Notebook stuck for 2 mins on black screen before booting up

[ghnogueira]

Hello there. I have a dv7 notebook with Win 7 Home Premium installed on it. Everything is running fine, except a couple of days ago the notebook began to take too damn long to boot up when restarting or just when powering it on.

I noticed it gets "stuck" on a black screen, just like a blank DOS screen, for about 2 minutes before booting up Windows.

I have tried downloading new BIOS from HP website, resetting the BIOS settings, changing the boot order but nothing really works. It always stays on the black screen for around two minutes and then Windows boots up normally. No text is shown, nothing at all.

Does anyone has any clues on what it could be?

Thanks!!!

 

[seavixen32]

You may have a driver problem.

Have you tried booting into Safe Mode? If your computer starts OK then, we can start investigating why it's not starting normally.

To get into Safe Mode tap the F8 key at startup. In case you're wondering, when you run in Safe Mode you're not loading drivers.

 

[karlsnooks]

gino,
would you please fill out your system specs for us?
Update your SevenForums System Specs
User CP (located on the top menu bar) |
Your Profile | Edit System Spec (left-hand column)

To gather info, use Speccy (my favorite) or SIW or System Info

Add the word laptop or desktop or netbook to the
“system manufacturer” block, for example,
Toshiba Satellite L305D notebook.

Provide full windows version info, for example:
MS Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit

Use the “Other Info” block for Optical Reader,
Mouse, touchpad, wifi adapter, speakers, monitor, etc

Scroll down and click on SAVE CHANGES.
=================================================
=================================================
Do you have a System Repair Disc?

Here is how you make a System Repair Disc.

​

CREATE A SYSTEM REPAIR DISC

START | type System Repair | Enter key | Create Disc button

​

====================================================

After making the System Repair Disc,
Insert System Repair Disc into DVD/CD drive.
Shut down your computer.
Boot up your computer from the DVD drive.

Still take 2 minutes?

 

[ghnogueira]

You may have a driver problem.

Have you tried booting into Safe Mode? If your computer starts OK then, we can start investigating why it's not starting normally.

To get into Safe Mode tap the F8 key at startup. In case you're wondering, when you run in Safe Mode you're not loading drivers.

I have, but when it's on the black screen the notebook becomes unresponsible. I keep hitting F8 and nothing happens, until after the approx. 2 mins (even when I'm still hitting the button) Windows starts loading.

gino,
would you please fill out your system specs for us?


Do you have a System Repair Disc?

Here is how you make a System Repair Disc.

CREATE A SYSTEM REPAIR DISC

START | type System Repair | Enter key | Create Disc button

====================================================

After making the System Repair Disc,
Insert System Repair Disc into DVD/CD drive.
Shut down your computer.
Boot up your computer from the DVD drive.

Still take 2 minutes?

Thanks for the tips, and I have updated the system specs.

I do not have a System Repair disc. Will it erase anything on my notebook, like wiping or something?

I'll try making one.

 

[karlsnooks]

If booting from a System Repair Disc also takes two minutes then our efforts turn in another direction.

The boot from a system repair disc should be without any problems.

After booting, remove the cd and reboot.

Let us know the actual boot time using a known, good system repair disc.

 

[ghnogueira]

Okay, while trying to boot from this disc I just found out something.

The "black screen" happens before the notebook tries to boot, so the repair disc is useless, since it takes just about the same amount of time for the "press button to boot from cd/dvd" text to appear as it would take for the "starting windows" screen to appear. Plus, the black screen doesn't allow me to instantly access the BIOS (via F10) or the boot options screen (via F8). Them both only appears after the 2 mins or so.

And second, when I restart it doesn't take long to boot, it takes a regular amount of time.

 

[karlsnooks]

I'm confused.

Let us know the actual boot time using a known, good system repair disc.

 

[ghnogueira]

What do you mean by that? "good known system repair disc"? The one I just created?

I'm the one confused... didn't you read the black screen "lag time" happens BEFORE the notebook tried to read from its own hard disk or the dvd drive?

 

[karlsnooks]

If the system repair disc was created by the method I gave, then that's what I'm talking about.

The trouble is that a system repair disc means different things to different people.

When booting from the system repair disc:
After you tell the bios to boot from the cd/dvd, then how long until you see the first dialog from the system repair disc?

 

[ghnogueira]

Okay, let see if I can explain it properly.

I created the disc just like you mentioned. When I boot from it a window of system repair appears, with options to perform a system recovery, system restore, check disk and contact hp support. I used chkdisk, but nothing was detected.

Like I said on my post above, the time for it to load either from the DVD drive or from the HD is very quick when I'm just rebooting the PC, like if it had no problems.

But when I turn the notebook off and then turn it on once again then I get the black screen for the 2 mins, and then either the DVD boots or the HD boots. Can't do anything before it, and pressing F8 or F10 doesn't help at all.

 

[karlsnooks]

If there is an option to contact HP support, then the disc was not made by the method I mentioned. The Microsoft Win 7 System Repair Disc has absolutely no options which reference a particular manufacturer.

Regardless, your answer has answered my question.

Go back into your bios and put booting from the HD as top priority, incidentally 2nd should be DVD.

Problem gone?

 

[ghnogueira]

I guess HP supressed the option you mentioned, because when I did what you said the system recovery disc creation thing came up, and I guess instead of being made by Microsoft this one is made by HP. I'll try to search for the Microsoft one again.

About what you suggested, HD was already on top of the list, I just put DVD after so I could load from it. That setting doesn't make a difference on the long waiting time. Like I said, it seems the black screen stays there, and then only after 2 minutes the notebook begins its normal processes, like reading from BIOS, etc.

 

[karlsnooks]

​

CREATE A SYSTEM REPAIR DISC

START | type System Repair | Enter key | Create Disc button

​

Boot into your bios.
Where the boot order is shown, would you write that order down and type it into your next post.


I just need to make sure that I understand.

 

[gregrocker]

Are you getting these options? System Repair Disk

If so try running Startup Repair a few times.

Then test your RAM - Test with Memtest86+ for 5-6 passes to stress it. Then swap sticks, check for debris in slots.

Next test your HD using maker's HD Diagnostic extended CD scan.

Have you reset your BIOS to defaults? Clear CMOS - 3 Ways to Clear the CMOS - Reset BIOS. Then see what settings are available for Quick Boot and adjust them to check.

 

[ghnogueira]

CREATE A SYSTEM REPAIR DISC

START | type System Repair | Enter key | Create Disc button



Boot into your bios.
Where the boot order is shown, would you write that order down and type it into your next post.


I just need to make sure that I understand.

That's what I did mate, but like I told you, on HP notebooks if we type this it opens up another manager, probably one by HP, which makes the repair disc boot into an HP screen.

The order right now shows CD/DVD drive then Internal HD, because I needed to boot from the DVD, but the original order was the inverse.

Are you getting these options? System Repair Disk

If so try running Startup Repair a few times.

Then test your RAM - Test with Memtest86+ for 5-6 passes to stress it. Then swap sticks, check for debris in slots.

Next test your HD using maker's HD Diagnostic extended CD scan.

Have you reset your BIOS to defaults? Clear CMOS - 3 Ways to Clear the CMOS - Reset BIOS. Then see what settings are available for Quick Boot and adjust them to check.

Thanks for the help mate. Nope, I didn't get those options, like I said above. But now you posted a screenshot of the direct link I'll search for it and make that DVD, and then I'll try your other steps.

Thanks!!!

 

[gregrocker]

It may be easier to download and burn to DVD or write to flash stick using the links in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

 

[ghnogueira]

Didn't have the time this week to do the latest tips. Will try to do so on the weekend. Thanks!

 

[ghnogueira]

It may be easier to download and burn to DVD or write to flash stick using the links in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

For as weird as it might seem, I didn't have time yet to sit down and try to fix the notebook. But reading once again your suggestion I came up with the same doubt I was having before: I thought about reinstalling Windows on the first place, but as the black screen comes up before the time that it seems the computer actually begins reading the BIOS and loading up, I'm unsure whether it would be effective. I still get the black screen whether I boot on the HD or on the DVD, so I don't see how it would make a difference.

I hope I was clear

 

[gregrocker]

Have you tried Startup Repair yet?

Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Boot

 

[karlsnooks]

How about putting MemTest86+ onto a CD AND then booting from that CD?

Just as a way to test if you can boot from a CD.

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Or you can go to another 64 bit Win 7 system (makes no difference which version of Win 7), THEN
make a SYSTEM REPAIR DISC,
boot from the SYSTEM REPAIR DISC.

Here is how to make a System Repair Disc:

=========================================================
=========================================================
CREATE A SYSTEM REPAIR DISC

START | type System Repair | Enter key | Create Disc button

​