Blank Screen

johncandu · 11-01-2008, 11:56 AM

I did a hard drive scan to correct a problem with boot up and now have a blank screen with a blinking curser in the top left corner. the computer will not boot. The OS is win 98 on this computer

**OldGrayGary** · 11-02-2008, 01:41 AM

Hi John

Let's start with a few questions:
1. What tool did you use to scan the drive with?
2. What was the original boot error that was causing trouble at startup?
3. Is Windows 98 the only operating system on that computer?
4. Do you hear the single beep tone at startup that signals that the power on self test is successful?

It can't hurt to run a hard drive diagnostic, just to make sure that the drive isn't failing --- http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287

If you can enter the Bios Setup for the PC, check in there that the settings are correct (system manuals are generally available online --- or you can try Adrian's Bios Optimization Guide for more detailed help --- http://www.techarp.com/freebog.aspx --- ) ... If the CMOS battery needs replacing, it might not be able to hold the settings (the coin batteries only cost about $1.50).

If you have a bootable CD or floppy around (bootable floppies are available for download at bootdisk.com), you can try booting into DOS and taking a look at the startup files -- to see if they are present; if they are undamaged & correctly configured, etc. If you'd like to try things with a fresh set of system boot files, you can try typing the SYS C: command from a command prompt.

And, of course, an inplace reinstall of Windows replaces boot files as well as much else, but requires that the computer is physically sound & uninfected with pests, and requires quite a bit of time to update afterwards as well. (If you'd like a reasonably detailed guide to inplace reinstallation of Win98, search this Win9x/Me forum for "over-the-top" reinstall & you'll find a guide)

Best of luck
. . . Gary

11-01-2008, 11:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
johncandu Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 1 OS: Vista SP2, XP SP2, win98 SP2	Blank Screen I did a hard drive scan to correct a problem with boot up and now have a blank screen with a blinking curser in the top left corner. the computer will not boot. The OS is win 98 on this computer Last edited by johncandu; 11-01-2008 at 11:57 AM.

11-02-2008, 01:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,240 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Re: Blank Screen Hi John Let's start with a few questions: 1. What tool did you use to scan the drive with? 2. What was the original boot error that was causing trouble at startup? 3. Is Windows 98 the only operating system on that computer? 4. Do you hear the single beep tone at startup that signals that the power on self test is successful? It can't hurt to run a hard drive diagnostic, just to make sure that the drive isn't failing --- http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 If you can enter the Bios Setup for the PC, check in there that the settings are correct (system manuals are generally available online --- or you can try Adrian's Bios Optimization Guide for more detailed help --- http://www.techarp.com/freebog.aspx --- ) ... If the CMOS battery needs replacing, it might not be able to hold the settings (the coin batteries only cost about $1.50). If you have a bootable CD or floppy around (bootable floppies are available for download at bootdisk.com), you can try booting into DOS and taking a look at the startup files -- to see if they are present; if they are undamaged & correctly configured, etc. If you'd like to try things with a fresh set of system boot files, you can try typing the SYS C: command from a command prompt. And, of course, an inplace reinstall of Windows replaces boot files as well as much else, but requires that the computer is physically sound & uninfected with pests, and requires quite a bit of time to update afterwards as well. (If you'd like a reasonably detailed guide to inplace reinstallation of Win98, search this Win9x/Me forum for "over-the-top" reinstall & you'll find a guide) Best of luck . . . Gary __________________