Thank you so much. You saved my day.
Windows 7 boots to an unresponsive black screen with mouse cursor...
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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.
Windows for home | Other | Input and language
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.
143 answers
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Anonymous
2016-09-21T02:29:35+00:00 -
Anonymous
2016-09-12T20:09:10+00:00 I realised that the hdmi cable which connect my va nvidia to the tv was atached. Nvidea was considerin my tv as my primary display. Remove it or try windows key + p to change betwen displays.
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Anonymous
2016-08-24T01:46:34+00:00 I'd like to hear comments & experiences on this idea I heard about. I don't know if I'm allowed to mention the company. But I saw a connector that you connect the old internal HD removed from the PC to the new pc thru USB and can transfer the info in the old pc into the new one. as you by pass the sign in process which seems to be the whole problem. Has any one else heard about this procedure. If this is possible, could you transfer the old pc info to another external HD instead of the new pc? I haven't tried it myself as I'm basically computer illiterate (beside that I don't know how to remove the internal hard drive from the pc). If you know about this am I allowed to mention the seller of the connector? Also, explain how to remove the old internal HD in case I get brave and actually try it. Here's hoping I saved the old pc for some good reason, Trish
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Anonymous
2016-08-23T08:04:12+00:00 I had this issue too, and ended up reinstalling Windows 7 via an ISO file on a USB stick.
From my research, the black screen and cursor seems to be symptom of a wide range of issues; everything from display drivers to viruses.
My PC was unresponsive to CTRL-ALT-DELETE, so I used the "Repair my computer" option (after pressing F8 during boot-up) to get a command prompt. This at least allows you to try different things.
What I did notice was that the PC's partitions had changed, so the Windows/OS folder had moved on to the D: drive. The C: drive was empty and there was the temporary X: drive added to boot Windows from. Using DISKPART had no effect, as the settings would change back after reboot - presumably these partition changes were saved to the X: drive, which is lost after reboot.
I also ran Windows Defender (nothing found), Safe Mode boot up (no difference), restored my previous registry (no difference) and tried the standard Windows Repair (no luck). I didn't have a Restore Point to use either.
So I gave in and reinstalled. Doing this via USB is very quick and I was able to restore while preserving my existing partitions, folders and files.
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Anonymous
2016-08-06T20:02:01+00:00 I don't quite understand either, but my cursor starts to get the clockwise ring (when it starts thinking) when I insert the power cord, then remove it. Maybe my problem resides in my power settings or powe conditioning electronics. Also try the c+alt+dele several times and/or hitting shift frequently to bring up the sticky key window.