Black Screen after "starting windows" tried everything, please help.

Hello all and firstly; good morning!

This is my problem and things that I have tried.

(Windows 7 64bit Ultimate)



PROBLEM:
After using my PC as an alarm as I miss placed my phone it simply black screens after boot "starting windows".

I used a program called "Perfect Alarm" - I did notice some sort of error upon waking but I was in a rush to get to work so just closed the error and shut down my PC normally.

Getting home from work and switching my PC on I was greeted by a black screen and cursor after "starting windows". Nothing responds. Can't Ctrl-Alt-Del, can't right click, multiple shortcuts all do not work.



SOLUTIONS I HAVE TRIED:
I tried safe mode (all safe modes) same story but a bigger cursor

I tried switching my screens around/unplugging 1/taking all ram out but 1 stick (tried multiple sticks), unplugged DVD drive, unplugged speakers no luck

I tried leaving it for hours, no luck

Many Many restarts / Leaving PSU off for a few minutes, no luck

Returned everything to Failsafe defaults in Bio's (machine is overclocked), no luck

F8 - All viable options. Nothing solves the issue. System restore etc

Put the installation disk in, set all 3 boots to "CD-ROM" and "Boot menu" to CD ROM. Brings up "booting from CD" waits a few seconds and then proceeds to just ask me if I would like to start windows normally/safe mode etc.

Tried installing Linux with a (REALLY OLD) disk. tried a few disks but got seemingly unrealated errors. Guessing down to old sctrached up disks.

Made a "recdisc" from my mates PC who also has "Windows 7 64bit Ultimate" - This time the PC asks me to press any key to proceed. Do so and try the first option. It just repeatedly tells me "If you have recently attached an external device please remove it" (something like this), so I go to plan B. System restore. I have 3 dates I can restore from.

Tried all restore dates with same issue and also after each restore point tried the first option again (sorry I forget the name.. "system recovery"?) with the same result "please unplug any recently attached etc etc".



MY LAST HOPE (trying tonight)

I have used a friends laptop to make a install disk for an extremely lightweight OS that he recommended.

Install this.

Transfer all data I need to a external 1TB hard drive

Format my 1TB Hard drive

Re-install Windows

Transfer the data back



HELP:
Can anyone suggest anything else I can try before taking this last pretty drastic step? (that may not work)

The only things I know happened before this started are.

1. Windows Update
2. Updated Winamp to latest version
3. Used "perfect alarm" to wake me up



Sorry for the huge wall of text, I tried to break it up as much as possible for easy reading.


Regards,
Rich (Mutiny)

Thanks for this. I'll print it off and try it when I get home from work. If it works I'll come on and mark as solved.

Many thanks,
Rich

Right Sorry for the Delay!

Basically non of this worked, in the end I noticed that the windows DVD was showing up as a blank disk..... I unplugged it, plugged my old one in, formatted my hard drive and started again.

I have left the DVD drive unplugged for the moment. I had an issue a few years back where the guy in the shop said to me after fixing my old pc that the probloem had been caused by a corrupted DVD drive and not to plug it back in.... This sounded like BS at the time but to be fair I didnt plug it back in and everything was fine.

This is a brandnew Sony drive. Could it have caused the error and if so .... how? I don't quite understand how an optical drive could do this