and press Enter. Type “format fs=ntfs quick” and press Enter. This will format the drive to the NTFS file system. Type “active” and press Enter. Type “assign letter=X”, where X is the letter you want to assign to the USB drive. Press Enter. Type “exit” and press Enter.
To install Windows onto the USB drive, you will need to access the Advanced Startup options again. Select “Use a Device” from the menu, locate the USB drive and select it. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows onto the USB drive. Once the installation is complete, you can now use the USB drive to boot up your laptop.
By following these steps, you should be able to get your laptop up and running after a Windows update. If none of the solutions above worked, you may need to contact a professional for assistance.