Win 7 netbook shuts down to black screen with blinking cursor - help.

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

  1. Posts : 27
    Windows 7 Starter
       #1

    Win 7 netbook shuts down to black screen with blinking cursor - help.


    Hi

    My Medion Win 7 Starter netbook has started shutting down spontaneously after an hour or two.

    When I return to it, the screen is black & there is a single blinking cursor top left.

    I have to shutdown manually with power button.

    On reboot there is a "windows did not shut down correctly..." black screen & if I select "start normally" it boots into desptop ok.

    My power option is set to harddisk always on.

    Virus scan is clean.

    This is most disconcerting.

    Can anyone advise ?


    thanks
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2,588
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
       #2

    swayzak, please answer these questions in your next post:

    Is windows activated? Look computer>system properties and at the bottom it should say if it is or not.

    Does it have all of its drivers and updates from windows installed?

    What antivirus are you running?

    When you power back up, is the battery retaining at least some of its charge (should be displayed on the far right of the taskbar)?

    Is the battery loose or is your computer over-heating?
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 27
    Windows 7 Starter
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks

    DustSailor said:
    swayzak, please answer these questions in your next post:

    Is windows activated? Look computer>system properties and at the bottom it should say if it is or not.
    Yes

    Does it have all of its drivers and updates from windows installed?
    Yes

    What antivirus are you running?
    AVG Free 2012

    When you power back up, is the battery retaining at least some of its charge (should be displayed on the far right of the taskbar)?
    Yes, battery charge is fine

    Is the battery loose or is your computer over-heating?
    Not that I'm aware of. Unfortunately the BIOS settings are v limited so there is no way to tweak temp thresholds...
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,588
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
       #4

    Well, I don't know if it will solve your problem, but I very much recommend the removal of AVG, as it causes its own set of problems. This isn't because I'm a fanboy of another AV, it quite litterally is an atrocious antivirus. You will need to remove it with its removal tool: AVG - Download tools and utilities

    I recommend MSE, as it is trusted, clean, and highly recommended here and many other places as well: Anti-Malware, Virus, Spyware Protection | Microsoft Security Essentials

    Let me know if this fixes anything (at least try it to see any performance gain, etc).

    Sway, are you overclocking a windows starter? o.0
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 27
    Windows 7 Starter
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Thanks

    This morning, after being left on whilst we were eating breakfast, I cam back to black screen with this message:

    Reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected device

    Does this add any further clues ?

    I can restore the factory installation from recovery disk, but would rather avoid if possible as many programs have been installed since.

    I can try changing AVG, but AVG has worked fine for over a year on this machine. The black screens have only started appearing for the last few weeks.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 2,588
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
       #6

    all it takes is an update with AVG.
    use these tutorials:
    SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker
    Startup Repair
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 27
    Windows 7 Starter
    Thread Starter
       #7

    DustSailor said:
    all it takes is an update with AVG.
    use these tutorials:
    SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker
    Startup Repair
    Thanks

    Bit late as I replaced AVG with MSE.

    And still got the blinking cursor tonight after leaving netbook for a few hours

    Rebooting still gets me into Win 7 OK.

    But this is most annoying as clearly this installation has become unstable & appears to attempt a reboot after not being used for a while.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2,588
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
       #8

    Did you use those tutorials? Does your computer go into hibernation mode or sleep mode, or is the screen just set to turn off?

    Have you changed any services, registry, or BIOS settings? If you are overclocking, stop. You might try resetting the BIOS.

    Could always be a hardware issue, so don't rule it out. You can test the RAM and the disk with memory check and check disk.

    Don't hold any regrets for removing AVG. It is a bloated AV that often misses the viruses altogether. Though it is sad that it did nothing to fix your current problem.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 27
    Windows 7 Starter
    Thread Starter
       #9

    I ran the system file check - no errors.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 2,588
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
       #10

    DustSailor said:
    Did you use those tutorials? Does your computer go into hibernation mode or sleep mode, or is the screen just set to turn off?

    Have you changed any services, registry, or BIOS settings? If you are overclocking, stop. You might try resetting the BIOS.

    Could always be a hardware issue, so don't rule it out. You can test the RAM and the disk with memory check and check disk.

    Don't hold any regrets for removing AVG. It is a bloated AV that often misses the viruses altogether. Though it is sad that it did nothing to fix your current problem.
    One down, the rest of it to go...

    are you overclocking any?
      My Computer


 
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

  Related Discussions
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 01:01.
Find Us