Blank screen need help

[kizakisu]

on my optiplex gx 620 as soon as i started it it will load the dell part but then after that there is nothing therejust a blank screen i can't even go to safty mode can some one pls help me

[GlobalForce]

Welcome Kizakisu,

Your Optiplex with XP installed - http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx620/en/ug/A02/index.htm? What else can you tell us, something that may have happened right before? A piece of hardware you physically attached, a program that was running? The more you can forward the more there is for us to help.


Steve

[kizakisu]

Well i was trying to install vista and it did not go right then vista was restoring my windows but it didnt so when it rebooted it came to a blank screen its a mini tower comp


i don't have a restore cd or anything that came with the comp can you pls help me and i can't send it to dell

[GlobalForce]

Two, maybe three or more question's. Were you here (Wilder's) on a system capable of burning cd's (another XP would, convenient)? If asked do you know how to change boot order in BIOS? Was system restore enabled the last few time's it successfully booted? Vi$ta attempt, from cd or net dwnld? Answer ALL please.

Steve

[kizakisu]

no i was not here yes i do know how to change boot order (well i am kinda sure ) i do it is system set up yes system restor did work befor and it was net download i was suppose to burn it to a cd and a use it but i didn't i just mounted it and it started and in the middle of set up it did a restart so it can finish the set up and i guess i could not find the info it needed so it siad vista died not work then it was retoring my settings and it reseed my comp but it cam to a blank screen and now i am stuck so any soulutions


do you think that i can just buy a new hard drive and replace that one you think it will work


i am still wonder if this is a hard drive problem i wonder if i can erase it and start widows over is that posilbei don't mind starting over i can always get the stuff i had back

[GlobalForce]

Change boot order, got it.

System restore was enabled, check.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Is the system your currently on XP and does it have a drive capable of burning?

"Do you think that i can just buy a new hard drive and replace that one you think it will work?"

This would take more time to answer. Stick with the above for the moment, OK.


Steve

[kizakisu]

well it was xp and it does have a burn drive but i amnot able to use it i am useing the other comp right now i am not even able to get to a logon part

[kizakisu]

the only thing i am i able to do on that comp is change boot order go to setup and when i unplug my hard drive it wants to reinstall windows xp but then say it can't find a hard drive but when it is pluged in it does not show wndows istall

[GlobalForce]

"Well it was xp and it does have a burn drive but i am not able to use it i am useing the other comp right now i am not even able to get to a logon part."

It's obvious your's isn't available. The above in BOLD is what? XP, Win2K, other? With that, a plan change .... you'll instead need access to either a floppy or flash drive. Yes, no, which? Does your BIOS have the ability to boot from flash?


S

[GlobalForce]

One more thing .... don't be in a panic! Whether it get's fixed today, tommorrow, I'm sure isn't going to matter much. Asking what to do when you don't is simple. Investigation, followed by formulated direction take's time.

Steve

[kizakisu]

-{ Quote: ""Well it was xp and it does have a burn drive but i am not able to use it i am useing the other comp right now i am not even able to get to a logon part."

It's obvious your's isn't available. The above in BOLD is what? XP, Win2K, other? With that, a plan change .... you'll instead need access to either a floppy or flash drive. Yes, no, which? Does your BIOS have the ability to boot from flash?


S" }-
it xp but there is a diff this is xp home and the other xp prof and flash i no but floppy i think i can mange to put a floppy drive on this comp mybe andi have another comp it has a floppy drive so is the one that isd broken but it is win 98

[GlobalForce]

XP Home is fine. Can you format the flash meaning, lose whatever might be on it? My thought's moved to flash because the system that you can't get into might need a driver you would be unable to install at the moment. Go into your BIOS and get back whether it can boot from flash or not. We'll take it from there.

S

[kizakisu]

i went to my system set up all was there is boot from cd and boot from floppy

[kizakisu]

-{ Quote: "XP Home is fine. Can you format the flash meaning, lose whatever might be on it? My thought's moved to flash because the system that you can't get into might need a driver you would be unable to install at the moment. Go into your BIOS and get back whether it can boot from flash or not. We'll take it from there.

S" }-
well i am not really sure of what you mean ???

[GlobalForce]

If there's anything on your flash drive can we make it go away? I have a floppy hooked to my laptop but was unusable before first installing a driver. No driver aboard the ailing system, no floppy access unless you let me know you've booted from floppy on that system before?

In BIOS .... you will have listing's for cdrom, hd, floppy I would think. How about usb?
Oop's, missed two post's back.

Plus, the system that's down and the one your on .... both sp2?


S

[kizakisu]

i am not sure about the flash drive part but it can't boot from a usb it say usb floppy and usb cd-rom i never botted from floppy befor but that comp has allways had a flopy and can boot from one


sp2 hmmmm i dunno
well the comp i am on right now is sp2 but i am not sure a bout the other one i am guessing it is

[GlobalForce]

What? You don't know!? :D Your's have IE7 installed? The one your on enter sysdm.cpl into a runbox.

S

[kizakisu]

yea it has sp2 but the other one that is down i dunno and on both of then no there is no e7 on it i herad that had problems so i dele it

[GlobalForce]

*Oh yeah, don't uninstall app's .... DELETE'EM! <---- Joke buddy :o:D

You do have at least one floppy disk we can work with, right?
Before proceeding, test it's ability by creating one of these - http://www.computerhope.com/boot.htm#71

Boot off it, let it settle to an a:\ prompt, then eject, and finally ctrl+alt+delete for a reboot.
Leave me a yes/no then I'll go ahead and prepare a download with direction's for later on sometime.


Steve

[tgell]

If you have not previously formated your hard drive and you are willing to lose any data you now have on your computer. I believe you said you can always get your data back. Some Dells has a restore partition that is accessed at boot-up by holding the <Ctrl> and <F11> keys and then releasing both keys together while booting. This is done just after the F12 prompt. This will destroy all data currently on the computer and restore it to the date of purchase.

[kizakisu]

hmmm i have no floppys with me but i might try what tgell siad

[GlobalForce]

So be it.

Steve

[kizakisu]

well i did not get what tgell siad but it didn't work well i do have a floppy disk but i does not work

[tgell]

-{ Quote: "To divert the boot process to the DSR partition, press down the Ctrl key, press down the F11 key, then release both keys together. The keys must be pressed after the appearance of the F2/F12 prompts and before the end of the blue-line's 2-second pause. " }-



http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/dellmbr.htm

[kizakisu]

ok ummm

Place diskette in the computer.

Open My Computer, right click the A: drive and click Format.

In the Format window, check Create an MS-DOS startup disk.

Click Start
\

ummm how can i get to my comp and the start menu???

[kizakisu]

-{ Quote: "http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/dellmbr.htm" }-


ok ok i will try did not work well on that site i think it is say that i have a broke Dell MBR so it can't boot my op ok nvm it say i have a working one

[GlobalForce]

"ummm how can i get to my comp and the start menu?"

Pay attention, I said "Before proceeding, test it's ability .... Boot off it, let it settle to an a:\ prompt, then eject, and finally ctrl+alt+delete for a reboot. Leave me a yes/no then I'll go ahead and prepare a download with direction's for later on sometime."

For the moment you can take care of the above while tgell re-group's. Leave an answer, I'll check back later.


S

[kizakisu]

well i left it in there but it did not go to a a:\ prompt --- well how can i tell if it is in a:\ prompt

[tgell]

Either you never had a restore partition or your mbr is indeed broke for a Dell restore. I would continue on with the help that GlobalForce is providing you.

[kizakisu]

k thx

[kizakisu]

well can you tell me how to get to a:\ prompt well it tell me there is no data on the floppy to boot and i9 am not sure about the a:\ prompt

[GlobalForce]

If you chose "Create an MS-DOS startup disk" then closed the dialog, rebooting alone should have brought you to an a:\ prompt. Did XP reboot instead meaning, it may have bypassed the floppy. Is that what happened? XP is all on one partition aboard the system you're now using, correct?

S

[kizakisu]

Place diskette in the computer.

Open My Computer, right click the A: drive and click Format.

In the Format window, check Create an MS-DOS startup disk.

Click Start



hmmmmi would need a comp with a floppy drive well i will need a new floppy disk to

[GlobalForce]

What are you saying .... that there's no disk or ....
What happened after clicking start?

*Update:
Before forwarding more detailed instruction, what do you make of this as a possible reason your unable to boot?

http://www.msfn.org/board/lofiversion/index.php/t68996.html

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Here, from post five you wrote .... "I am still wonder if this is a hard drive problem i wonder if i can erase it and start widows over is that posilbei don't mind starting over i can always get the stuff i had back."

As I see it right now XP has NO pro's in it's favor. Vi$ta, a one way with physical recovery option. YOU must decide.

You could erase it, I've got a dwnld to handle that. I haven't checked deep enough to know but what if you determine shortly into Vi$ta your existing hardware's incompatible, then what? No XP cd's .... you'd have to call Dell unless you bought this off someone, then maybe they could make the call? Get the stuff you had back? This mean software? How about Vi$ta? At bare minimum you'll need in your possession a burned ISO before even considering an install.


*Vista/OptiPlex GX620 specific pages.

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/solutions/en/winvista_faqs_rel?c=us&cs=prem&l=en&s=pub

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/product_support/en/vista_test?c=us&l=en&s=gen

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/downloads/devices.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=gen&SystemID=PLX_GX620&os=WW1&osl=EN


Steve

[kizakisu]

i want to dele i have a xp prof cd so i can get it back and if i want to get vista i can burn it on this comp well the dele dwnload you have will it be by cd or floppy

[GlobalForce]

For cd - http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm#Booting_from_CD.

Concern yourself with the top dwnld box only. It include's everything (attachment). Here's a screenshot (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=190991&stc=1&d=1182800674). Burn, boot, follow direction's. I gave you those Dell link's so you would be ready ahead of time with any driver's you may need after install.


Steve

[kizakisu]

drivers what do you mean like after i do this i would need more things or just to get vista how come it say dvd r well i can do cd r right so after this i wiull just need to istall what ever op system i want right

[GlobalForce]

Depend's on which edition. FAQ's near the bottom - http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/content.aspx?ctId=395&tabid=1
For XP if you want, install, then open device manager .... it'll tell you if there's anything missing.

Steve