some tech support? Windows 8.1 black screen. cant do safe mode.

[osiris777]

last weekend i was updating my laptop [Dell Inspiron 7720] everything seemed to be going fine until it was time to restart.
it did the usual display dell logo on a black screen with the spinning loading dots then almost nothing. plain black screen with very quick flashes of a small white wifi symbol in the bottom left of screen and also a quick flashes of a small "ENG" in the bottom right of screen.
this is very unusual obviously.
i have tried 3 different restore points. the last one from days before these updates.
and it wont boot to safe mode either, just does the same thing i am describing.
has anyone encountered this before? or any suggestions on whats the cause?
i think one of the updates was for the intel graphics drivers. this laptop has dual graphics. the intel for basic display and an nvidia for gaming, or heavy graphics.
i am able to remove the hard drive and connect it via cable to my desktop pc if any editing needs to be done.
i have also noticed the mouse pointer shows up and moves when i try the track pad while the flickering is going on.

[jwoegerbauer]

How could you manage to load "System Restore Points", as you said you have done. Can you open "Advanced Startup Options"? Safe Mode in Windows 8.x is accessible from the Startup Settings menu, itself found on the "Advanced Startup Options" menu. So the first thing to do is to open the "Advanced Startup Options" menu.

If you have modern PC with a UEFI BIOS and a fast SSD drive, there's no way you can interrupt the boot procedure with your keypresses:
Windows 8.x has a problem – it really can boot up too quickly. So quickly, in fact, that there is no longer time for anything to interrupt boot. When you turn on a Windows 8.x PC, there's no longer long enough to detect keystrokes like F2 or F8, much less time to read a message such as "Press F2 for Setup." For the first time in decades, you will no longer be able to interrupt boot and tell your PC to do anything different than what it was already expecting to do.

What surprises me is the fact that Windows 8.x hasn't shown you the "Boot Options Menu"

because this is automatically done if Windows 8.x detects the startup of Windows (boot process) has several times failed.

EDIT:

If your Windows 8.1 computer's actual state is a black screen of nothingness, this is what

If you've just upgraded your Windows 8 (non RT) device to Windows 8.1 and suddenly upon reboot you're facing a quietly humming computer with a black screen of nothingness....don't panic. You've probably just got Master Boot Record issues. This can be a fairly easy fix, particularly if you've already created a Windows 8.1 Recovery disk. If not, you'll need to use your bootable install media for Windows 8.1 or find a working Windows 8.1 device and create a recovery disk.

[Philquad]

i encounter this all the time
sad part is until you throw a new copy of windows on it, you wont really know if its software or hardware
personally, id take the hdd out, backup what you want
then you can put a new copy of windows on the same partition ( putting the old 1 in a folder in c drive called " windows old" all old docs will be there
or format that partition by deleting it, & the system reserved bit
& start fresh, yea it takes 2-3 hours to get it all together but then it should be right, unless it is hardware which you will know
download all drivers needed 1st for laptop, put on usb stick, wink

[Seymour Butts]

Happened to me just 15 mins ago.
Updating to 8.1, got to 90% and just sat there.
Not a problem said the update prog, we'll just restore to the start point.
I said OK, but it didn't restore to today, the desktop that came back was date stamped the 19th - 2 days ago
As my system boots off a 250Gb SSD I keep a Clonzilla image on my D drive
A restore to my original installation is a simple 10 minute job

[jwoegerbauer]

As my system boots off a 250Gb SSD I keep a Clonzilla image on my D drive
A restore to my original installation is a simple 10 minute job

Yes, prudent Windows users do so, before they make changes to their running system.

[jwoegerbauer]

yea it takes 2-3 hours to get it all together but then it should be right, unless it is hardware which you will know
download all drivers needed 1st for laptop, put on usb stick, wink

IF PC/LAPTOP CAME WITH A RECOVERY-PARTITION, and you can access your Windows PC/Laptop for example via , then it only takes less than an hour to revert to Windows 8 version that initially was installed. No need to search for drivers etc.pp. The recovery-partition is hidden and contains the main part of the setup DVD of Windows 8 - the file "install.wim". How to make the recovery-partition visible I've described . The Windows 8.1 upgrade did NOT update contents of Windows 8 recovery-partition. So you only have to create your bootable Windows 8 media using the file "install.wim" provided by OEM. Important: Be sure to save as a precaution the activation key of your PC/laptop with the tool. This utility allows you to backup the activation key to USB-Stick or HDD for the case of need to restore.

[osiris777]

"How could you manage to load "System Restore Points", as you said you have done"
yes i can get those options in your screenshot and as i said ive tried safe mode but it still does the exact same thing i have described.
and its had 8.1 for a while, so that upgrade wasnt the issue.
and i know i should be able to do a full system restore but im trying to avoid it.

[Mysterex]

"How could you manage to load "System Restore Points", as you said you have done"

on the choose an option screen

click Troubleshoot Option - click Advanced Options - click System Restore

[WhiteOx]

He's trying to avoid doing that.

i know i should be able to do a full system restore but im trying to avoid it.

[Mysterex]

He's trying to avoid doing that.

System Restore is available from the Advanced options screen and says Use a restore point recorded on your PC to restore Windows.

The System Restore option starts System Restore, the same time-machine-like "undo" tool you may have used or seen from within Windows.

A huge advantage of having the ability to use System Restore from the Advanced Startup Options menu is that you're doing so from outside of Windows 8.

For example, if you suspect some driver or registry issue is preventing Windows 8 from starting properly, but find yourself in the unfortunate situation of not being able to start Windows to then start System Restore, this option becomes very valuable.

[osiris777]

i think it was the system refresh? option i used. it saved all my documents [which is obviously the main thing here] but i guess its kind of a new windows install, now the process of updating.
i did look for a solution for a week but didnt really come across anything to perfectly fix my problem.
anyway, its done and cant be undone.

and as i said in the very first post, i tried 3 different system restore points before even asking anything online.

[Tiny]

let us know how the system refresh goes, I haven't had to use that yet, however would be very interested to see if all your files are still there.
I guess user added programs will need reinstalling.

[jwoegerbauer]

A huge advantage of having the ability to use System Restore from the Advanced Startup Options menu is that you're doing so from outside of Windows 8.

Advanced Startup Options menu is accessible both from inside and from outside Windows 8.x.

I suspect OP could/can access Advanced Startup Options menu "from inside Windows 8.x", but he didn't clarify this.

If it comes to access Advanced Startup Options menu "from outside of Windows 8" - means nothing else than from inside another copy of Windows 8.x, then of course always the presence of a Windows 8.x installation media (Setup DVD, etc,pp) is needed. It appears to be undisputed that most PC/laptop nowadays come with Windows 8.x pre-installed, so in common you don't have a Windows 8.x installation media (original Setup DVD, self-made Recovery DVD, etc,pp) present.

[jwoegerbauer]

let us know how the system refresh goes, I haven't had to use that yet, however would be very interested to see if all your files are still there.
I guess user added programs will need reinstalling.

If OP selects System Restore only computer's system files to an earlier point in time are restored. It's the way to undo system changes to one's computer without affecting the personal files, such as e-mail, documents, or photos.

[Tiny]

Hey Jwoey, please note my comment is about System refresh not System restore.

Language translation difficulties aside.
Check your facts. The OP has done System Refresh.

Refresh, you may recall, is the Windows 8 revitalization procedure that preserves the user's data and settings but re-installs Windows underneath. (Reset is the other option, which wipes out the PC and returns it to the same state it was in when you bought it.) Microsoft advises that Windows 8 customers run a Refresh under the same circumstances that Windows 7 users might run a System Restore -- that is, when your system suddenly falls over or starts behaving absurdly.

System Restore rolls back Registry settings and some system files to an earlier state. Refresh works completely differently. As Desmond Lee explains in a , "Refresh functionality is fundamentally still a reinstall of Windows ... but your data, settings, and Metro style apps are preserved." When performing a Refresh, your PC boots into Windows Recovery Environment, which sets aside user data, settings, and Metro apps, re-installs Windows, then brings back the user data, settings, and Metro apps.
The really cool part about Refresh is that you can take a snapshot of a system, after all the major legacy apps are installed and configured, and use that snapshot as the Refresh baseline. Run a Refresh, feed it the snapshot, and the system is restored to its original, pristine state, with all apps -- including legacy apps -- up and ready to run, and all user data intact.

Win8 System Refresh
If your PC isn't performing as well as it once did, and you don't know why, you can refresh your PC without deleting any of your personal files or changing your settings.
Note

• If you upgraded your PC from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 and your PC has a Windows 8 recovery partition, refreshing your PC will restore Windows 8. You’ll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 after the refresh has finished.

Warning

• Apps you installed from websites and DVDs will be removed. Apps that came with your PC and apps you installed from the Windows Store will be reinstalled. Windows puts a list of removed apps on your desktop after refreshing your PC.

To refresh your PC

• Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
  (If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)
  
• Tap or click Update and recovery, and then tap or click Recovery.
  
• Under Refresh your PC without affecting your files, tap or click Get started.
  
• Follow the instructions on the screen.

[osiris777]

yes Tiny this is exactly what i did and what happened. all files are still there all programs are gone. it went back to 8, just upgraded to 8.1 again.

the biggest pain in the ass was that i was halfway through Wolfenstein, wonder if my save game files are still there.

[Philquad]

game saves live in my docs dont they? normally
should be there

[osiris777]

yea, looked up where they are. still there.
just have to reinstall.

[allover]

My computer crashed Wednesday night, if only this thread had started at this time, but found this on the net and am just about to backup/image my system

[Tiny]

My computer crashed Wednesday night, if only this thread had started at this time, but found this on the net and am just about to backup/image my system

A little too late for you allover, however there is a couple of threads in this forum that detail that procedure.

I regularly do a system image & a separate backup of my files using the Win7 file recovery tool.(hidden away in Win8/8.1)

Tip 1: do a virus scan & malware scan before making the image or backup.

Tip 2: While you are there make a Win 8 System repair disc as well, very handy to boot to if your HDD fails. Gives you the Win8/7 recovery program on bootable disc with essential drivers. So you can use it if you can't find or don't have a Windows Install disc to start the recovery process.

Windows 8 allows administrators to prepare a system repair disc that helps them repair a Windows 8 computer in case it fails to start or behaves obnoxiously. To create a Windows 8 system repair disc, insert a blank DVD into the DVD drive to start.

Although all system repair tasks can be performed by inserting Windows 8 bootable installation media in the DVD drive and performing system repair steps, a system repair disc contains precise information and files that are required to repair a corrupt Windows 8 system. With the help of Windows 8 system repair disc, even non-technical users can bring a Windows 8 computer up if it fails to perform as expected.

Creation process of a system repair disc in Windows 8 requires elevated privileges, which means that in order to create a system repair disc, administrator account must be used to log on to the computer. Once system repair disc is created, the computer must be started using the DVD, and on-screen instructions must be followed to repair the system and bring it back.

How to Create a System Repair Disc?

To create a system repair disc for a Windows 8 computer, step-by-step instructions given below must be followed:

• Log on to Windows 8 computer with the administrator account system repair disc of which is to be created.
• Click Desktop tile from the Start screen to go to the desktop window.
• Once on the desktop screen, hover mouse to the bottom right corner of the window.
• From the displayed options, click Settings.
• From the Settings pane in the right, click Control Panel.
• On the opened Control Panel window, click System and Security.
• From System and Security window, click File History from the right pane.
• On File History window, click Windows 7 File Recovery from the bottom of the left pane.
• On Windows 7 File Recovery window, click Create a system repair disc from the left pane.
• On Create a system repair disc box, from Drive drop-down list, choose the appropriate optical media drive into which a blank DVD disc is inserted.
• Once selected, click Create disc to start the burning process of system repair disc.
  
  
• Once burning process of system repair disc completed successfully, click OK.
• Close all the opened windows when done.