Windows 7 wont boot up, black screen with blinking cursor..

Why is my screen black when I start Windows 7?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/why-is-my-screen-black-when-i-start-windows-7

References to Vista also apply to Windows 7.

Saving any needed data and re-installing Windows 7 might be the best option though here are a
few others.

You can save your files by putting the drive in another computer or an external drive case and then
backing them up. Do so using several methods in a redundant manner. Of course a real computer
shop or your System maker can help recover the files.

Or you could use an Ubuntu boot CD to back up the data.

Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/use-ubuntu-live-cd-to-backup-files-from-your-dead-windows-computer

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Can you access Safe Mode? Repeatedly tap F8 as you boot? If so you can try Control Panel
- Device Manager - Display Adapter - Double Click on - Driver tab - click UPDATE driver -
then Right Click on Device and UNINSTALL - REBOOT.

A method to try to access the desktop (try in both regular Windows and Safe Mode) is to CTRL +
ALT + DEL - Task Manager and on Process Tab find EXPLORER.exe and END PROCESS on it - then
on Applications Tab - lower right - New Task - type in EXPLORER.exe. Safe Mode is reached by
repeatedly tapping F8 as you boot up. CTRL + SHIFT + ESC also starts Task Manager.

First check this thread in case its a simple one and if not come back to this thread.

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vistaprograms/thread/50247d5e-0ae0-446c-a1bd-11287fd1478a

Black screen issues are extremely tough to repair and any fix is usually on a hit or miss
basis. That there is no information on a black screen like there is on a blue screen just
adds to the difficulty. Often using a restore point nor startup repair will have any effect.

You can try a google to see suggested repairs some of which have worked however these
cover a wide field of efforts.

Here is a video of one fix.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=black+screen+of+death+vista&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g1

Here is another fix
http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2008/12/the_mysterious_black_screen_of.php

Do you have a Window 7 Disk? You can try System Restore from it. If you do not have the
disks your system maker will sell them cheap. Or try from Safe Mode if you can get
there.

How to Do a System Restore in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html

You can create a Recovery Disk or use someone else's same version (to do the System Restore
it only has to be bootable).

How to Create a Windows 7 System Repair Disc
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2083-system-repair-disc-create.html

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These require the correct Windows 7 Disks (especially if you can't boot into Safe Mode.)

Try Startup Repair -

What are the system recovery options in Windows 7?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/What-are-the-system-recovery-options-in-Windows-7

How to Boot to the System Recovery Options in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html

Try StartUp Repair from Recovery Options or a Windows 7 boot disk

How to Run a Startup Repair in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html

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Here are Google searches where several have found different solutions :

Vista Black Screen - check this one 1st
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=vista+black+screen&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10

Vista Black Screen Solution
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=vista+black+screen+solution&aq=f&oq=&aqi

Vista Black Screen Fix
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=vista+black+screen+fix&aq=f&oq=&aqi

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If needed and you can access regular Windows at all.

If nothing works you can do a repair installation.

How to Boot to the System Recovery Options in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html

How to Do a Repair Install to Fix Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html

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Another method that sometimes works : In the Command Prompt of a Windows 7 boot disk type :
(type one line or copy and paste one line at a time and then hit enter - do not type
parenthesis or BOLD)

c:

cd\

cd c:\Windows\System32\winevt        (there is a space between cd and C: )

ren Logs LogsOLD                             (there are spaces between ren and Logs and Logsold) 

REBOOT to Windows

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These help is some cases :

There are backups in the C:\Windows\System32\Config\Regback folder.

Use these methods to replace the registry with a backup.

Boot with a Windows 7 disk. Both of the below accomplish restoring
a registry backup.

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP
from starting ( Vista and Windows 7 also using the manual instructions)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545/

Check this thread - you can use the Command Prompt of a boot disk or Recovery.
(This is Vista and Windows 7 is the same)

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itprovistasetup/thread/55f98088-0fc3-4371-a005-d95a457d9de6

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How to Boot to the System Recovery Options in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html

What are the system recovery options in Windows 7?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/What-are-the-system-recovery-options-in-Windows-7

If you need to make repair disks - these help repair Windows not re-install.
Often a Repair Disk will help when the Recovery Disk does not - Use OPTION 2 to
make the disk.

How to Create a Windows 7 System Repair Disc
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2083-system-repair-disc-create.html

Hope this helps.

Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle - Mark Twain said it right.