Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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It's cropped up on my PC, I cant get onto Windows as I just get a black screen with a cursor, I can run task manager and boot in safe mode but thats it, I photographed an event today and I need to burn the images for tomorrow but now i've got this issue and i've got to fix it before I go to bed tonight, any idea's?
I can't seem to run start up repair, I only get the safe mode options and start windows as normal options.
Please help 
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ashleh
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Registered: 23rd Dec 08
Location: Nottingham
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If you do ctrl+alt+del can you see a process explorer.exe? If not, under applications and select "new task", then enter explorer.exe.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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Yeah its there, but I cant do anything with it.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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When in safe mode I've ran system restore but then it doesnt appear, when I click it again it says its already running.
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ashleh
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Registered: 23rd Dec 08
Location: Nottingham
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System restore should sort it I imagine?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304449
edit: ahhh, dno then .
[Edited on 20-11-2011 by ashleh]
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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repair install if you have a windows disc
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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I think ive got one, its a legal copy, dunno if it came pre-installed, its a Dell PC.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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I've managed to access system restore from command prompt, I honestly hope this works, i've taken it back a month. If it doesnt i'm in a potentially career damaging situtaion.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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It didnt work, I can't find my Vista disc either...
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Sam
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Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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Do you not have another PC you can use?
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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I've found my vista disc...
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Sam
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Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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Does your PC have a dedicated video card? If so, try removing it from the motherboard and using the onboard video.
If that works, your video card is fucked.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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The thing is, I can everything to work except the actual desktop. I can get task manager in full res (rather than low res safe mode).
Its got a GT240 card in it.
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Sam
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Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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You mean you can run applications with no problem via Task Manager?
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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I can start applications, but cant actually switch to use them in task manager.
http://youtu.be/cYg5if_ktQs
Not my PC, but the same problem.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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I've tried startup repair now too and it hasnt worked, same problem exists, i'm going to have to do a complete system format and clean install, what a fucking pain in the fucking arse.
Windows OS? Never ever again.
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Sam
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Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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Before you do that, try creating a new user.
From the task manager type in control userpasswords
Create the account and see if you can log off/back on again. If you can, then you have a virus.
In my experience, this sort of thing is down to either dying hardware (hence my video card question) or a virus/malware.
Edit: have you tried the fixmbr thing like is suggested in the video?
[Edited on 20-11-2011 by Sam]
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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I never view anything dodgy on this and it's fully protected, I've never had a virus on my laptop before and coz this is a newish system I'm really careful as it has all work stuff on it...
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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I've got no time to mess with it, I'm going to format and reinstall windows, no other options.
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Nath
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
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My work PC does this, so I just put it on stand by now 
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Sam
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Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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quote:
Originally posted by Tiger
I never view anything dodgy on this and it's fully protected, I've never had a virus on my laptop before and coz this is a newish system I'm really careful as it has all work stuff on it...
quote:
Originally posted by Tiger
I've got no time to mess with it, I'm going to format and reinstall windows, no other options.
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by Sam
quote:
Originally posted by Tiger
I never view anything dodgy on this and it's fully protected, I've never had a virus on my laptop before and coz this is a newish system I'm really careful as it has all work stuff on it...
quote:
Originally posted by Tiger
I've got no time to mess with it, I'm going to format and reinstall windows, no other options.
Bit schoolboy tbf, everyone should run multi-drive/partition (former obviously better) setups and backup anything important to media or online (dropbox gives you 2GB free or Skydrive gives you 25GB free).
And it sounds like a dodgy driver/install rather hardware failure; Vista/Win7 would either throw up driver restart/crash error (one of my cards does it when it gets stupidly hot), a BSOD or you'll see visual artifacts if it was the graphics card. Although if you have access to the Task Manager and can't 'End Process' the Explorer shell then it could be malware infection, although that's a pure guess as I've never experienced that before even when I've had the Black Screen 'of death'.
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ashleh
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Registered: 23rd Dec 08
Location: Nottingham
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Did you try pulling all your USB devices out (obv if you had any), then restarting?
[Edited on 21-11-2011 by ashleh]
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Sam
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Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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If Windows reboots in safe mode, does it not use the standard VGA driver rather than the one specific to your card?
I must admit I've never checked this TBH
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by Sam
If Windows reboots in safe mode, does it not use the standard VGA driver rather than the one specific to your card?
I must admit I've never checked this TBH
Yup, windows defaults to it's own drivers for most hardware iirc. Either way, Tiger said he could view Task Manager without any problems so it sounds unlikely it was his graphics card at fault. I am surprised a restore didn't correct it though.
If he has done a reinstall he could probably run a recovery on his drive and recover some of his important data; then back it up
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