Black screen with blinking cursor solved


  1. conmgt
    Posts : 19
    WIN7 Pro 64bit
       New #1

    Black screen with blinking cursor solved


    I installed 7 over and over again on an existing HDD only to end up with a black screen with cursor after the first restart.
    Finally, I started the laptop again, Dell E6510, pushed F12 for boot options once again but this time selected BIOS Setup where I found a choice between Legacy and UEFI in the Boot Sequence setting.
    Mine was set for Legacy instead of UEFI. Once that was changed, all was good.
    I'm not sure why that made a difference other than I probably installed 7 under EFI.

    What is EFI? Did I have a choice to install 7 there?
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  3. pbcopter
    Posts : 1,872
    Windows 10 Pro x64, Windows 8.1 Pro x64, Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1,
       New #2

    See this for a definition.
    Unified Extensible Firmware Interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    In the BIOS under boot order, you should see your DVD drive listed twice with the Windows 7 DVD loaded in the drive.
    Once as UEFI (most likely the default) and once without that title. This where you chose which you want to install (MBR or UEFI) by setting the proper drive entry as the first in the boot order.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  4. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #3

    More here on UEFI BIOS vs. Legacy BIOS - YouTube.

    Special steps to install to UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with - Windows 7 Forums.

    In some cases users have found it easier to Bypass UEFI to Install WIn7
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  6. SandeepP
    Posts : 1,007
    Winndows 7 32 bit
       New #4

    conmgt said:
    I installed 7 over and over again on an existing HDD only to end up with a black screen with cursor after the first restart.
    Finally, I started the laptop again, Dell E6510, pushed F12 for boot options once again but this time selected BIOS Setup where I found a choice between Legacy and UEFI in the Boot Sequence setting.
    Mine was set for Legacy instead of UEFI. Once that was changed, all was good.
    I'm not sure why that made a difference other than I probably installed 7 under EFI.

    What is EFI? Did I have a choice to install 7 there?
    Hi conmgt,

    You should have been able to install windows properly under Legacy mode as well. Once installed on legacy mode please disable the secure boot on the system and then check again and it should be able to boot Windows 7 as well.

    Here is where you can find instructions on clean installing Windows 7 on a dell system shipped with Windows 8 and MSATA drive optional:

    http://dell.to/131zitq

    Hope it helps.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

 

  Related Discussions
Ive bought a new hdd and installed win 8 in it and copied a bunch of files.. And now when install windows 7 on it after my boot screen i get black screen with a Blinking cursor on the top left Now what should I do to boot into win 7..
Black screen w/ blinking cursor
in Installation & Setup

When I try to boot from usb I get a black screen with a blinking cursor. I've tried to set the boot order to have the usb first. I made the windows 7 installation setup with wintoflash. I tested the usb with two other computers and it works perfectly. I'd try my DVD drive to install the...
Black screen with blinking cursor
in General Discussion

Hello threadreaders, My little brother has a problem with his pc: He can't start it up normally because he gets stuck on a black screen with a blinking cursor. But he can boot the pc via the boot menu. His OS is Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit. If you need additional info reply and I'll give it...
Black screen with blinking cursor ?
in BSOD Help and Support

I have windows 7 Home premium 32bit. Just downloaded Adobe Flash CS3 Pro and screen went blank with cursor flashing in upper left. Have run repair disk, but nothing. I did notice that my boot drive letter changed to (X:) ?? It's always been Q since I 've had the machine. I have...
Black screen, blinking cursor
in BSOD Help and Support

I have already posted at the Expert Exchange, but I am getting no traction there so I am thinking of reposting here. All the tech spec are in my post below, but I wanted to summarize the problem so that it wasn't such a chore to read: Basically, I had 3 drive, each with one OS: Win XP, Vista...
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

 © Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:34.
Find Us