Help! Black Screen NO MOUSE pointer/cursor After Windows 7 Updates

I have a Dell Inspiron 1440 ran sweet before windows 7 update. I don't do the automatic install of updates. I don't remember exactly what all the updates were but I do know that one of them was a windows 7 service pack update. It showed 7 updates that I needed, I only picked the 5 critical ones & did not pick the optional ones. I walked away while it was updating. These are all the things that have happened and I've tried since I updated windows 7 . Comp shut down after updates to restart, its said on screen installing updates...BAM..stops mid way through updates with FATAL ERROR C0190003 applying update operation 5311 (wmplay...)

1) Tried ESC, Cntrl+Alt+Del...nothing, did HARD SHUTDOWN

2) Tried to reboot, BLACK SCREEN NOTHING ELSE, NO MOUSE CURSOR/ POINTER, tried ESC, Cntrl+Alt+Del..nothing again. Had to do a HARD SHUT DOWN AGAIN

3) Found alot of forum posts about black screen with cursor but not without cursor..found 1 that said to take out battery,& unplug, hold down start button on laptop for 30-60 seconds, do not put battery back in yet but plug in and hit start button. Then if all boots ok you can put battery back in. My comp did start to load Dell Logo then SAME FATAL ERROR C0190003 blah blah blah came up, so I know the updates caused whatever it is. HARD SHUT DOWN AGAIN

4) Started Computer again computer went to System Start up Repair by itself, that went on forever & then said CANNOT FIX SYSTEM START UP, HARD SHUT DOWN AGAIN

5) Started computer again, pressed F8, pressed REPAIR YOUR COMPUTER, tried System Restore, says I don't have an saved System Restore Points,WHAT???!! Then it starts Restore & stops with ERROR There was an unexpected error: The system cannot fine the file specified (0x80070002) Please close system restore and try again.

7) F8 again to System Recovery options again, pressed DELL DATASAFE RESTORE & EMERGENCY BACKUP, asks what I want to back up,it gives recommended options for you(pics,videos,files,etc) then makes a backup folder, so when it restores your computer to factory settings it includes this folder on desktop so you can put back after restore. It backs everything I want perfectly,says 100% then says hit next to next step which is to actually restore my computer. It says formatting your partition(GREEN CHECK MARK) then Reinstall your original content then stays on 1% loading for hours...then ERROR 0x4001001300001002 . Can't do anything again but shut down AGAIN!

8) Tried both restores twice with same results

9) Tried F8, pressed Command Prompt to SFC/SCNNOW, has some stuff that doesnt make sense to me(I had looked at screen shots of what it supposed to do) Doesnt say repaired anything, tried SFC/verifyonly that says there is a repair pending to restart & try SFC/SCNNOW again. Restart same errors, can't get to Elevated Command Prompt but my command prompt says at the top of window "administrator" so I believe it is already set to admin.

10) Finally did Dells Self Test on system & its showing hard drive failure of somekind...NOW...I know that harddrives could fail at any time but I think its a little coincidental that it happened right at the moment the updates were installing.



I did read in some forums that windows 7 updates had destroyed alot of peoples video cards, so I'm wondering if anybody else has seen this problem with windows 7 updates messing up their harddrive....also is it possible that it just corrupted something and it could be fixed somehow without replacing my harddrive? Lastly, is there anyway to cancel updates that were trying to install...however remember I cannot load to windows,do any kind of restore, the system won't let me. If anybody knows anything to help me I surely would appreciate it, Thank you.

Oh, also I do not have a repair CD or Installation disk, it did not come with one.

 

Ok, so I just tried Last known Good Configuration and that did not work as well. I also did something else right now & got this message Cannot open volume for direct access. Autochck cannot run due to an error cause by a recently installed software package. An unexpected error occourred (766f6c756d652e63 3f1)

I have not installed anything remotely recent except Windows 7 updates.

Hope this info is important in helping find a solution.Thanks again for any help you might be able to give me!

 

tl;dr Windows Update bricked your machine?

Back up your data and do a reinstall... you can legally download a Windows 7 image and activate using your laptop's CoA. See the software sub-forum.

 

First, Thanks so much for posting!Yeah, can u believe it? Im so pissed, alot of ppl are saying their video cards were broken from windows 7 updates too, they had to replace them, I can't afford any parts right now.
I did see system image recovery but didnt know what it was so haven't tried that yet. How does that work? Do i go to software sub-forum or some legit site & just load it to a disk & then put it in my Dell & do run under command prompts? Sorry so many ?s but I don't wanna make things worse. If I do that, does it give me an option to repair or do i have to do a reinstall? I really don't wanna lose all my pics n stuff

 

Hi, I'm not up on all the the computer stuff so forgive me if some of the simple things you suggest to me are still confusing to me.
I tried to download a windows 7 image on a disc, but the disc didn't have enough room it said. Is that a problem with the size disc, cause I didn't know they sold much bigger ones than I have now. I looked it up on how to do it before I tried so I know I couldnt download an image to a flash drive but the disc thing didn't work for me. Any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong? The disc I have says its 4.7gb 120 mins 1-16x speed. Thanks again

 

Kkaykk do you have a spare 4GB+ USB pen drive lying around? Instead try using the Windows DVD/USB Tool and direct the application to the Windows 7 image and it will do the rest. Bear in mind this will format the USB Drive so make sure you don't have anything you need on it before proceeding.

 

Thank you for your reply, I do have a 4gb flash drive, so I will try this now. I will let you know how it works out. Thanks again!

 

I probably should put this information as well. I am using another older laptop to go on this forum to look up solutions. The laptop that is messed up, I can't get to any windows 7 images & All the restore options have not worked for me, I can't back up any data on it cause it won't even boot to windows. So I did use the computer that im typing on now & make a repair disc from it because it has windows 7 on it also, but tried that & it didn't work it said "this version of system recovery options is not compatible with the version of windows your are trying to repair" So, I went downloaded the tool windows DVD/usb tool and tried to direct the application to the windows 7 image on this laptop but could not find a way to do it.
Do I have to download a copy somewhere from the internet? I do have a legit product code on my messed up computer to use.
Or if you could tell me why the repair disc I tried doesn't work or how I can make it work, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again

 

I assume you did not make the restore disks of your original Dell installation software as you should have.

You can download a copy of Windows 7 here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-7-download-links-just-like-vista-before.html

Use Method 2 (ISO Method) and follow the instructions at the bottom of the first post for downloading, removing the ei.cfg file, and copying to your USB flash drive.

You have to install the same version of Windows 7 that came with your Laptop (Home Premium, Pro, etc) if you want to activate it using the SN from the COA on the bottom. If you have a problem with activation using your SN give Microsoft a call at the number given on the activation screen and tell them what happened. You will not have a problem.

You can also download Windows 7 with SP1 from here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-digitalriver-windows-7-sp1-13-languages.html. After you make your USB flash drive install using the Microsoft USB/DVD tool, go into the Sources folder and remove the ei.cfg file manually so you can select the version of Windows 7 you want to install from a menu.

Windows 7 will install generic drivers for all your laptop devices. You will probably want to go to Dell and, for your laptop model, download and install the drivers that originally shipped with your laptop.

 

I bought the computer off private party not new, so didn't get a chance to back up nothin and just started updating windows when this happened, it didn't even have ANY restore points,which I thought was weird.
I am gonna try the method you posted, is it for repairs also or just fresh install? cause I did load pics up from a flash drive before I formatted it to reuse n Im bummed if I lose those pics.

 

Ughhhh....I just realized that I don't even know which version of Windows 7 home premium it has 32 or 64 bit because I just got it. Should I download both & try them to see which one works or will that mess up the computer more?

 

Your key is compatible for either 32 bit or 64 bit so it really doesn't matter. If your system has less than 3GB then just use the 32 bit version, if it's greater than 4GB then you'll need the 64 bit version so the OS can use the full amount of RAM on offer.

 

It is the full version of Windows 7 (same as retail without the Product Key) which is mainly for a fresh install (just as if you were installing Windows 7 for the first time. I honestly can't remember if there is a repair feature on the menu (also look under any advanced menus you can see) but I think there is.

If those pictures really mean a lot to you, you could try buying an external USB enclosure for your HD and see if you could access any of the files on the drive from another computer.

 

before wiping your drive out, consider using the disk images listed above and running a repair, which is accessible off the DVD or USB boot stick menu after bootup.

My experience with this error indicates a corrupted registry hive. The Windows repair will check your disk volume for errors and you can also run a system restore (which replaces the corrupt registry hive with an older, good one)

 

Thank u all for your input!! I researched & found that it is Windows 7 home premium 64 bit, that's why the repair disc i made from this comp Im using now wouldn't work. So , I downloaded the Windows 7 64 bit ISO from both threads on the forums here. 1 is the original the other includes the SP 1. Both of the ISOs had 2 items to download. I downloaded via Orbit download manager because I have IE on this comp. I downloaded eicfg_removal_utility also. The Windows 7 without the SP1, I had to move the file to my documents then used the eicfg tool, cause it wouldn't let me use it in the orbit download manager.
Question: Is that where I was supposed to move Windows 7 to take out the eicfg file? Also was I suppose to rename it? Because once I removed it, the file wasn't any smaller. It was 6.0GB. When I tried to burn to disc via Image Burn, it was too big & wouldn't work. It didn't prompt me to use a 2nd disc, it just failed. Disc is 4.7GB that I was using.

So then I saw the size of the other Windows 7 ISO w/ SP1 and it was only 3.09GB so I again moved that to my documents & I tried via Image Burn to put on disc, that also failed, again it said that it wouldn't fit on the disc & gave no prompts or options to use 2 discs. I used a 4.7GB disc on that one as well. Don't know why it said file was too big, but it did.

I then tried to download the Windows 7 ISO w/SP1 to USB & it worked!! YEAHH!

So currently I have that available.
I then inserted another USB into the broken comp to try to save my pics that I have on it via DELL DATASAFE. It lets you select what other files(pics,docs,etc) you want to keep in this Emergency back up folder & also gives the option to save it on either a USB or Disc. I select only the pictures, it does a search & gives you the outcome to confirm before you save. It says like 159GB, ok...so I know I don't have that many pics so I think its trying to save all the main windows files & the pics, thats why GB is so high. I only have a 4GB & 8GB USB flash drive, then I try to save anyways & it completes 100% it says. Hmmmm....I check the USB in the comp Im using now & it shows 8 files all with the extension .dsb. I click on the application file to see if my pics are gonna pop up, but then a window says do you want this to change things on your harddrive & I don't know,so I press cancel. When I click on all other 7 of those files it says I don't have a compatible program to open them up & it sends me to the internet to find one, but nobody seems to know a program to open these .dsb files, some say it's impossible, so why would they make these files for a backup if nobody can open them?

Now I'm gonna try to use the Windows 7 SP1 install USB that I created to see if I can just repair my broken computer, because I don't want to do a fresh install & lose my pics.

If anybody has any answers to any of my questions or any other suggestions, I definitely would appreciate it, this has become a time consumer & nightmare,lol

Oh almost forgot, 1 more question before I try the USB repair. Is it possible to connect the comp I am using right now with my broken computer with a double sided USB cable & get my pics that way??? If this is a silly question, don't laugh....please...lol. Cause I have a dbl sided one & was thinking that it made sense to me but don't want to risk messing anything else up until I get feedback from you guys, who know what the heck you are doing.
Thank you again for all your help, it's so appreciated!

 

First off, there are not two items to download for each ISO only one. In the download thread there are two mirrors (or links) shown for each version, you can download from either of the links, you don't download from both. If you are downloading two items something is wrong with your method. Refer to the download link thread and follow the instructions.

You download the ISO directly to a directory on your HD, you don't have to move it afterward. You can run the ei.cfg file remover on the file from the directory you downloaded the ISO to. THE EI.CFG FILE REMOVER WILL NOT WORK ON THE ISO DOWNLOAD WITH SP1 even though it says it does.

The downloaded file sizes are roughly 2.4GB for x32 and 3.4GB for x64. If your files are larger than those the download is corrupt. The file size after running the ei.cfg file remover will be the same, or not noticable, that file is only a few bytes in length.

Don't use Image Burn to create your DVD or USB Flash Drive install, use this tool Microsoft Store Online.

Thats great, now you have the ISO but it will not work that way. The USB flash drive needs to be created from the ISO. Copy the ISO back to your HD then use the tool above to create your USB install drive. If you succeed in creating a bootable USB flash drive and are using the SP1 version of Windows, open the flash drive files and in the Sources directory delete the ei.cfg file manually. (refer to my post in this thread on page 1)

Don't know what is going on with your pictures at this time, sorry. I have to get ready for the football playoff game, go 49ers.

Read what I said above, if your USB doesn't work.

Short answer, no, no, no. A regular double sided cable will short the two power supplies together and you will likely burn up one or both of your computers. It can be done with a special cable but that is a subject for another thread.

 

Ahahaha...do i feel like a dork....I downloaded both mirrors K, I've deleted all downlosads I made previously & started fresh & only am downloading the Windows 7 ISO w/SP1 to a directory. I do have the Windows USB DVD tool that you mentioned already on this comp. After it downloads I will put it on USB with the WUDT(like that, I'm even picking up on the lingo,lol) Then I will go to the Source directory & manually delete the eicfg file. I will then try it on my broken comp & let u know how that works.

Oh n I ended up opening the Dell Data Safe application file that I had put on usb n transferred to this comp. It did let me put those files in a folder on my desktop. I opened the folder & it did have some of my pics!! I will try it again to get the rest before I use the ISO on the broken comp. It gives you sooo many choices what to save like programs,files & folders on the Dell Data Safe, that I probably just missed my other pic folders. So grateful for your help.

Hope you enjoyed your game n your team won!!

 

Remember, in order to boot from your flash drive you need to change the boot order in bios so your pc boots from the USB device first (before your HD). Depending on your pc model you can also select what device to boot from temporairly by pressing a F(function) key during the boot cycle, on my HP I believe it is F8.

My football team just lost

 

F8 is usally just to get to the advanced boot menu within Windows. Most laptops require an f10 or f12 for the selective boot device.

 

It didn't work! UGHhhhhh
I put the Windows 7 SP1 ISO on the USB, I removed the ei.cfg manually, that all went smooth, all the files appeared to be there,correct & the amount of memory used on the usb was equal to the ISO.
I put it in the comp pressed F8 it brought up the window for language & Install now or Repair your computer. So I selected Repair your Computer
It took me to the advanced options menu. Tried Start up Repair,didn't work. Tried System Restore, said didn't have any restore points, didn't work.
Tried System Image Recovery, has pop up window that says, Windows cannot find a system image on this computer, retry or cancel, I hit cancel. Pop up gone, larger window has marked select a sytem image, I click next. Brings me to another screen thats titled Re-Image your computer, Select the location of the backup for the comp you want to restore. If the system image is on an external device, attach the device to this computer and then click Refresh. If the system image is on a DVD, insert the last DVD from the system image backup. Click advanced to add a network location or install a driver for a backup device if it does not show up in the list below.
Nothing is in the list below. So I click Advanced, window pops up says Search for a system image on the network or Install a driver for a device that is attached to the computer but is not on the list of avail system images. So I try both options. Connecting to netork wants me to specify a location,example \\server\share...no idea what that is or means,lol. So I cancel that & try the Install a driver option, It brings up My Computer window that shows these drives Recovery C, OS D, Boot X, Removable F, So I try every file/folder in Removable F cause I know thats the ISO & Im hoping what the computer wants is in there, no luck, nothing, everytime I choose one window pops up, says The specified location does not contain information about your hardware. I did try most all of the other drives & their files as well, with no luck. Any ideas???

Also wanted to add that the drives that were listed all had something in them
C drive was titled Recovery 9.73 Gb free of 14.6 GB
D drive was titled OS 150 GB free of 218 GB
X drive was titled BOOt 28.6 MB free of 31.18 MB

I am also confused why my OS is on Drive D??????
Don't know if any of this info would help but Thank you again for any suggestions!

 

Actually you didn't boot from your USB Flash drive if you used the F8 key. You tried to do a windows repair from your HD. The USB drive you created played no part in your repair.

Here is some information for you:

- F12 after turning the comp on should bring up a menu which allows you to change the boot device temporarily. I gleaned this info from the web for Dell so I don't know if this is actually the correct key on your PC but most likely it is.

- Some more Dell info - tap the F6 during boot and it will open a program in the boot manager to give the option for a factory reset. (if your current OS is not totally corrupt). From a user on the web, I don't know if it works or not.

- If you want to enter Dell BIOS enter F2 during boot.

- How to Access PC's BIOS Setup and then Set BIOS Boot from CD/DVD or USB? - Info on how to change BIOS to boot from USB

Hope some of this helps you, I know you are trying very hard.

 

Deest makes a good point about trying one more time with the USB, but if that fails, I've only managed to fix the black screen of death once--everything else resulted in a system install from scratch.

C: is listed as Recovery because that is the first partition of your drive that is normally hidden from you. It contains the factory restore software .

D: is your OS where your OS and documents are.

I wouldn't waste any more time on this. I'd pull the harddrive out put it in another machine, rescue your data, and then do a clean install.

AFTER you recover your data to another computer, and ff the restore partition is still working, hit F8 or f10 or f12 (not sure which one on this model) repeatedly at startup. Select Repair Computer, and then DELL Factory Recovery.

IF that is not available, I'd use the Windows disk you have and delete the partitions and then install from scratch using the key on the bottom of the laptop

 

Thank you soooo much to for everyones input, I really do appreciate it! I had been messing with this for much too long,lol. It was consuming my life! I tried everything 3 more times, my Windows 7 ISO was good(thanx to you guys) & I booted via f12 USB & did everything that was posted n no go.... I did manage to save all my pics with the Dell Data Safe thing, so I broke down & bought a new hard drive & installed it last night with a fresh install with the ISO. I am so glad for all the information on here, so when something happens like this to me again or someone I know, I will know what the heck I am doing a little,lol.

Again I can't thank you all enough for your help! I will be looking for some Linux info on here tonight to re install that on my daughters lil laptop & with all your help, I honestly think I can do it myself without hiring someone to do it. You guys are GREAT!