Need help black screen with curser

[kwest]

Windows 7 boots fine Anne after windows loads I get a black screen with a movable mouse. I can boot into safe mode fine. Last known good works but when I reboot it goes back to the same issue. System restore works but reboot issues comes back.

Things I have tried
Sfc /scannow (nothing)
System restore
Delete video driver
Msconfig uncheck everything

I am out of ideas. Thanks in advance for any help you can give

 

[kwest]

still having the issue. tried repairing windows and same issue. Wondering if the video card went out on the laptop

 

[papuchazo]

If you can see your mouse cursor then I don't think it is the video card. Have you tested the memory and Hard drive?

 

[Galdorf]

try this: Black screen of death fix for Windows XP, Vista, 7 (updated)
Most times it's caused by malware i would run kaspersky rescue cd then try combofix in safe mode.

 

[The Silent Hobo]

I'd suggest running ccleaner in safe mode and checking the startup tab in that to see if there is anything running that msconfig didn't disable, or running autoruns and checking that way. Other suggestion I have is run Malwarebytes and / or combofix in safe mode and see if either of them find anything, because it sounds (to me, take with salt) like something is tryin to load up when you boot into windows, as you have said Safe Mode works.

 

[NYJimbo]

I am out of ideas. Thanks in advance for any help you can give

You dont mention anything about scanning for viruses.....

 

[Xander]

I had one recently that gave me a white screen upon bootup. Safe mode, too. On a hunch, I plugged in the LAN and up came the FBI-ransomware screen.

 

[kwest]

i should have mentioned scanning for viruses and yes i did find a couple but nothing to bad. ended up reloading windows because i couldn't put any more time into it for what the customer wanted to pay. Reloaded windows and everything is fine.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[altrenda]

i should have mentioned scanning for viruses and yes i did find a couple but nothing to bad. ended up reloading windows because i couldn't put any more time into it for what the customer wanted to pay. Reloaded windows and everything is fine.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I am seeing this more and more. Is this a function of charging flat rates? At what point do you decide it's better to nuke and pave than try to fix it?
I know you must have done more than the several scans and settings changes you mentioned in the OP, but it still looks like you spent about an hour face time with it. How long does it take to N&P and give it back to the client in some usable state with programs and data installed?

Not criticizing, just wondering if I'm missing something and need to change my ways?

 

[kwest]

If the pc is at my shop I charge a flat rate. Spent way to long on this one but the shorter jobs make up for it. Onsite I charge by the hour. Wouldn't feel right for charging for stuff I tried that didn't fix it. Only charge for the thing that did fix it. Nuke is always the last resort

 

[PC-MOT]

I am seeing this more and more. Is this a function of charging flat rates? At what point do you decide it's better to nuke and pave than try to fix it?
I know you must have done more than the several scans and settings changes you mentioned in the OP, but it still looks like you spent about an hour face time with it. How long does it take to N&P and give it back to the client in some usable state with programs and data installed?

Not criticizing, just wondering if I'm missing something and need to change my ways?

Are you saying it is better to nuke and pave or spend time trying to fix it?

 

[alluseridsrejected]

I may be a little late on this one. Maybe it will help someone else in the future. Reinstalling the video drivers has worked for me in the past:

Why is my screen black when I start Windows 7?

 

[altrenda]

Are you saying it is better to nuke and pave or spend time trying to fix it?

My question is about time. With more people going to fixed prices, do you Nuke and Pave because it takes too much time to fix it, or it's the only way out? And where is the cutoff?

There are cases where Nuke and Pave is the only solution, but a lot of times it's done for the benefit of the tech. That's why Geek Squad goes to it so quickly. Press a few keys, spend about 20 minutes face time with it, and you know what you get when it's done. Then its off your bench and on to the next one.

But its devastating to the client. People are constantly tweaking their setup, and now it's gone. They don't always have the install disks for everything they use. Everything has changed, things are missing or in different places or don't work the same. Fabs and Data Grab do a great job, but they are not perfect.

We try like hell to give our clients their machine intact. Time is money, but a satisfied customer and referrals are worth their weight in gold.

 

[NYJimbo]

Black screen with cursor can be many different issues and most of them are not fixable without knowledge of exactly what happened before the machine ended up that way. We all know that customers rarely get the history right and sometimes will not admit to doing things or change the story into something else so they dont looks foolish.

We have had countless machines like this, some are fixable and others you can throw everything at them and nothing fixes. The fact there are so many different recommended fixes shows that even though the screen looks familiar and really should only be a limited number of possible issues, there really are many unknowns that could cause this situation and sometimes more than one but all you got is a black screen and a cursor.

With those we usually put in an hour or so and then end up going for a N&P, however we really do try to pin it down with a proper diagnostic.

 

[kwest]

Tried replacing video card drivers and deleting video card and both didn't work. Even tried installing a new card. Spent about 4 hours on this one and ended up only charging for one hour because it wasn't the customers fault I couldn't find a solution. Like I said before I will make it up on the other fixed rate jobs that go fast.