Black screen at boot

aem · 21 Oct 2009

I might have word it wrongly.

Windows Bootup Process

Unless W7 is different, check out the stages.

"Operating System Configuration Phase"

Memphiz · 21 Oct 2009

So.. the problem could be;
Hardware
Drivers
Registry

aem · 21 Oct 2009

Can you have a look at your System Event Logs? Post any "errors" you find.

smarteyeball · 21 Oct 2009

aem said:

smarteyeball said:

Not really

But it shouldn't cause a sudden delay while loading Windows.

It's not a sudden delay, it's a delay to bring up the desktop, i would think at this stage the system is loading and configuring the desktop.

Thanks mate, I was referring to the PC booting normally originally, but it 'suddenly' started to do it.

Memphiz said:

So.. the problem could be;
Hardware
Drivers
Registry

At this stage, it could be anything. The most likely cause is changing a setting within windows somewhere, or a driver update - possibly downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update that has had a negative impact.

You said you tried a restore point, but did you try the oldest restore point available?

nate42nd · 21 Oct 2009

I have read people using dual monitors, some need to install with only one monitor then install latest driver for the video card, then plug in the second. This may help.

Memphiz · 21 Oct 2009

aem: do you mean this window?(attachment)

smarteyeball: yes i tried the oldest restore point

nate42nd: i'm not using dual monitors

aem · 21 Oct 2009

Ok so there are no Errors in the eventlogs, at this stage i would just get more RAM into her (hmmm) and see if the Os boots any faster.

APorter · 21 Oct 2009

I'm having the same problem. It started two days ago. I dual boot Vista/Win 7. Win 7 starts no problem, but Vista has a black screen with cursor only. I haven't figured out how to get into Vista yet.

Memphiz · 22 Oct 2009

there are some errors in that log, but it's a very long list.
Or do i have to check it for one day only?

aem · 22 Oct 2009

Ok i just mounted a copy of my VHD of w7 dual boot onto VMware just to see how long it takes to bootup. I found that with 256MB RAM the bootup time was 153sec. Compare this to my normal 2GB RAM system it has 22 Sec. Just going by the figures it takes 7x longer with 256Mb RAM than with 2GB RAM.

I'm not sure how much it differs in terms of loading time doing it in VMware and doing it live but those are the figures. Also bootup times i believe is not from the time you restart till the time u see your icons. It's could be till u get to the logon prompt...(i think)

You have twice as much RAM as my VMware W7. Do another reboot of your system, go into EventLogs (system) and look for this entry (highlighted). It tells u the bootup time, and mine is 22 sec.

What is yours?