Windows Vista Vista turns on but doesn't start [Hangs at HP splash screen]

this happened after an HP update for my vista. after installing updates, the computer rebooted itself but locked up during the restart at this screen in the beginning:
[IMG=http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/4484/whyvistaff0.th.jpg]

the keyboard doesn't respond so i can't hit F10 and such.
i don't know how much help i can get here but i hope it works out

thanks in advance!

 

no that doesn't work...the keyboard doesn't seem to be linked with the computer
and i've tried with many other keyboards too, they don't work either

 

i know it's going to be a little hard to solve...

i'm not sure what the update was but my computer is a HP M8210N with Vista preloaded onto it

 

You might try tapping the F10 key before it gets to the "lock-up" stage. Start tapping as soon as the screen changes from black.

You can try holding down a key from when you press the power button, that should throw you to Setup (the BIOS) with an error message.

In the BIOS, select (restore) Setup Defaults. If it is still the same, look for any added hardware (printers, external drives and even PCI cards you may have installed), disconnect them and try Setup Defaults again.

Matt

 

thank you for your help guys, but i think i'm going to bring my computer to a repair shop and get it fixed there. nothing seems to be working.

appreciated the help

 

Good luck.

If it is still under warranty (12 months?) look up your nearest HP repairer and take it there.
www.hp.com/support
Follow the links to contacting local repairers.

Matt

 

i heard from another source that i could take out the battery from the motherboard for a few minutes. would that help?

 

Hi Imprttunrz,

First off, thanks for confirming that it was HP Update that killed my computer on Saturday. Next off, here's how I fixed it:

I had the same symptoms as you after installing the update and rebooting. I gave the computer an ATX (hard) reset (unplugged it from the mains and held the power button in for 30 seconds).

That got me past the HP splash screen and into boot up menu. Windows was aware that it had failed to start and suggested booting in safe mode - I booted in normal mode and Windows took an age while trying to load. After about 15 minutes I got bored with that and restarted the computer.

This time it rebooted to the recovery console and told me that there was a problem and offered to fix it. I allowed it to try and around 5 minutes later it told me that it might have to load a recent backup and asked for my permission, which I gave. 30 minutes later I was back in Windows.

There are still some issues with the bootup sequence, I think I may have to reload Windows in the very near future as things still aren't quite right (AV and Sidebar are taking an age to load).

I hope this helps.

 

thanks for your suggestion. i haven't gotten it repaired yet so i may try this out.
one question: was any of your data ever wiped out or anything during the recovery console and while fixing it?

 

You should try clearing CMOS.

If that fails, you need to contact HP for repairs, as probably the update you're referring to was a BIOS update, and it got somehow corrupted.

 

No data was lost. The backup was a recent one, I had to reinstall an FTP client that I'd installed the day before and the HP Update was removed and offered to reinstall itself (which I declined).

You may be interested to know that HP don't consider this to be an issue. Go figure.

 

imprttunrz, be ready for any eventuality! As you seem to be wary of, a complete "reimage" of your system might be needed if Windows gets "jammed" (or your HDD fails). Get a backup system organised. Imagine your HDD has failed, what will you do? I have my data backed-up, so I don't mind doing a new install of Windows and adding back my data.

Windows works better "fresh ", some people format and reinstall on a regular basis. Vista might be able to hold-on longer than previous versions and give you a false sense of security. If you have all your data on one HDD and that fails, it is gone.

Be prepared.

Matt

 

i do have back-ups. i was just asking so i won't have to copy everything i have into the fixed vista

the ATX reset did no help. i still haven't gotten around to fixing my computer. too busy these last few days...

 

That's great. This sort of "grass roots" work can always end up in an unexpected failure. Good luck with it.

Matt