Black screen where XP login should be. Booting issue.

[TriEclipse]

I'm running Windows XP 32-bit. It boots up and I get the screen that asks if I want to boot in as normal, as last good config, as safe modes, etc. All of these yield the same result: After the XP logo screen comes and goes, where there should be the blue login screen with all the usernames to pick from, there is instead a completely blank, black screen with only the cursor visible. I don't know what could have caused this, last night I logged off correctly through the Start Menu > Shut Down. The last time I encountered this problem I had done a hard shutdown.

To fix it, I first tried to run chkdsk /r, but that got really slow around 50%, moving at roughly 8-10 minutes per 1%. I cancelled that, and did a chkdsk /p instead, which completed but did not solve anything. So I did a repair install, and while the XP loading screen goes by faster now (it used to take longer than it should), the blank, black screen is still there.

There is roughly 1.2GB of space left on that hard drive. I don't know if this is a problem. I normally delete files as I see necessary when the drive is getting full. I tried to use Knoppix to get into the drive to delete some files but it didn't let me delete anything.

Any ideas on what I should do? Should I just let chkdsk /r run for a few hours?

[Mak213]

Try check disk and see what that does.

[TriEclipse]

After 3 hours of running chkdsk /r, nothing changed. It said that it fixed one or more problems on the drive, but it did nothing to fix this one.

[Mak213]

Try F8 and offer to load Standard VGA Mode and then either

1. update your graphics driver

2. roll back to the previous working one (you probably installed a new one from Windows Update)

3. or plug in a new graphics card

[TriEclipse]

Its a custom rig built in 2005 with an Abit AV8 motherboard and it doesn't have an onboard video setting that I can see in the BIOS.

I'm also using a Nvidia GeForce 6600GT video card and I have Windows Update confirm with me before installing anything...haven't installed anything new in probably a month.

I don't have a spare video card lying around so I'll try a few more things before I go out to buy one.

[Mak213]

Okay so let me ask have you gotten the most up to date driver from the nVidia site? That may fix this issue.

[TriEclipse]

Admittedly, its been a while since I downloaded a new video driver. Is there a way to install it without being able to get into windows?

[Mak213]

Can you get into Safe Mode? That would be your best option there. Other than that no.

[TriEclipse]

I cannot get into safe mode. All the options lead to the same result; the Windows XP logo screen followed by the blackness.

[Mak213]

The logon screen turns black after you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to log on to a Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer

Maybe that? I am searching for answers for ya. Not much has come up though...

Workaround:
CTRL-SHIFT-ESC to open task manager.
File - Run - type in "explorer".

Maybe that as well?? I will keep looking.