Solved Dreaded blank screen on boot up

[Pantz]

Hello everyone, i have the dreaded blank screen on boot up, its stuck at the windows logo, i can boot in safe mode, i have searched the forum, and have followed most of the advice on how to rectify this issue.
http://www.sevenforums.com/general-...boot-up-before-login-screen-slow-startup.html

i also have done all the basic stuff, checked temp, cleaned out PC, ram malaware. CC ect.

it looks like i might have to do a system repair or a clean install, i have a full back up from a month ago, on an ext HD, so i am just checking to see if there is anything else i can do before i do the system repair or clean install,.

Thanks in advance

 

[Bumpkin]

Since you can boot in safe mode, the first thing I would try is run msconfig (Windows key + r). Click on startup tab and uncheck everything except for your antivirus and then restart. If you still cannot boot, go back to msconfig and click on Services, hide all Microsoft Services and remove the check marks or the remainder of the services and restart again.

If still no joy, check out this tutorial by gregrocker http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/220165-troubleshooting-steps-windows-7-a.html

 

[Pantz]

Good Morning Afternoon, i am glad i checked this post, i was about to do a system repair, i spent most of yesterday following Greg's tips

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/220165-troubleshooting-steps-windows-7-a.html

and i was still unable to do a normal boot, its still sitting at the windows logo (flashing) and no Hard Drive Activity. but still able to get into safe mode. i have attached a zip file with the testing i did yesterday.

 

[Pantz]

Hello Everyone, well i did a system restore to last week, and the restore failed, after the system restore shut the PC down, and rebooted, the restore never completed, i got a black screen, and i waited 10 minutes and nothing happened.

i then tried to get back into safe mode, and i was not even able to get to the " starting windows logo" just a black screen.

i then tried to a system repair, and it found nothing to repair, once again i was unable to get into safe mode,

so it looks like i have to do a clean install, and hopefully that will work.

Thanks in advance

 

[Bumpkin]

I take it the full backup you did a month ago was not a image of your HD.

A clean install is the best thing at this point.

 

[Pantz]

hello again, yes the image i did a month ago was a full image backup of the 3 partitions on my primary hard drive, so i should try to restore the image before i do the clean install ?

thanks in advance

 

[Bumpkin]

Go ahead and restore your image. That's what it's for!
That way you won't have to install your applications again.

 

[Pantz]

Hello again, i guess i will attempt a image restore over the weekend, i have read the tutorial on how to do the image restore.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html

but i was a little confuse about step number 7, something to do with the " greyed out area" is that something i will have to worry about ? ,

or from what i understand, that the image restore will format each partition on the primary drive, before it starts the image restore?

Thanks in advance,

 

[Bumpkin]

Did you use the W7 Backup & Restore to make the image?

Just boot with the restore disc you made and follow the prompts. The drive will be formatted and restored.

If you mess up, you can always do it again!

 

[Pantz]

Yes i use the W7 Backup & Restore to make the image, and i also used EASYUS Backup. so i have 2 separate System Image back ups on 2 different partitions on the EXT drive, so i should be Ok, i will let you all know if it was successful or not.

Thanks for all the help.

PS. NM i figured it out

 

[Pantz]

Hello . Well i am happy to report that i was successful in doing an image restore, not with windows but with another program EASYUS Backup, i was going to use the windows Image backup, but i was a bit worried that i might loose the data on another partition on the primary drive, (was partitioned into 3 partition ) i was a little bit confused on the

" Format and repartition disks
NOTE: Special thanks to MJF for this addition. 1) Grayed out and selected
You are forced to have the whole disk formatted and repartitioned to match the partition structure of the disk the image was made from. This can occur when restoring an image to a new disk or the original disk with a modified partition structure. Data on other partitions on the disk you are restoring to will be lost.

2) Grayed out and unselected
You are not given the option to format and repartition the disk. This will occur if you are restoring Windows from a partition on the same disk.

3) Not grayed out and unselected
Here you have the option to select format the whole disk and repartition or not. In this case the disk the image was taken from has a matching partition structure to the disk you are restoring the image to. By not selecting the format and repartition option your image will be restored and other partitions untouched such as valuable data partitions."

since the format and partition part (number 2 ) was greyed out

and since the EASYUS Backup only took a image of the C:\ , i thought i would use that instead. the EASYUS Backup image only took 90 minutes, an i was able to boot to my desktop, even though i have not fully checked it out, ( i am guessing there will be some minor issues ) i am happy with the outcome so far.

the image was from april of this year, i now have to do the system backup dated from 6/3/2012

i would like to thank Bumpkin for his easy instruction and help. this is a great forum

once again thanks.

 

[Bumpkin]

Well that's good news! Glad to hear you were successful.

 

[windude99]

Be sure to mark this thread as solved as your issue is now fixed. If have any questions, you can post them in this thread.

 

[Pantz]

Hello again, i have a small Glitch, when i did the image restore, which got me back to my Desktop,(yesterday) and today i then tried to do my system file backup from last month, is seems i am not able to do that from either my windows system backup, or my EASYUS system backup ?,

I think i saw somewhere the the files should be restored right after i did the image restore?, is there a way i can restore either of my system backup files,?, it seems what the windows backup, want to do a back up of files, and not a restore

Thanks in advance

 

[Bumpkin]

Not sure about what you are trying to do exactly. Are you trying to restore the 6/3/2012 image? Or do you just need some data files from that image?

Are you using the restore boot disc?

 

[Pantz]

Hello again, i figured out how to restore the data back from the 6/3/201 system backup, the system is now as it was before it died, but now i have a new glitch,

i did all my updates and stuff, and fixed some minor issues, rebooted, so now i figured i would make a new system image for today,( or overwrite the 4/20/12 image ) so i ran the windows backup and restore and it says windows cannot find the disk where my backup are being saved. even tho i have had my EXT plugged in all day. ( see attachment )

I am not sure if i should delete the 4/20/ 12 system image ?, or reset windows backup ?,

i am just trying to create a image for today

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bumpkin]

This is one reason I stopped using W7 images, strange things happen.

Looks like I: has 100 Gb more room than the than the space needed for the image.

Why not boot the computer to start fresh.
Rename WindowsImageBackup. You can always change it back if needed.
Click "Create a system image" and start a new image on I: Or try drive J:

Maybe just use Easus Todo and be done with W7 images. Also take a look a Macrium free.

By the way, have I: and J: always been named "New Volume"?

 

[Pantz]

Hello Again, yes i have heard a lot about W7 issues with images, and with backup and restore, that's why i used another backup software, just in case W7 started acting up,

Drive I is where the backup image is, i would like to keep all W7 backup there if possible. ( don't want to be renaming the backup, and getting more issues )

Easus is what i use to restore the image, i was a little wary of using W7 backup and restore. i do now have a system image and data backup for today with Easus on the G Drive.

Drive J is a 500 gig partition, its full with movies and music,

Drive I and J has always been a new Volume, i just did not rename them.

what i think i will do is get Macrium free, delete the WindowsImageBackup and system backup task of the I drive. (will free up tons of space. lol ) and just use EASYUS system backup (which it actually on the G Drive and does not take up 1/2 the space needed for an image as W7 would)

and just use Macrium free alone with EASYUS and have 2 separate images on 2 separate partition G ( EASYUS ) and I for (Macrium free) and be done with W7 altogether ?.

i am not sure what you mean by " boot the computer to start fresh." ?

thanks in advance,

 

[Bumpkin]

I think you are on the right path, forget about W7 images!

When I suggested you "boot the computer to start fresh", was because your images were not found by W7 / or reporting not enough free space. Rebooting sometimes booting clears up problems like that.
I asked you to rename WindowsImageBackup because if you wanted make a new separate W7 image, you must hide the older images from W7.

 

[Pantz]

Hello again, well i downloaded and installed use Macrium free image software, then made a image if my C partition and H partition, since i already had a image with EASY US i now have 2 separate images of my primary hard drive on separate partitions on my EXT HD

I then deleted W7 image backup (347 GIGS) from the I Drive, and i now have Macrium image on the I drive (215GIG). and i made a separate Image of just the C drive (94 Gigs) on another partition just in case the OS Goes south

My Machine is now running like it should be, before it would not boot up.

once again thanks to Bumpkin for all your help.