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Started up the PC one day and it booted to a black screen. I didn't change the configuration in any way, it just happened suddenly.
What it does:
The PC turns on like normal. I get the bios screen. I get the Windows logo screen. Then I get a black screen with a mouse cursor in the middle.
I can move the mouse, but the buttons don't do anything--left or right click. No keys on the keyboard change the screen. Ctrl+Alt+Del does nothing. Windows key does nothing. Esc does nothing, etc. At this point the only option is to hold down the power button and turn it off.
What I've tried:
I tried to start it in safe mode, but the same thing happens. It shows the system files that are loading. The last file it shows loading is Windows/system32/DRIVERS/AtiPcie.sys then it goes to a black screen with a mouse cursor again; only this time it is in safe mode resolution so the mouse cursor is larger and not as sharp. Also, no keyboard strokes have any affect just as with normal mode.
It is a Dell Inspiron, so it came with an onboard repair utility. I used the Startup Repair tool, but it found no problems. The diagnostics tools found no issues with the hard drive or any of the other major system components. However, this error came up which appears to be related to the multi-card (SD, micro SD, etc.) reader on the front of the PC:
error code 4400:011A
msg:SCSI_1-000 DISK_generic-_SD/MMC - target not ready
It seems that this is unrelated to the black screen. I unplugged the card reader and still had the same problem. Otherwise, it passes all other tests the onboard diagnostic utility has including, memory tests, fan tests, hard drive tests, etc.
I have not, however, tried a full system restore yet. From what I've read in several forums, many have tried this in similar situations and still had the same problem. Since there are several files I'd rather not lose, I wanted to explore all other avenues.
Sorry if this is a repeat question in the forum. Most of the other situations seemed similar, but there was always something they could do that I could not, like press Ctrl+Alt+Del or boot into safe mode or whatever.
Here is as much of the system info that I can gather without having the PC on (not mine, I'm doing this for a friend):
-Dell Inspiron (I think it's a 570)
-OS: Windows 7 Home
-AMD Athlon II X2
-Integrated Video Card (I tried both the VGA output and the HDMI, which he normally uses, and both give the same results) ATI Radeon HD 4200
I hope I've been thorough enough to allow you to help me without wasting any of your time, and I thank you in advance.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Mine just did the exact same thing, black screen with a mouse cursor-- only mine showed white text in the bottom right corner, "Windows 7" "Build 7600" "Your copy of Windows is not Geniune"
I gave it about 5 minutes to keep booting (I noticed the hard drive was still pounding away) and it eventually brought up a "Validate Windows" screen. I clicked okay, it told me my copy was indeed genuine, like I knew it was, and then brought up my desktop.
Strange, Microsoft.
I am having the EXACT problem including what Francoise wrote - my drive is partitioned and the problem only occurs on the 2010 partition, I can startup in the 2007 partition just fine. Both have Windows 7 on them. But when I do the F8 and try to go to "last known" it only displays dates for the C drive - the 2007 side. I haven't backed up in a while and I have LOADS of data I cannot risk losing.
I'm not especially technical and my office tech person isn't returning our calls. What do I try next?
PS: Even when I launch in Safe Mode - I get a black screen with a movable mouse.
I had the same problem but when I pressed the f8/f2 button, I did not see an option for the "last known good confiuguration".....help????
THIS WORKED FOR ME: When re-booting your computer tap either F2 or F8 (I did simultaneously) and use the down arrow key to navigate to the "Last Known Good Configuration" and select with "Enter" key and if you get lucky like mysself your problem will be solved as it worked for me when I thought a factory restore looked like the only solution as I could afford an external hard drive large enough to back my cp up.
This did not work for my friends computer. Exact same symptoms. "Last Know Good" did not work.
Worse, when booting from a Windows 7 CD and trying to restore from a previous System Save, the Boot CD reports it cannot see a partition on the drive.
If I put the drive into my computer and try to access the Partition is reports "Access Denied". If I run R-Studio, it sees the partition and all the files.
I am sure this is a Virus issue where file permissions are changed. But, because we cant access the Partition even from an elevated command prompt, we cant change permissions.
Any ideas or suggestions?
yey it worked thankyou that will teach me to mess with settings haha x
