Windows does not start successfully

[David]

I'm using a Dell Inspiron 4100 notebook that was working
fine for over 2 years.
Yesterday I noticed the following phrase:
"We apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not
start successfully. A recent hardware or software change
might have caused this."
That's it! No options except to shut down. No Start
buttons, no icons.
Ctrl/Alt/Delete - goes back to the same cycle.
What to do? Hard drive problem?

 

[Sharon F]

I'm using a Dell Inspiron 4100 notebook that was working
fine for over 2 years.
Yesterday I noticed the following phrase:
"We apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not
start successfully. A recent hardware or software change
might have caused this."
That's it! No options except to shut down. No Start
buttons, no icons.
Ctrl/Alt/Delete - goes back to the same cycle.
What to do? Hard drive problem?

Can you boot to Safe Mode? To do so: Press F8 right after POST and before
Windows starts to load. Select Safe Mode from the list of boot options that
appears.

After the Safe Mode desktop loads, check what Event Viewer has to say about
the errors. Also check Device Manager for noted problems. May want to
disable startup programs while you're at it. Doing so may allow a boot to
"normal" Windows.