Topic: Dell Dimension C521

[TR]

Don't you just love friends when they think you know a bit about Pcs 

Happened to mention that I have built a few over the last 2 years and they think that because you can build a pc that you know it all..

Anyway to cut a long story short?

PC duly arrived tonight (on time) plugged everything in, booted up, (running Vista home basic) it get to the bit that runs across the screen at the bottom then it just freezes into a black screen, I have done everything I know how to..like checked all memory/graphics card. it wont even boot into safe mode? so I have the disc that he he had with it when the PC was new (Re installation DVD) tried a repair, it doesn't want to know?..
images below.

The only way I can see round this is to clean install (factory reset) and he will lose everything..

Answers on a post card please.

[sam]

hmmm... was it an issue that just happened one day? or is it something that happens occasionally? I'm just wondering if they have gotten stung by a virus or something.. but then again that wouldn't explain the reinstallation dvd giving problems. Is it a dell reinstall dvd or an actual copy of vista?

[TR]

Its a Dell reinstall DVD, all he said when he booted one day thats all that happened, black screen with the Cursor arrow (it moves) and just sits there with the hard drive icon blinking.

I have checked the memory (ok)
I have checked the Hdrive   (ok)
I have unplugged all the items that are plugged into the Mobo and still the same...it's a mystery to me?

[Simon]

Would resetting the BIOS to fail safe defaults be worth a try?

[TR]

Cant get to bios neither..or safe mode? when I hit delete to get to the bios nothing happens even when I go to F8 it shows to go to safe mode but get as far as the scrolly thing then black screen with (large ) cursor arrow and just sits there.

[Simon]

It's not a USB keyboard is it?

[Sandra]

Some PCs use F1 or F2 for bios, it should say on the first screen which key to press to enter setup.

[TR]

Reset the bios to factory settings but still no go 

Just found an on board diagnostic screen, running through that at the moment, just awaiting on results.

[TR]

Still no go, black screen with arrow cursor.

Read through the Dell diagnostic manual , all the green lights 1, 2, 3, 4. are all out and in Dells eyes the system has booted ok..yeah right 

[Simon]

Faulty Mobo?  Just guessing. 

[TR]

Clean install plus I've saved all his files ..cool or what  looks like Vista was corrupted in some way, just dloaded over 60 updates over night.

just need to load Office 2003 and he will be back to basics again with a nearly new PC 

[Simon]

Nice work, Terry. 

[Tony]

Clean install plus I've saved all his files ..cool or what 

Terry,

How did you manage to get at his data to save it ?  did you slave his HD on your PC, to get at and save his data?  interested to know how you did it ....grist to the mill and all that

[TR]

It was simple in the end 

Clean Install over the top of the old system. then it saved a file called "windows.old" 32Gig  then just cherry picked all the files from that I wanted to save to his hard drive


Hope that helps   

[Clive]

You should have upgraded to Windows XP while you were at it Terry!