Windows 7 boots to an unresponsive black screen with mouse cursor...

Anonymous

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.

0 comments

143 answers

Anonymous

2013-08-02T10:25:10+00:00

I found a solution to the problem recently;

Such a problem occurs because your explorer.exe file does not run automatically, may be because of some virus effect;

Try opening Task Manager(Ctrl+Shift+Esc or Alt+Ctrl+Del taskmanager) and in file option run a task "explorer.exe"

or

Try the following steps for a solution;

1.At booting time long press F8.

2.Open safe mode with command prompt

3.path C:/Windows/system32 is opened by default. Press cd.. and the type explorer.exe

4.Your desktop will open up normally.

however this will shut again after a restart and you will have to follow the process allover again.
Was this answer helpful?

10 people found this answer helpful.

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2013-08-02T16:35:49+00:00

I found a solution to the problem recently;

Such a problem occurs because your explorer.exe file does not run automatically, may be because of some virus effect;

Try opening Task Manager(Ctrl+Shift+Esc or Alt+Ctrl+Del taskmanager) and in file option run a task "explorer.exe"

or

Try the following steps for a solution;

1.At booting time long press F8.

2.Open safe mode with command prompt

3.path C:/Windows/system32 is opened by default. Press cd.. and the type explorer.exe

4.Your desktop will open up normally.

however this will shut again after a restart and you will have to follow the process allover again.

That would be nice if people were able to login. This problem thread relates to windows booting up and not getting to the Login screen, only a black screen with a mouse cursor.
Was this answer helpful?

5 people found this answer helpful.

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2013-08-02T17:16:18+00:00

Have you run the offline Windows Defender? You do not need to be able to boot to Windows to run this.

The explorer.exe problem is known and for me it was a virus/malware. There is a registry edit for this but it would not hold until I cleaned the virus.

Apparently you can use any Windows (7) disk to get to the recovery mode, you don't need your disk or an image you created.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2013-08-12T09:41:10+00:00

It is F8 but on some systems F5 works as well, but it is not F2 on any system, that is reserved for changing your CMOS settings on many (not all) systems. All the newer systems I've encountered use F8 to get to the repair screen.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2013-09-03T18:34:47+00:00
What I found when I ran into this Black Screen with only a mouse cursor was the following :
1. Windows would boot normally, boot up sounds, etc. everything works, except the screen is black, and the only thing I can see is the mouse pointer.
2. Booted into safe Mode with networking and used Bomgar to remote into the PC, restarted the PC with Bomgar and found that Dual monitors had been configured and the desktop was displayed on monitor 1 (The default monitor was set to 2) hence, the Black Screen only.
3. Disabled dual monitors and the desktop came back.
4. Restarted Windows normally, logged in verified it was still working.
I setup a bomgar trial using my laptop.

This worked for me in my Black Screen situation.
Was this answer helpful?

3 people found this answer helpful.

0 comments No comments