Black screen startup flashing cursor - HELP - Page 3 - Computer Help & PC Help Forums

**Goku** · 08-18-2008, 03:53 PM

Sorry to jump in but it seems that you have not installed XP at all. Did you install a new hard drive?

-- Goku

**Wolfeymole** · 08-18-2008, 03:55 PM

ZKM

It is impossible to go into a recovery console without an operating system being present.

Your screenshot indicates that this is the case so you need to reinstall Windows on that partition.

**Dalo Harkin** · 08-18-2008, 04:03 PM

Whatever you did to your HDD has totally erased all the information on it.

**Wolfeymole** · 08-18-2008, 04:09 PM

We realise that the screenshot presented by yourself is only a representation but if that is what you see when you have inserted the drive back into the laptop and booted from the XP disk then I'm afraid, as Dalo said, all your files are gone.

**Dalo Harkin** · 08-18-2008, 04:21 PM

Ok - if you want to go ahead and activate the disk - go to the disk management area again and on the left hand side of the big blue bar right click and there are options there.
*this is done at your own risk, like we said previously 'if' there is anything on the disk it will be gone*

zkm1223 · 08-18-2008, 07:02 PM

what about if i use utilities like testdisk and others?

**Wolfeymole** · 08-18-2008, 07:09 PM

To do what ZKM?

If you can honestly state that when you have re-inserted the laptop hard drive back into the laptop and booted from the XP disk and you get that screenshot then it is an inescapable fact that there are no operating system files on the drive AT ALL.

The word document shows quite clearly that there is not even a file structure on that drive when you attached it to your pc.

Someone somewhere has erased that laptop drive and now it needs formatting to be usable once more.

**Seth** · 08-19-2008, 06:27 AM

I have a different opinion:

Your file system is obviously corrupt. This may be caused by many things, including a failing hard drive. As such, your first priority is to put the drive back in the enclosure and attempt data recovery if needed. Then you need to run hard drive error correction.

Now, whether or not your files are accessible, you need to run the hard drive error correction. To do so, right click on the drive and choose Properties>Tools>Error Checking>Check Now. Put a check in both of the two options that are presented. Once the check is complete, put the drive back in the lappy and fire it up.

zkm1223 · 08-19-2008, 01:03 PM

hi seth,

i have put the drive back in the enclosure and done that error checking. however when i tick the 2 check boxes and click start, the small window of the error checking just closes straight away and am left on properties>tools window.

Can i do the backup option on it. would that save my data???

**Seth** · 08-19-2008, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zkm1223

hi seth,

i have put the drive back in the enclosure and done that error checking. however when i tick the 2 check boxes and click start, the small window of the error checking just closes straight away and am left on properties>tools window.

Can i do the backup option on it. would that save my data???

When that happens, just restart the computer and the error checking may start. But, you should be trying to backup any important data first. I suspect that won't be possible though. Are you able to right click and "Explore" the contents of the drive?