Windows Vista problems - no login screen?
I’ve got windows vista on my dell laptop that I’ve had for about a year. I use it all day for my job and it over heats frequently.
Finally my computer died. I have no log in screen. When I start it up it asks if I want to run the computer in safe mode or normally (I’ve tried all options)—but no matter what you click it just takes you to a blank screen. No log in.
I can move my mouse about.. but its just all black. No wallpaper, no words, no nothing.
so I’m curious… is there even anything I can do about this? Thanks so much in advance. I’d hate to buy a new computer.
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Take your original installation disk and put it in the CD ROM drive. Enter the BIOS upon bootup (usually by pushing the <Del> key or one of your Function keys during the boot procedure) and change boot order so that your computer will boot from the CD ROM drive. Then repair Windows.
Will it restart my system ?
Thanks for the response, btw. Getting the computer and disk out now..
That happened to me, I just restarted it a few times and it worked. And by a few I mean like ten.
@asmonet Its happened to me before a LOT of times. But its been off for about two weeks. I’ve got a desktop, but its a lot easier for me to be lazy on the laptop.
I’ve got a Dell Application CD, Operating System CD & a Driver’s and Utilities CD
Which do I install?
I owe you one soul. Lets see if this works… Just pop it in the computer and…magic happens?
Make sure you choose the “Repair Windows” option. Don’t reinstall or you will lose all your settings.
Where will I see the repair windows option? I’m not understanding where I go after I have the screen where I choose between safe mode and normal mode.
You don’t let it get that far. Enter the BIOS before you get to those choices.
How do I go about entering the BIOS? Tried clicking delete, it didn’t do anything.. :-/
So sorry for being computer illiterate, by the way.
Do you have your computer’s manual? If not, try each Function Key one at a time. I would start with F2, then F12, then the rest.
a button that says sysrq?
found my “setup guide”, but its basically what you do when you first get the computer. is this what i’m looking for?
okay okay okay. i’m in the BIOS. weird blue screen. now what?
Look for the menu that determines the order in which the computer decides which disk to boot from. You want to move your CD/DVD ROM drive to the top of that list.
and that should be in the blue screen? once i get into the BIOS then I don’t click on the CD/DVD ROM but the.. BIOS that will take me to the blue screen?
BIOS setup or CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive?
It’s very hard to help you step by step from here. You seemed to say you had another computer? Look at the Windows help file to see how to REPAIR your Windows installation.
I honestly think I might just re-install the entire computer. I didn’t have anything on there I needed to save. So.. I’ll just reinstall it from the manual. :-/
Thanks sooo soo so much though. I really appreciate it.
Okay okay. Should I do.. starup repair?
System restore?
Windows complete PC restore?
or command prompt and windows memory diagnostic tool?
alright it said there weren’t any problems that the startup repair could find. now what?
System Restore, then, if that fails, Complete PC Restore.
“the system restore wizard is already running. this program will now exist” ...?
wow, now i got a pop up that says there is no restore point that have been created on my computer’s system disk. to create a restore point open “system protection”
not sure what to do next
Now you have to go to the last option.
the complete pc restore is telling me that theres not a valid backup location that they can find
Start over, and this time just Install Windows.
so i’m going to have a clean slate computer now?
which is fine with me, by the way.
Yep. Unless there is a physical problem with your hard drive. Then you will have to install a new drive.
alright then.. giving it a try..
(feel like super mario.. here we go!)
where do i want to install windows? disc 0 partition 2 recovert with 9.8 Gb and 4.6 GB of free space
disk 0 partition 3 OS with 99.5 GB total space and 50.2 GB free space
or Disk 0 Partition 4 MEDIADIRECT total size 2.5 GB and 772.0MB free space
i’m assuming the second one with 99.5GB total space..?
alright then. installing. phew.
is this the only CD i need to put in? i’m able to get log on now, etc.
but its not letting me connect to wifi and things like that
You have to use your Dell disk to reinstall all the drivers.
alright. am installing all other disks
Wait! Just what you need!
every disk that has the word driver on it?
There should be one disk from Dell that says something like “Drivers and Utilities”. If there is another Dell disk that says “Applications” you can do that too, if you like, but sometimes those install crap.
ive got about three cds that say utilities and accessories, drivers, etc.
once i download all of this crap, my wifi should work? lol. thats all I really care about..
You might as well install everything. You can always get rid of stuff later if you don’t need it.
my computer still isn’t recognizing my wifi signal
also, no icons on the desktop except the recycle bin. no “short cuts” on the top of the screen, either
yeah. i am utterly fucked. it doesn’t even have a device to detect wifi in there.
and to download the thing to fix the problem.. i have to be connected to the internet.
fuck my life
Sorry, I was in class, now I have a break. Don’t fuck your life. just download whatever you need from the computer you are using for Fluther, and save it to a thumb drive or a CD ROM disk.
I’ve installed every disc that came with the computer. Still no drivers found that can produce internet connection for me :(
If I buy windows seven and install it will it just.. correct everything? sigh.
www.support.dell.com then, put in your tag, and go to drivers and downloads, and download the drivers for your wireless card.
Download those and burn them to a CD and… put it in the laptop?
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