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#1
Black Screen With Cursor
Hello, I am new to this forum [joined so i could post this plea for help] so sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.
Every once in a while when I wake up and turn on my monitor it is just black.
That starts me worrying. So I lift up my laptop lid/screen and expect to see the HDD password prompt.
Most of the time I can put in my password stuff and boot into windows.
You see I have the windows updates set to install and reboot as needed.
Today was a little different.
Today after the password stuff I saw the usual windows 7 booting up bar thing.
Normally shortly after that disappears I am greeted by my backdrop and login prompt.
Today instead of the login prompt I just get a black screen with the mouse pointer.
Odd.
So I think hmm lets wait for it to maybe do something, so I leave it for a while. No signs of life.
Tried booting with f8 - last good, safe mode, safe mode command, safe mode vga etc.
No joy - still same black screen with cursor.
I think windows is at a stage just prior to the login prompt?
I get into the bios and put cd/dvd rom as first boot.
I decrypt the truecrypted system partition with my truecrypt rescue disk. That worked fine.
I put in my downloaded windows 7 64 bit recovery disk.
Note - dell do not supply users with an installation disk for windows 7 64bit.
Hence the downloaded recovery disk.
Due to similar issues with widows updates I have used this recovery disk with success in the recent past.
I select us keyboard and see windows 7 home premium as c: os
I try the option on that screen to use a previous image. No joy.
I select my one and only windows install ie windows 7 home premium as cs
I try automated repair. It says searching for problems and then start up repair could not detect a problem.
oh.
I try system restore - since a lot of stuff i use auto creates restore points i should have loads of them from quite recently - great stuff. No restore points found !
I try restore from previous back up. None found. There probably are none but work a look.
I try launch command line - YAY I get the x:\ cmd window.
change to c: and I see my install of windows - great.
I try bootrec.exe /fixmbr bootrec.exe /fixboot. They work. No joy - still got the same black screen with pointer.
I try chkdsk /r. That runs fine. No joy.
I try rstrui.exe - no restore points found.
I believe there are restore points or a point because there is something in -
c:\system volume information\system restore
Please help.
I would love to use a previous restore point.
Failing that just login prompt as normal.
My other PC's got rebooted by auto update over night but they are working ok.
I have had problems with mcafee updates doing something similar but atm i am pointing my finger at ms.
Any thoughts anyone ?