Member Avatar for Whatever_b1188

OK, I have an HP Pavillion notebook running Windows XP Home Edition. Well today I tried to log on so I turned on the computer, and the whole startup seemed to go fine, but after the "starting up windows XP" screen went away, the screen just went blank and stayed blank. I turned off the computer and I got the screen that lets you choose to start in Safe mode or the last known good configuration, and I tried "last known good configuration" (which was to start windows normally) and tried again. The same thing happened. So I tried running safe mode, but that froze too. Then I tried to run the e-Diagtools test. I ran the standard tests and the advanced tests and it said everything was ok. I tried to start up again and it still did the same thing, so I pressed the reset button, that didn't work either. I'm out of ideas and I am desperate to get that system up and running again. Even if just to back up my files and run the recovery CD. So PLEASE, if anybody knows what to do or at least has any ideas just respond or e-mail me or both, whatever. Thanks alot.
My e-mail is .

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A few targeted checks and a safe workflow that follow the suggestions already posted by , , , and will narrow this down quickly and protect data before any recovery/restore step.

Start with non‑destructive diagnostics:

  • Verify whether Windows actually reached the GUI by pressing NumLock/CapsLock and watching the keyboard LED. A toggle means the OS is running but the display output is wrong.
  • Shine a bright flashlight at the screen (close up) to look for a very faint image — a visible ghost image with no backlight points to inverter/backlight failure rather than Windows.
  • Attach an external monitor or use any docking/VGA port to check for output on another screen; that separates driver/display‑hardware problems from a full system hang.

If the OS is running but the LCD is blank:

  • Avoid using the factory recovery partition yet (it usually wipes the disk). Instead, boot from external media (Windows PE/BartPE or a current Linux live USB) to back up important files to an external drive. This preserves data without tearing the laptop apart.
  • From the same external environment, run a filesystem check (chkdsk /r from Windows Recovery Console or the equivalent on Linux) and try renaming/removing third‑party display driver files so Windows falls back to the standard VGA driver. That can restore display long enough to uninstall a bad driver or perform a repair install.

If Safe Mode also freezes or the machine shows no signs of life:

  • Focus on hardware: reseat RAM and the hard drive (and battery briefly, as noted), then re-run vendor diagnostics. A freezing Safe Mode can indicate disk corruption or intermittent drive failure. If the drive is suspect, have it imaged by a shop before attempting repairs.

Notes and cautions:

  • Do not run the HP/restore recovery until a full backup is confirmed.
  • Record which tests produced which results (LED toggles, external monitor image, faint LCD image) — that information is often enough for a forum diagnosis or a repair technician to recommend the next step.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for mikeandike22

you just said the answer backup your files and run the recovery cd

Member Avatar for Catweazle

It's a notebook. It won't start. How the hell do you think that's gonna be done?

The general 'easy way' is to put the hard drive in another system as a 'slave' drive, lift the data files off it and put them on CD, and then put it back in the system and format. Perhaps your local pc shop could do that for you. It CAN be hooked up to a desktop system temporarily as a slave drive ;)

Member Avatar for Lurch

I had a Toshiba laptop that was prone to do something similar. the oliest way I could get running was to physically remove the battery and unplug from the wall. I let it set or a minute or so, and then re-inserted the battery and plugged it back in to the AC. Guess it acted like a kind of 'reset' or something. At least it worked for me...

Member Avatar for ambient_sounds

It could be something wrong with the BIOS. I dunno, but if you want to skip loading the BIOS settings, I do believe you hold down "Insert" while the computer is starting up. That could get you into Windows to track down the problem. Or you could go investigate the BIOS yourself. At least if you skip loading the BIOS and you get into Windows, you can back up your information there. Or at least you should be able to...

Member Avatar for cargenius42

Had same problem with my old compaq presario 2800. It seemed to happen to me when I installed an updated video driver......... but, what do u know, it caused my logon screen to dissapear. Since HP and Compaq have merged together, I don't know if the keyboard is the same design or not, but this is how i fixed the problem. This is the response I got when I posted my similar question about the missing logon screen: "Try FN+F4 to cycle the video modes. If you can get a display maybe try the ATI driver update as well: " -antioed.

Member Avatar for DuncanIdaho

Sounds like it's set to a refresh rate or video mode that the thing can't display to me.

Boot it all the way up, when it's done, hit Alt-F4, and hit the U key after. Do this a few times. If your laptop shuts itself down when you do this, you have successfully told Windows to shut down, so the machine is working, but set to a video mode it cannot display. If you do this several times, and the machine doesn't do a thing, then it isn't completing bootup. See what that gives us to work with.

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