Dell Blank Screen but still shows cursor
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Dell Blank Screen but still shows cursor
Every time I turn my Dell Inspiron on, the log in screen comes on fine and I can log in.
It shows "Welcome" while it loads, but then the cursor comes up and nothing else! It's non responsive, just a black screen
No background, menu bar, icons, nothing.I tried turning it on with Safe Mode and Command Prompt. Then, Command Prompt shows up and all, but that's it, it's still a black screen. CP is responsive and recognises commands.
All I can do is hold down the power button to turn it off
Please help
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Those of us who are old enough will remember that before BSOD meant "blue screen of death" it meant "black screen of death", which was a black screen with a cursor.
Of course this was in character mode, and the cursor was a flashing underline cursor not a mouse cursor, and the cause appeared to be that the Windows for Workgroups 3.11 protocols didn't like sharing a wire with Novell Netware.
It seems unlikely that this is what you're seeing, unless you're in some sort of time warp, so it sounds like you've discovered a brand new "black screen of death" for the new century! Congratulations!
Of course this was in character mode, and the cursor was a flashing underline cursor not a mouse cursor, and the cause appeared to be that the Windows for Workgroups 3.11 protocols didn't like sharing a wire with Novell Netware.
It seems unlikely that this is what you're seeing, unless you're in some sort of time warp, so it sounds like you've discovered a brand new "black screen of death" for the new century! Congratulations!
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Bleep codes
I have had some fun with a Dell recently - Are there bleeps before you get the black screen of death. Its called Power On Self Test. POST for Short. You will need a working PC to check.
See this link for ideas
BiosCentral - Dell BIOS Post Codes
CAT III
See this link for ideas
BiosCentral - Dell BIOS Post Codes
CAT III
Last edited by Guest 112233; 23rd Nov 2008 at 19:38. Reason: Typing
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I'm not certain if this will help or not, as you may not be able to see the prompts to follow. How to start the System Restore tool by using the safe mode option with the Command prompt in Windows XP
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Hey guys,
Thanks for the advice. I fixed it myself in the end.
After many attempts of trying, I managed to get the task manager up on Safe Mode and noticed Explorer wasn't running! So I felt a bit stupid and started Explorer, to find it all works now! YAAAAAY
Thanks
Thanks for the advice. I fixed it myself in the end.
After many attempts of trying, I managed to get the task manager up on Safe Mode and noticed Explorer wasn't running! So I felt a bit stupid and started Explorer, to find it all works now! YAAAAAY
Thanks
