K I had an issue where my FIL was watching a video and everything got HUGE on the screen and froze. He restarted it and it would then freeze at the splash screen. I uninstalled the display adapter and it gets past that. It goes past the Computer is starting screen. When I click on his name to load his personal settings, it switches to a blank black screen with a blinking cursor. No keys or mouse response. The CD-ROM will still open. Any ideas?
XP: Black screen with blinking cursor
- Thread starter manofmany
- Start date
- Status
If you've got a bootable XP CD try the following:
Put the CD into your optical drive and boot off the CD. When presented with the option, choose "R" to load the Recovery Console. It'll probably ask you to select which Windows installation you want to repair, I assume you only have one so choose it. If it asks for the Administrator's Password, type it.
Type "fixmbr" (without the quotes) and hit enter. It'll probably ask you if you're sure you want to run fixmbr, which you are or you wouldn't be at this screen eh :grinthumb? Hit y.
When this completes, pop the disk out and try booting as you would normally.
If any of that turns out to be inaccurate you have my apologies... working off memory
.
Put the CD into your optical drive and boot off the CD. When presented with the option, choose "R" to load the Recovery Console. It'll probably ask you to select which Windows installation you want to repair, I assume you only have one so choose it. If it asks for the Administrator's Password, type it.
Type "fixmbr" (without the quotes) and hit enter. It'll probably ask you if you're sure you want to run fixmbr, which you are or you wouldn't be at this screen eh :grinthumb? Hit y.
When this completes, pop the disk out and try booting as you would normally.
If any of that turns out to be inaccurate you have my apologies... working off memory
.
Welp, phase two. Read this entire post before you do anything because you'll likely have to look information up regarding the system you are working on.
Go back into the Recovery Console and get to the point where you can start entering commands (after it requests your password and such).
Enter the command "CD .." as many times as it takes to get to the root C:\ drive (probably only once assuming you start with "C:\Windows") and then enter these commands in order and don't mess em up.
ATTRIB -H C:\\boot.ini
ATTRIB -S C:\\boot.ini
ATTRIB -R C:\\boot.ini
DEL boot.ini
BOOTCFG /rebuild
After you enter this command it will say the following (bolded text is my notes):
"Scanning all disks for Windows installations.
Please wait, since this may take a while...
The Windows installation scan was successful.
Note: The results are stored statically for this session. If the disk configuration changes during this session, in order to get an updated scan, you must first reboot the machine and then rescan the disks.
Total identified Window installs: 1 (Unless you have more of course...)
[1]: C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All): (Say "y" for yes)
Enter Load Identifier: (Just call it "Windows XP")
Enter OS Load Options: (See below)"
Now it is very important that you do one or both of the following two things for Load Options; First, every Windows XP owner (which includes you) must use /FASTDETECT as an OS Load Option when the rebuild process is finalizing. Secondly, if you are the owner of a CPU featuring Intel's XD or AMD's NX buffer overflow protection (look your CPU up on their website), you must also use /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN as an OS Load Option.
Okay, so assuming you have to enter both options you want to type the following after Enter OS Load Options:
/fastdetect /noexecute=optin (There is a space between the two commands and yes, optin not option)
CHKDSK /R /F (Might take a while)
FIXBOOT (Might ask if you're sure, you are so "y" for yes)
Type exit and pop the disk out. If your system doesn't boot now then I give up.
Go back into the Recovery Console and get to the point where you can start entering commands (after it requests your password and such).
Enter the command "CD .." as many times as it takes to get to the root C:\ drive (probably only once assuming you start with "C:\Windows") and then enter these commands in order and don't mess em up
.ATTRIB -H C:\\boot.ini
ATTRIB -S C:\\boot.ini
ATTRIB -R C:\\boot.ini
DEL boot.ini
BOOTCFG /rebuild
After you enter this command it will say the following (bolded text is my notes):
"Scanning all disks for Windows installations.
Please wait, since this may take a while...
The Windows installation scan was successful.
Note: The results are stored statically for this session. If the disk configuration changes during this session, in order to get an updated scan, you must first reboot the machine and then rescan the disks.
Total identified Window installs: 1 (Unless you have more of course...)
[1]: C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All): (Say "y" for yes)
Enter Load Identifier: (Just call it "Windows XP")
Enter OS Load Options: (See below)"
Now it is very important that you do one or both of the following two things for Load Options; First, every Windows XP owner (which includes you) must use /FASTDETECT as an OS Load Option when the rebuild process is finalizing. Secondly, if you are the owner of a CPU featuring Intel's XD or AMD's NX buffer overflow protection (look your CPU up on their website), you must also use /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN as an OS Load Option.
Okay, so assuming you have to enter both options you want to type the following after Enter OS Load Options:
/fastdetect /noexecute=optin (There is a space between the two commands and yes, optin not option)
CHKDSK /R /F (Might take a while)
FIXBOOT (Might ask if you're sure, you are so "y" for yes)
Type exit and pop the disk out. If your system doesn't boot now then I give up
.If you can get logged in for any length of time, create a new user account with admin priviledges and then reboot and use that account to run sfc /scannow.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310747
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310747
Boot into Safe Mode, uninstall the current drivers and try using drivers that were released previously. If this doesn't work, uninstall the drivers totally, boot into Safe Mode with Networking and see if Microsoft offers drivers for the card during Windows Update. You'll see it on the left after it finishes searching to see what updates you need. It'll say something like "Hardware Optional".
Sorry about wasting your time with that long post up there.
Sorry about wasting your time with that long post up there
.XP not booting with blinking cursor and larger laptop hard drive
IF YOU HAVE A LARGE HARD DRIVE - THIS IS THE SOLUTION.
I finally was able to get my system to boot after backing up all my data. I used a linux system resource CD to boot and then ran "wizard" which it tells you to do to run a GUI session of linux after it boots to a prompt. Then I ran GPart I think - whatever the partition software was. I reduced my partition to 130GB and left the remaining 30GB as a new partition, and it booted just like other postings online had said! Finally. Thank God!
Savance/EIOBoard
In Out Board Specialist
IF YOU HAVE A LARGE HARD DRIVE - THIS IS THE SOLUTION.
I finally was able to get my system to boot after backing up all my data. I used a linux system resource CD to boot and then ran "wizard" which it tells you to do to run a GUI session of linux after it boots to a prompt. Then I ran GPart I think - whatever the partition software was. I reduced my partition to 130GB and left the remaining 30GB as a new partition, and it booted just like other postings online had said! Finally. Thank God!
Savance/EIOBoard
In Out Board Specialist
- Status
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