Shut off power during System Restore

[MattHoopty]

Hey, thanks for reading my post:
I accidentally shut off my power during a system restore on my laptop (the battery fell out). I'm running Window's Vista on my Dell Inspiron 1545. I received this laptop as a hand-me-down from my mother, therefore, I have no boot disks. Even more, if I try to enter Setup (by hitting F2), nothing happens. The computer powers up, then goes to the black loading screen and keeps "working".
Please let me know of any solutions!

 

[EDO219]

Ah, so this is why Windows is always so insistent that you plug your laptop into a wall outlet while performing a system restore.

While spamming F2 immediately after hitting the power button, are you using the laptop's built in keyboard or an external one? Also, I once had a similar issue simply because I wasn't hitting the F2 key fast enough or long enough. (lol)

BIOS aside, if you can get to the "last known good configuration" menu option, then it might fix your issue.

 

[MattHoopty]

I was in-between classes when I decide to do a system restore because my comp wasn't working like it had been.
Yes, I am repeatedly hitting F2 on the built-in keyboard, although, one thing I failed to mention, the keyboard is set up so that it requires you to use the Function key in order to get to the F keys.

 

[EDO219]

hm ... Perhaps connect a friend's external keyboard, turn it on, and spam the F2 key on the external keyboard. If that works, then you might be able to boot from the last known good configuration.