Computer Won’t Boot After Running CCleaner and NVIDIA Driver Update

Troubleshooting Guide: What to Do When Your Computer Fails to Boot After Maintenance

If you’ve recently encountered issues with your computer not booting after performing maintenance tasks, you’re not alone. In this post, we’ll explore a common scenario involving a failed boot sequence that can occur after using CCleaner and attempting a driver update.

The Situation

You’ve recently upgraded your hardware with a new NVME SSD and optimized your system by relocating your games. In an effort to maintain system integrity and eliminate broken registry entries, you decided to run CCleaner. However, hours later, when you tried to install the latest NVIDIA drivers, a new problem arose: the installation was unsuccessful.

Upon restarting your computer, you were met with a grim reality—your system refused to boot. Here are the symptoms you encountered:

• The monitor displayed no signal, remained black, and showed no initial Aorus screen or BIOS options.
• Your keyboard was unresponsive; the Caps Lock LED didn’t even illuminate when pressed.
• Basic functions seemed operational, as the CPU and case fans were spinning, and the RGB lights on your RAM and graphics card were glowing.
• Attempts to access Windows recovery options via F11 yielded no results.
• The only way to power off the system was by manually disconnecting it or switching off the power at the source, as holding the power button proved ineffective.

Your Setup

For context, here are the relevant specifications of your system:

• Operating System: Windows 10
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 1070 Ti
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 2600
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 5 WiFi

Next Steps

While it can be concerning to experience a non-responsive system, there are several investigative steps and potential solutions you can implement:

1. Power Cycle Your Computer: Completely disconnect the power supply, wait for a few moments, then reconnect and attempt to boot again.

2. Check Connections: Ensure that all cables, especially those connected to both the motherboard and storage devices, are securely in place. A loose connection can lead to boot issues.

3. Clear CMOS: Resetting the BIOS settings by clearing the CMOS can sometimes resolve conflicts. Consult your motherboard manual for steps on how to do this effectively.

4. Remove Non-Essential Hardware: Disconnect all peripherals and any additional hardware that is not necessary for boot-up. This includes extra