Windows 7 - No icon at login screen

[SunFlowerSeeds]

So I was playing civilization 5 while using CCC amd overdrive as my gpu was heating up. I changed some of the performance and fan speed but CCC frozed. I tried saving my game in civ 5 but that also frozed so I cold booted my pc. Afterwards I couldn't start up my pc without getting stuck at the login screen with no user icon. Additionally, there's black borders around the login screen. I've tried all safe mode options but I can't do anything without accessing the desktop. I've tried starting windows normally and last known good config and the same thing happens (login screen with no user + black bordered). I thought this was an driver issue at first cause it was hanging up after windows loading files but then it got to the login screen.

Please help if possible, thanks.

 

[gregrocker]

Try booting into System Recovery Options to run Startup Repair - if necessary from the booted Win7 DVD or System Repair Disk.

It should automate System Restore but if not run it from the Options list, working backward to find a bootable state.

Then I'd uninstall CCC and install only your Display driver, for better performance and less problems.

 

[SunFlowerSeeds]

Yeah I'm doing startup repair using the DVD but how long will this take because I need the computer soon.

Edit: Can I run both repair and restore at the same time?

Edit 2: I just tried restore but I don't really have a restore point so I'm not sure if this is a problem or not. I'll keep repair going but it doesn't seem to going anywhere and thanks for helping btw.

 

[gregrocker]

No way to know. Overclocking is self-inflicted. If you want to avoid trouble, don't overclock.

Hopefully you can System Restore, if you've not tweaked that too.

If not work through the steps for Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start.

In some cases if nothing works you'll have to reinstall which is the final step.

The modern method is to have your files and an image backed up so you can restore quickly and be back in business in an hour or two depending upon how much troubleshooting you want to do.

 

[Britton30]

Being impatient won't help, the tools need time to work. Run startup repair 3 times.

 

[SunFlowerSeeds]

This is my 2nd system repair and it keeps telling me to remove devices such as cameras or portable music player. The only usb devices i have is my xbox controller, headset and a usb keyboard & mouse connector (I think this one is necessary if removal is mandatory). What should I do next?

Edit: The diagnosis says
System disk = \device\Harddisk0
Windows directory = D:\Windows
Autochk Run = 0
Number of root causes = 1

It also says I've performed 4 system repairs. I did do one before all of this but I cancelled it.

Also I took a picture of the error

StartupRepairOffline
Signature 01; 6.1.7600.16385
Sig 02: 6.1.7600.16385
03: Unknown
04: 57
05: ExternalMedia
06: 1
07: NoRootCause
Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID :1033

There was also an error for a corrupt file that stated (this was during the search for Windows installation for systems recovery option)
RecEnv.exe - Corrupt File
The file or directory E:\Steam\appcache is corrupt and unreadable. Please run Chkdsk utility.

Edit 2: This is a system with an old partition of windows iirc (D) and I reformatted and installed new OS on C but left D alone.

Edit 3: I removed all the unnecessary USBs and my signature 04 changed to 21199903 this time.

 

[gregrocker]

Why did you save D? You should unplug all other HD's and peripherals and delete all partitions during a Clean Reinstall or Repair. You could have a mess.

At this point I'd skip to the step to boot the Partition Wizard CD and post back a camera snap of the drive so we can see if something obvious needs correction. Screenshots and Files - Upload and Post in Seven Forums - Windows 7 Forums

Or you can manually via DVD or Repair CD System Recovery Options Command Line Mark C Active (Method Two) and run Startup Repair - Run up to 3 Separate Times to make sure the boot files are intact on C and not elsewhere.

 

[SunFlowerSeeds]

I saved D because I had all my important things on that but I never had windows installed on D and I only have one hard drive.

 

[gregrocker]

What about E which it said is corrupt and needs Disk Check. This should be automated in Startup Repair or else you can run it from Command Line as shown in Option Two of Disk Check.

Have you tried System Restore yet from disk?

 

[SunFlowerSeeds]

I actually don't have E so I'm not sure why it gave me that message but I do have poweriso and I've made fake drives before but I'm not sure if that would be the problem.

http://i.imgur.com/5zKUkWB.jpg
Here's the cam pic of my partitions.

Edit 1: I've ran chkdsk c: /f and it found no problems. D just finished and it presented no problems.

Edit 2: I just ran it on E and it said it corrected errors in master file BITMAP attributes and volume bitmap. I've also finished marking C as active and I ran system restore previously from DVD but it said I had no restore points.

Edit 3: I got bootmgr is missing after marking C but I do see C in system recovery options now. I've ran repair once now I will proceed with the other 2.

Edit 4: In the 2nd scan, it couldn't repair and in the diagnosis, signature 04: 28. The rest were still the same (ExternalMedia, NoRootCause ... )

I'm not getting the no bootmgr thing anymore but I'm thinking continued system repairs will lead to the same message about devices and such. How should I proceed?

 

[gregrocker]

Move the System flag back to 100mb System Reserved partition to run the Repairs again, if moving Active flag to C isn't going to start it after 3 Repairs rewrite the System boot files to C.

At this point everything possible that can be done is listed in Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start so I'd work down the list starting at the top now that you've tried the most indicated fixes.

For one thing it's possible you are infected so no repairs might work until disinfected.

If you get to the last steps to copy out your files and Reinstall to C follow the steps closely to get and keep a perfect install, then after its set up save a backup image so you never have to reinstall again.

I would not chance reinstalling to C without formatting to save your files in windows.old as it is too risky with that amount of files depending upon how important they are to you.

Now might be a good time to pick up an external for file and image backups.

 

[SunFlowerSeeds]

Thanks for all the help. I ended up formatting my C drive and left my other drive alone. Almost everything in C ended up in windows.old and I just had to move everything back and reinstall updates. I got CCC again because it was needed for my GPU as it's my driver. What would you recommend me to do in order to prevent this in the future?

 

[gregrocker]

As stated before you do not need CCC bloatware which is problematic. You only need the driver, which should have come in on Windows Updates.

Did you first run all rounds of Important and Optional Windows Updates after enabling Automatically get recommended drivers and updates for your hardware (Step 3) as it says in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which is the last resort in the Troubleshooting steps? Only drivers still missing after all rounds of Updates should be imported.

If you ignored that and installed a bunch of drivers which Win7 may not want, then I'd do it over correctly according to the tutorial. Win7 is a driver-complete OS which decides what drivers it wants..