Error Loading Operating System Reasons and Solutions

An operating system is a software application that provides an interface to the user using a computer. There are different types of operating systems; some of the popular ones are Linux, Windows, UNIX, and Macintosh.

The latest version of the Windows operating system is the Windows 10 version. The new version is packed with some of the features that the previous versions, Windows XP and Windows Vista lacked.

There are several reasons why a user may face loading issues with an operating system. An operating system is a complex software application that is connected to several other components of a computer, its main job is to coordinate and control the different aspects of a computer. This makes the operating system susceptible to errors.

Common Reasons for Error while Loading Operating System

Some of the reasons why you can get an error when loading an operating system are:

• The computer’s BIOS (basic input-output system) might not support the hard disk drive
• An input or an output device is malfunctioning
• The hard disk drive has errors
• The RAM (Random Access Memory) is not working correctly and has hardware issues
• The computer ROM is not working correctly
• The operating system was not installed correctly
• The hardware is incompatible with the operating system

You can identify and counter some of these problems with a troubleshooting manual provided with your operating system software packaging. You can also make use of the user manual provided with the operating system.

If you still have a problem, you can either call the manufacturer in the case of Windows and Mac or call a third-party service provider in the case of Linux.

Some modern operating systems like Windows Vista and Windows 7 have a system restore option and the option to restore the Boot Loader; a Boot Loader is a program that enables the operating system to load itself into the RAM of a computer.

This enables a user to do a reset to get back to working with an operating system that had errors and was refusing to be loaded onto a computer.

Error Loading Operating System Windows 7

Windows 7 is the latest stable version of Windows released by Microsoft. Windows 7 has a simple installation process when compared with its predecessors. The easy-to-use installation and the new user interface have had a good impact on Windows users.

Although Microsoft has tried to iron out many problems associated with this version of Windows, there are a few problems that are computer specific and the operating system is not responsible for them.

Preventive measures of Windows 7

Like most other operating systems, Windows 7 relies on stable hardware architecture to support it. Windows 7 goes a step further in ensuring smooth loading of the operating system by having a lighter kernel and lesser instructions that are loaded initially.

Windows 7 loaded only the basic drivers until the operating system is completely loaded. This ensures that faulty drivers do not cause an error when loading the operating system.

Despite all these features, there are many reasons why you can face problems loading Windows 7.

Some of the reasons and the solutions are given below:

Insufficient RAM

Reason and Solution: Windows 7 requires a certain amount of RAM memory to work properly. If you have insufficient memory, add additional RAM and reload your operating system

Driver error

Reason and Solution: Many drivers are required for Windows 7 to load properly. If you are using a SCSI or a USB disk, ensure that you have their drivers installed and your BIOS accepts that hardware

Hard drive inconsistencies

Reason and Solution: This is also a problem that you might not immediately recognize. Bad sectors or hardware failure can lead to Windows 7 not being able to load properly. You can change your hard disk drive and reload Windows 7.

Error Loading Operating System Windows XP

Windows XP is a popular version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Microsoft discontinued its support for XP last year, but it is still used by many users. Windows XP was a lot less error-prone than Windows NT but had its share of problems. One of them was the loading of the operating system.

Some of the problems faced when loading Windows XP are:

File system corruption

Reason and Solution: This could be because of hard drive errors and the file system errors

Hardware errors

Reason and Solution: This could be because of a hardware component malfunctioning.

Error Loading Operating System Windows Vista

Windows Vista had its own share of trouble with different components of a computer and had loading problems. Although, most of the problems were not serious; they were an instability factor and made the operating system less stable.

Some of the main problems were:

Registry errors

Reason and Solution: Registry errors stopped the operating system from loading. A system restoration usually solved this problem.

Device drivers

Reason and Solution: Windows Vista faced many driver issues that sometimes prevented the operating system to load properly. Re-installing the drivers usually solved this issue.

Operating system bugs

Reason and Solution: Vista had several bugs that were still not rectified even after several updates. Certain software or settings trigger this bug and this ends up in loading problems.

Error Loading Operating System VMware

VMware is virtualization software that enables you to run another operating system on the present one. Virtualization comes with several known and unknown problems.

Some of the problems with loading VMware are:

Unsupported operating system

Reason and Solution: Although most operating systems are supported by VMware, some of them aren’t. In that case, install a new operating system and reload VMware.

Kernel errors

Reason and Solution: Your operating system kernel might not support virtualization. Contact your vendor or upgrade your kernel.