# [SOLVED] Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow



## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

Hi, 
My notebook is not booting up properly. All I get is a blue screen with a mouse arrow. It is not a blue screen with an error code. I ran a memory and hardware test from the BIOS and all tests passed. I have tried to get a C Prompt to run some of the options suggested in your BSOD sticky, but everything I try does not work: I can't get the Safe Mode c prompt (or Safe Mode, for that matter), I tried running the Vista Recovery DVD, but it's not coming up (changed the boot options so that the CD/DVD drive would boot first -- no luck). 
Ideas, please?

I'm running Vista x86 on an HP Pavillion dv6500. 
Original OS was Vista (OEM). My hard drive crashed this year and I replaced it with a new one. I reinstalled Vista with a recovery DVD. 
I ordered the computer in 10/07. 
The CPU is Intel Core 2 Due T7250 with 2.0GHz. 
Video Card:Intel Graphics Media Acc. x3100
Motherboard: unknown
Power Supply: unknown (regular power cord). 

Any help would be much appreciated!
chispaluz


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Hi there, 

I'm still hoping that someone out there can help. If it sounds like a no-go, please let me know and I'll try to take my notebook in to get looked at. I'm struggling to get work done without it. However, I'm trying to find a solution without any extra costs in labor...

Thanks!
chispa


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

bump.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Hello chispaluz and welcome to TSF,

Just so I understand, the Vista recovery disc isn't loading? Or is it not finding the Vista installation?


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

The disc isn't loading at all. I try to run the CD Rom drive first from the BIOS (with Vista in the drive), and a black screen comes up, and it says that it's "Loading files", but after a few minutes, the same blue screen with the arrow comes up. I also tried to run the Carrona Memory Diagnostics from a disc, too, and nothing happened. 
Any thoughts?
Thanks!


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Do you have access to an external USB CD ROM?


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Yes, I have a Toshiba MulitDrive.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Attempt to load Vista using the external trive.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I tried to boot it, but it just come up with The Windows Error Recovery screen. Windows failed to start... Launch Startup Repair or Start Windows normally. If it goes into startup repair, I get the blue screen with the arrow, if I try to start windows normally, I get the black screen with nothing on it. 
I went into the Boot Menu to try booting specifically from the Ext drive, and I only have two options for boot from: "2. the ATAPI CD/DVD ROM Drive or 6. Notebook Hard Drive." Any other options are not listed.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Make sure the External HD is connected when you turn on the laptop
Enter the BIOS and check your boot device priority. You may have to move the external drive ahead of the internal drive.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Hi, 
It's definitely connected; it's receiving power and the disc is whirring away in there. I checked the Boot Order in the BIOS, and this is the order I have them in: USB Floppy, ATAPI CD/DVD ROM Drive, USB Diskette on Key, USB Hard Drive, (The Network Adapter is disabled), and at the bottom is the Notebook Hard Drive. As I wrote earlier, the only options offered in the Change Boot Order (F9) are the ATAPI drive and the Notebook HD. 
Any other ideas?
Thanks for your help.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Do you have both leads from the USB CD drive connected to ports? 

Try different USB ports.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Both leads are connected. I tried different ports, with the same results. 
Any other thoughts?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

That is odd, most BIOSes that support USB HDD/Floppy/Thumbdrive also support USB CD/DVD. The fact that isn't showing in the BIOS when the other USB peripherals are is perplexing.

Try setting BIOS defaults... I'm not going to say it will magically going to work, but sometimes when I am having issues with boot devices, setting defaults actually helps.

I am apt to believe your ATAPI optical drive is failing or failed. It should have no issue booting from disc.

One thing to try also, When you hit f8 to access the advanced boot menu for Windows, is there a "repair" option?

Also, use the f8 function to boot to Command Prompt and type;


```
chkdsk c: /f
```


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I restored the default boot options, but it boots to the screen that offers: Launch startup repair, or Start Windows normally. Neither one works. 

From the Adv. boot options (F8), I tried the "repair" option, and it ended up at the blue/arrow screen.

I tried to boot to the Command Prompt, but it says that it's loading files, it hangs for about 2 minutes, then it reboots. 

Any other ideas? Is it dead?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Still no dice on booting from the multi-drive, eh?

Check to see if the Vista disc will boot on the computer you are using now. Just let it load to the first menu then you can shut it down.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I checked the Vista Recovery disk in my desktop, and it booted with no problems. Any further suggestions?
Thanks!


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Alright, we have verified that the recovery disc is working.

Let's try and get some diagnostics done.

Attempt to boot the carrona memory diagnostic from the Toshiba multi-drive. If it doesn't boot, we are going to try and boot your system from a thumb drive.

If you can boot to the memory diagnostic from the multi-drive let me know.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I did try the carrona memory diagnostic, but it did not boot either. How do I boot from a thumb drive?
Thanks!


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Start by downloading this package.

Extract it to a folder on your desktop.
There are only 2 items you are going to use.
HPUSBFW.exe
win98boot (folder)

Delete the rest of the files... They are for a BIOS update for another post I am advising. I am not at home so I cannot prepare you your own package.


Locate HPUSBFW.exe 
Right click on the HPUSBFW.exe and select "Run as Administrator" (in XP this is not necessary) 
Select your USB drive from the Device pull down menu. 
Select the Create a DOS startup disk option. 
Browse to and select the win98boot folder. 
Click Start - A dialogue box will open warning that your data will be erased. Select YES

Your thumb drive is now bootable to DOS. Give it a test run to see if it boots up. If it does, let me know and we will go from there.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Yea! I have a C Prompt! Now what?
Thanks!


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Good, before we go any further then let's clear your HDD and your memory.

Start with this...
Download the Memtest86+ Pre-compiled exe from here.

Extract and copy it to your bootable USB, 
Boot to it, and at the propmpt in DOS, type *mt410*

Let it run for about 2 hours.

What HDD brand do you have in your laptop?


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Alright, the MemTest is running. 
My HDD is not too fancy... I have a Western Digital 250 GB.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Good, how large is the USB drive you are using at the moment?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

If your USB drive is 4GB you can follow the following instructions to create a bootable USB Vista install media.

*Create Vista USB Installation Media*

This tutorial is designed to guide you through the process of creating a USB Windows Vista install media.

This process will only work within Windows Vista or Windows 7.

Please replace any instance of 'x' with the drive letter assignment that corresponds with your system.

What you will need;

4GB USB Flash Drive
Windows Vista installation DVD

*Step 1. - Format USB drive*.


Open *Computer*
Right Click on *Removable Disk ('x'* 
Select *Format*
In the format window;
Select "*NTFS*" from the *Filesystem* pull down menu
Select "*4096 bytes*" or "*Default Allocation Size*" from the *Allocation Unit Size* pull down menu
Choose a* Volume Label* _(e.g. Vista, Vista x32, Acer OS, etc.)_
Un-check the *Quick Format* option

Press *Start*
When the Warning dialogue box opens, select *OK*











The Format will take a few minutes, once complete move to the next step.

*Step 2. - Preparing the USB Drive*

_*Note - The x64 bootsect.exe file will not work in an x32 environment_

Open an elevated command prompt.
_To do this; Open the Windows menu and type 'cmd' in the search box. Right click on the 'cmd' icon and select Run as Administrator'_

Type the following commands (press enter after each).

```
diskpart

list volume
```
This launches the diskpart application and lists the volume information.
From the volume list, note the USB drive's volume #


```
select volume '#'

active

exit
```
This will set the USB volume as an active partition and close diskpart.

Make sure your Vista DVD is in the drive. 'a' is the drive letter of your DVD rom and 'x' is the drive letter of your USB drive.


```
'a':

cd boot

bootsect /nt60 'x':
```
This sets the boot sector in the USB drive allowing it to boot.

This is how it should look in the command prompt. (volume info has been blacked)










*Step 3. - Copy Files*

Simply copy all files from the DVD to the thumb drive (drag and drop) and you are good to go.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I'll have to get a larger USB drive. Mine are no larger than 2GB. As for the test, it's run just over 2 hours and it says "Pass complete, no errors" at the bottom. Should I stop the test?
Thanks.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Yes, you can stop the test. I would like you to run a HDD diagnostic other than the one in the BIOS to be sure, but you aren't able to get your notebook to boot from CD/DVD. 

I guess we will have to wait until you replace the optical drive or purchase a 4GB USB drive.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Hi there. I have the USB drive. I'm working at the c prompt and when I select my USB as the volume and press enter. I type in active and press enter. Then it says "there is no partition selected. Please select a partition and try again." Should I continue or do something to select a partition?
Thanks


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

You are using Windows XP, arent you?



> This process will only work within Windows Vista or Windows 7.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I have XP on the desktop that I'm using to post to the forum and such, but I have Vista on the laptop that is not working.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Right, if you have access to a computer running Vista or 7, you will need to perform the procedure on that. The diskpart utility for XP doesn't support USB volumes.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Alright... Working from a Windows 7 computer, and I got to "cdboot' successfully. However, when I type in "bootsect /nt60 f:" it says that "bootsect" is not recognized as a command. I have the Vista Home Premium System Recovery Dvd. I opened the DVD and checked out the "Boot" folder, and the bootsect.exe is not there. Do I need a different disk altogether?
Thanks for your patience...


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I have attached the /boot directory to this reply. Download the attachment, extract to C:/. 

Just drag the /boot folder out of the archive to the C: drive, I inadvertently put the whole thing in there so it's actually /boot/boot.

Type C: to return to the C: drive,
Type cd boot to open the boot directory and run

bootsect /nt60 f:


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Alrighty... Thanks for the attachment. When I go to extract it to c:/, it says that a folder named "Boot" already exists, and do I want to merge it with the new one? I'll wait for your reply -- I don't want to mess up my husband's laptop...
Also, I was confused when you told me to just drag the /boot folder from the archive... Can you explain that a bit more, please?
Thanks again!


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

you can change the destination folder to whatever you want. Do not overwrite any files on the drive. 

Name it VBoot, you will be erasing it as soon as you are done!


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Ok. I extracted it to a VBoot folder in the c:drive. When I ran cd boot and then bootsect etc... it said that bootsect was not recognized. Can I be more specific with the file path in the c prompt? The file path is c:/Vboot/boot.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

you have to execute it from it's current directory which would be C:/Vboot/boot

all you have to do is change directory (cd)
cd vboot
cd boot

your prompt should read *C:/Vboot/boot>*
run the command *dir* should list the contents to verify bootsect.exe is there.
then execute the bootsect with the switches as stated above.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Sounds good, except my c prompt read like this:
C:\Windows\system32>
I think that's where cmd.exe is. Also, I ran the c prompt as an administrator. 
How do I get out of that path to the c:\?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Okay, to change directories in CMD, 

This will bring you back one directory.

```
cd..
```
This should bring you to the root directory. (C:>)

```
cd\
```


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Alright! That worked wonderfully! Thanks, I haven't messed with DOS commands since the 80's. 
So, my new problem is that the files on the DVD take up about 6 GB, and the my USB drive is only 4 GB. I guess I should have splurged and gotten the 8GB. 
Do I need all of the Vista folders/files listed?
BOOT (folder)
preload (folder)
SOURCES (folder)
boo.mgr
hpcd.sys
Master
SERVICE


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Apparently your DVD contains all of the OEM bloatware. We are not going to be reinstalling the OS as of yet... So, in sources, there should be an %OEM% folder, it probably contains the bulk of the extra space. Right click on it and it should show the size of the folder. You can safely delete that folder. You should also be able to delete the preload folder as well.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

In Sources, there is only a boot.wim file that is 201 MB. The preload folder is 5.59 GB. Can I just send the other folders and files excepts for "preload" to the USB drive?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Go ahead and try that. All the information needed to boot to recovery should be in the boot.wim file.

The preload folder probably contains the installation files which would usually be found in the sources folder. We don't need the installation files, but I don't know if it will work properly without them. The only way to find out is to try. 

Once the files are copied to the drive, it should boot to the Vista PE (preinstallation environment) where you should have access to the system recovery and repair menus.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I copied the everything but the Preload folder to the USB drive. When I tried booting from it in the laptop, it said that BOOTMGR is missing.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

There should be a file on the CD [bootmgr] that is 326kB in size. I noticed in the post where you outlined the the files on your disk there was a file [boo.mgr]. Is this file 326kB? If it is, create a copy and rename it [bootmgr]. Attached to this post is the [bootmgr] file from my Vista installation disc, just in case.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I copied the file and booted from the USB, but it said "Windows is loading files", I got a black screen with a cursor for a moment, then it started to load Windows (the green bars on the bottom of the screen), then it went to a blue screen with a mouse cursor. For a split second on the blue screen, a black window (like a DOS window) popped up and then disappeared. All I had time to read was: USER PARTITION'S DRIVE LETTER - C:
something....
something...
SD SDU (maybe) PARTITION NOT FOUND***


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Well, at least we know what was causing the boot manager error.

Your recovery disc is set up completely different then my OEM Vista install disc. The only thing I can think of is that HP did some serious changing to the install paths.

Here is a link to Vista recovery discs. They are not install discs, they only have the recovery tools on them. Download the .iso that matches your installation (32bit or 64bit). Once the file is downloaded, you can either burn it to disc, or use a program (that supports extracting .iso) and then copy the files to your USB drive. Just delete the files that are on your drive right now.

http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

We're in business! I'm at the install screen for Vista. What shall I do?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

There should be a "Repair Your Computer" option.

It will scan your computer to attempt to automatically repair it. 

Once that is done it should give you a list of options.

The two we are going to look at are,

Recovery Console
Restore 

The first thing you will need to do is log into the recovery console and run;

chkdsk /r


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

It's been scanning in "Repair your computer: for about 2.5 hours. Is that normal? Should I let it run all night?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

No... It shouldn't take nearly that long...


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Ok. I tried it again, and it did not find any problems. I'm now in the System Recovery Options. How do I get into the Console? I chose the Command Prompt and tried chkdsk /r, but it said that the drive is locked.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Does it say the drive is locked, or does it say the drive cannot be locked?

Startup repair wouldn't find any problems, you are having a loading problem. Possibly caused by a driver state or failed update. 

I would like you to choose the System Restore option and attempt to restore the computer to a time before you started having the issue.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

It says that the type of file system is NTFS. Cannot lock current drive. Windows cannot run disk checking on this volume because it is write protected. The path is X:\SOURCES>
Is that the problem? Is it running from my USB?
Should I just try the System Restore first?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Sorry.... try

```
chkdsk c: /r
```
 Thanks for pointing that out, I forgot to tell you to specify the drive to check. Without the specifying the chkdsk command will attempt to check the current loaded disk (in this case the thumb drive)

Cannot lock drive means that chkdsk cannot get full access to the drive because files are in use.

once again, sorry about that.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I thought it might be an issue. Chkdsk is up and running. I'll let you know what it says when it's done. Again, thanks so much for your help. I truly appreciate it.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Absolutely no problem! I am happy to be of assistance!


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Ok. It's done. 
Quote:
Windows has made corrections to the file system. 
236693645 KB total disk space. 
93472364 KB in 167340 files.
92940 KB in 28193 indexes. 
0 KB in bad sectors.
320033 KB in use by the system. 
65536 KB occupied by the log file. 
142808308 KB available on disk. 

4096 bytes in each allocation unit. 
59173411 total allocation units on disk.
35702077 allocation units available on disk.
Failed to transfer logged messages to the even log with status 50. 

What next?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Since Windows found filesystem errors and corrected them, the next step would be to attempt to boot into Windows.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Should I do that without the USB drive? Just a normal boot?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Yes, boot into Windows, not the USB.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I tried to boot into Windows and I got a black screen that said 
Quote:
Edit Windows boot options for: WINPE RAMDISK

Path: \Windows\System32\Boot\Winload.exe
[/No Execture=OPTIN \DETECTHAL \MININT RDIMAGEOFFSET=8192 RDIMAGELENGTH=31 61088 RDPATH=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)rdisk\SOURCES\BOOT.WIM

I tried to boot again, and I got the screen that said Windows failed to start normally. It went to Startup Repair. Then I got the blue screen with the mouse arrow. 

I tried booting again and for the same failed to start screen. I chose Start Windows normally. Now it's hanging on a blank, black screen.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Wow, seems like your OS is a mess right now.

Boot back into the USB and select the system restore option from the repair menu. Restore back to the most recent restore point.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

System Restore has been running for over an hour. Is that typical? How long should I let it run? If it doesn't work, what should I try doing next?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

No, it is not typical. Let it run... If you stop in the middle of a system restore, you can break the OS. Not that it isn't broken already.

Check the laptop to see if it is warm. Also, do you have any HDD activity on the HDD indicator?


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I just checked my laptop and it shut itself off. Hmm. Should I try System Restore again?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Hmmm... It shut itself off, does it feel warm to the touch (underneath)?

First attempt to boot into Windows.

Make sure the computer is on a hard even surface, when the fan kicks to high, feel the vent at the back and see if you can feel the air flow.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Well, I discovered that the power cord has a spot where the wires were exposed. When the cord was jiggled, the laptop loses power -- my battery is shot, too. I don't want to buy a new cord until I figure out if the laptop is worth keeping around. So, I've got the cord taped up for the time being, and I restarted System Restore. It's been running for about 13 hours. What should I do about the System Restore? I don't want to interrupt it, but this seems like a very long time...
Also, the laptop does get warm to the touch, but I can feel air flow from the fan.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Stop the restore and attempt a restore from a different point.

I am thinking there is some other hardware issue at work here.

I just scanned the entire thread and realized we didn't run any diagnostics.

If you have items that need to be backed up from the computer, I suggest getting an external enclosure or a SATA/PATA USB adapter so you can back up all of your information.

If the laptop has a SATA drive and your Desktop has SATA you could just install it in the desktop to transfer the information as well.

You can d/l the ultimate boot CD http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html

Here is the easiest way to install it to USB
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/install-and-boot-ultimate-boot-cd-ubcd-from-a-usb-device/

The UBCD contains every diagnostic tool you will need in a bootable format, so you won't need to download over and over again.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Carbonite backed up all of the possible files it could. I created the UBC USB drive and started it up. There's a ton of tools. Should I just start at the top and work my way down?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

No, you are going to start with the Hard drive.

Under the Hard Drive menu choose Diagnostics
Then choose the Diagnostic from your HDD manufacturer.
If you don't know it off hand, run Drive Fitness Test from Hitachi.
The program will display the drive ID, if you post the drive ID, I can tell you the manufacturer.
Run the quick test. If it passes, we will use your HDD manuf tool to do the advanced test.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I have a Seagate HDD. Should i run the text version (DOS v 1.1) or the GUI (DOS 2.2) version of the test?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Run 2.2 first. If it freezes or doesn't recognize your drive, run 1.1


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I think it's done. It says Device Scan Complete. Should it tell me any important info? If that test is all set, what next?


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Should I do the Long Test or Acoustic Test?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

The device scan is just to load the devices, you need to select the drive from the list and run the Basic Test first.

EDIT:
Do the short test first. If it passes the first test, then run the long test.
Save the acoustic test for last.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

It passed both the short and long test, but the acoustic test doesn't seem to run the same way. It says that it's idle, and says for me to click done for the disk to start spinning. I click done, but then the test doesn't appear to do anything. The test progress says idle, and there is nothing about it in the log.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

That is fine, if the HDD failed to spin up it would have errored.

Next step is to verify the memory. 

Under Memory, run Memtest86+
If possible, run it on one DIMM (stick) at a time.
This requires you to physically pull one of the DIMMs and run Memtest for 2 hours, then swap the DIMMs and run it for another 2 hours.

Post back with the results.

-GZ


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Now I know how to remove the DIMM... That was new. 
I ran the memory test on each DIMM, and they both passed with no errors. What next?


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## eliang (Apr 11, 2009)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Hey guys....
make this a sticky, guys well done, at the same time, i think ur hard drive is shot and u need to open up ur laptop and make sure ur vent for the fan is clean.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

How do I check the vent for my fan? Do I take the bottom of the case off? Or do I just blow some duster around in there?
Also, I just replaced my HDD in January. What could cause it to fail so quickly?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*



chispaluz said:


> How do I check the vent for my fan? Do I take the bottom of the case off? Or do I just blow some duster around in there?
> Also, I just replaced my HDD in January. What could cause it to fail so quickly?


Don't worry about the HDD, we just tested it a few posts ago! :smile:

The next step would be to check to make sure the laptop is not overheating.

When it was running, did the laptop feel unusually warm to you? 

If you want to clean out your vents, the best way, for now, is to blow the vents out with a can of air. Be careful not to tip the can, it can release the propellant which can damage your computer.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

It didn't feel unusually warm to me, but I can run to the store tomorrow and pick up some air and try blowing out the vents. With 2 cats and 2 dogs, I'm sure it won't hurt. Is there anything else I can do in the meantime?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

If you don't mind, I would like to take a look at the directory structure of your restore media.

I am not sure if I asked you this before or not but, is the restore disc a factory O.S. disc (from HP) or is it one that you made from Windows? I would assume it is from HP, because it contains more than 4.7GB (unless it is Dual Layer).

So I can see what the DVD directory structure looks like, open a command prompt and paste the following command. Make sure the DVD is in the drive and change the X to the DVD Rom's drive designation. (e.g. If DVD rom is D:, change the X to D). It will open a notepad with the info on it. Just save it and attach it to your reply.

```
tree   X: /f /a > %temp%\1 & start notepad %temp%\1
```


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

It's a factory OS disk from HP. 
Here's the directory...


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

That is what I thought, it is a proprietary image of vista that is set up for your computer alone. Basically the same thing they have installed in the service partition of your HDD. It is not a standard Vista install disc, hence the reason it was not working from USB.

I am still not sure why your multi drive wasn't able to boot the disc. 

I would like you to try something, if you don't mind.
I would like you to remove the optical drive from the laptop.
Instructions are found on page 60 of the link below.
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01120535.pdf

Disconnect the power and remove the battery before you remove the DVD drive.
When you get the optical drive out, I would like you to re-connect the power, attach your Toshiba Multi Drive, and attempt to boot to your DVD (internal drive removed).


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I removed the optical drive and tried booting to the Multi-Drive, but it did not work. I made sure that both usb leads were plugged in to the laptop, and the CD was in the drive. I tried to set the boot order to have the USB floppy drive boot first, but it opened to the the "Windows did not start normally screen". Looks like it's only trying to boot from the hard drive.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Go into the BIOS and under boot order, check to make sure the optical drive is set to boot first. It may be named (USB - CD/DVD or Optical Drive on USB) There are a bunch of them. The CD will not be recognized as a USB floppy.

Does your laptop have a BBS (BIOS Boot Selection) menu? It would usually be activated by pressing another key other than the "Enter Setup" key. Common ones are; esc, del, f10, f9...


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I've gone into the BIOS before to change the Boot Options -> Boot Order. The only options are:
USB Floppy
USB Diskette on Key
ATAPI CD/DVD ROM Drive
USB Hard DRive
Notebook Hard Drive
!Network Adapter (not enabled)

There is no USB Dvd Drive. What order should I specify?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Now that the internal CD/DVD ROM is removed, put that on top.

I find it hard to believe that your computer supports booting from USB Drive, But not USB CDROM

Also, Is there a "Boot Device Priority" Menu?

And the reason I asked about the BBS (separate from BIOS setup) is because, it will usually list all bootable devices installed on the computer.

EDIT:

Is there an option in your BIOS to "Enable Boot Menu"?
If so, enable it, and press f12 at the BIOS splash screen.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

The CD/DVD ROM is on top. at the splash screen, I do not see a "Boot Device Priority" Menu, but I press F9 to get to Boot Device Selection. In there, the only boot device listed is the Notebook Hard Drive. 
I did not see an option in my BIOS to Enable Boot Menu. 
Any thoughts?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Well, I am not sure what happened to your Vista install, but we are having one heck of a time, aren't we?

Just to go over what we have done (not in order)

Verified the memory (twice)
Verified the HDD (once from BIOS, once from SeaTools)
Ran Chkdsk found filesystem errors and corrected them.
Attempted to run "Repair your computer" but failed.
Attempted to "Restore" your computer to an earlier date, but failed.
Attempted and re-attempted to boot to your HP recovery CD -numerous ways and failed.

This is turning out to be a bit of a crick-in-the-ol'-neck, isn't it?

Couple more things...

I want to try and boot to your recovery DVD one more time... Reinstall the internal optical drive, make sure it is firmly seated. Open the drive up and use a cotton swab that is lightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol to clean the laser lens. Give the alcohol a few minutes to fully evaporate.

Put the DVD in the drive, turn on your computer and press F9 for the BBS menu. Select the DVD rom and press enter.

If it doesn't boot, then you are going to have to find a replacement drive. Luckily, they aren't expensive. 

We need to be able to boot to the HP restore disc. 

Do you have all important information from the HDD backed up?

I am sorry that this problem doesn't have an easy solution and I thank you for your patience. I am sure, that we can get your laptop running again.

-GZ


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

That about sums it all up! 
I will pick up some rubbing alcohol tomorrow and clean up the the optical drive. 
As for my HDD, I have all of my non-exec files backed up on Carbonite. I couldn't figure out how to back up my program files. But I can reinstall all the programs that I have at the moment. 
Thanks for your patience as well. I'll get back to you tomorrow on the status of the optical drive and the recovery CD. 
Thanks!


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

No problem, I will keep my eye out for your reply.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Ok, I blew out the fan vents. I cleaned the lens in the optical drive and I replaced it carefully. I put the HP Recovery disk back in and tried booting. The optical drive was whirring away, and the Windows is Loading Files message came on. After a few minutes, a black screen with a flashing cursor appeared. After that the Microsoft Windows green bar came on. Then I had a small DOS type message pop up very quickly:
"SHOW DEVICE MESSAGE IF EXIST
... DETERMINING USER PARTITION'S DRIVE LETTER"
Then it flashes back to the blue screen with the arrow cursor. 
I thought it was going to work! Crud. The optical drive really seemed to be whirring away and trying to boot from the DVD, so I think that it is not the defective issue. 
Any ideas?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Remove the hard drive and boot to the DVD. It should load without a hard drive in. That will tell us for sure if the DVD drive is working properly.

You should also attempt to boot from another bootable media, like the Carrona diagnostic you mentioned in post one.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I tried booting from the HP Recovery DVD without the hard drive. It loaded files, the Windows screen with the yellow/green bar came on, and then the computer abruptly turned off. Two times. 

I'm going to try out the Carrona Diagnostic now.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

The Carrona Memory Test is running, but it's exactly like the Memtest 86+ that I already ran on each DIMM. Should I continue running it for a couple of hours?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Yeah... 

Well, now we know for a fact that your DVD is booting. Must have been a dirty lens all along!

Keep tabs on how warm the laptop feels while it is running the memory test. If it shuts off, note if it feels warmer than usual. 

Since you have your stuff backed up from your HDD and you don't have to worry about the recovery partition, you should wipe your hdd. You can use SeaTools to write zeros to the drive. Then attempt to re-install Windows on the wiped drive.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I'll keep tabs on the heat situation. How long should I run the memtest for? 
Also, could you please explain in more detail how to write zeros to the hard drive with SeaTools?
Thanks!


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Zero write for the HDD is under advanced tools in the GUI versions menu. In the text version the command is Z to erase the drive.

This link should help you if you can't figure it out.
http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=201271


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Ok. So I just double-checked my HDD and it's not SeaGate, it's Western Digital. My previous HDD was a SeaGate. Is that a problem? The HDD test that we ran before was for aSeaGate HDD. If not, what program can I use to write zeros? The "Write" tools were not available in the SeaGate program under the Advanced Menu.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

In the HDD menu on UBCD, there is WDDIAG, that is the Western Digital diagnostic program. The drive tests and the advanced tests are tailored for WD drives.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I don't see WDDIAG. There are 2 other tests listed with Western Digital in parentheses: DLG Diagnostic, but when I tried running them, they said that they were missing a file: "dlgdiag4.bat"
Any other ideas?
Thanks!


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Sorry about that, I was thinking of the file that runs. DLG stands for Data LifeGuard...

Run Drive Fitness Test to make sure your drive isn't showing errors.

Then go back to the Hard drive menu and under wiping, is a program [email protected]

Use that to wipe your drive.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Thanks! There are a few choices under Drive Fitness Test:
1. for Adaptec
2. for LSI 320 Controller
3. for Tekram & symbios Controllers
4. for ATTO 320 Controller

Which one?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Just let it load to the DFT and choose ATA only. You don't need SCSI support.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Alright. The HDD passed the quick and advanced tests. I tried to use KillDisk (I chose Option 1 and then Option 2), but it keep saying that it's missing killdisk.bat (check CD). Is there another program that will do the job instead?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

I am trying to figure out why the programs aren't loading properly. You can use any of the utilities under Disk Wiping. I usually use the manufacture tool or Killdisk. I heard boot-n nuke was good, but never actually used it.


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## eliang (Apr 11, 2009)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Hi Guys,
As i understand it its an hp laptop, does ur power adapter come with a larger outside connector (ground) and a thin center pin? (sense)because if the center pin (sense) is not connected , ie broken ... ur laptop will only try and boot , it wont boot. i found out the hard way , aweek ago i got a hp pavilion
for repairs and the connector was broken inside but i did not know that hp made them with this center pin as the sensor ithought only dell and all the problem are identical to urs, so i cut the connector plastic cover open and the cable for the adapter and found out it had a third wire,a thin green lead inside the white positive lead, so i resoldered and heat shrink all connection and all the issues went away....look into this. please advise.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Alright. I wrote zeros over the HDD and reinstalled Vista. So far, so good. Thanks so much for all of your help! Hopefully I'll have no more issues. Any idea of how to avoid future HDD failure?
Thanks again!


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Unfortunately, if the drive is going to fail, it is going to fail... Keep your laptop clean and cool, and be sure to perform regular maintenance.

Let us know if you still have any problems with the power.


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## chispaluz (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Vista Blue Screen with Mouse Arrow*

Good to know. Thanks again!


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