Can't Boot Up, Please Help Quickly

My laptop ( an MSI MS-1683 with Windows 7 Home Premium) won't start windows and I can't figure out why. I THINK it's a hardware problem, as it will do one of two things:

1. It will start up, the fan will start, the power light will be on and the light under the touch pad with a Moon symbol will be on, but the screen won't turn on. However, if I shake it a little (after turning it off) or give it a few taps, it will:

2. Start up normally, showing the MSI startup screen, then a screen with a blinking underscore, then it will go to a plain black screen and stops there. I can tell the screen is still on, but it will stay on this black screen and not do anything else, even if left there for hours. In this case, the Moon symbol light will be on solid, the light with the cylinder symbol will blink at times before it gets to the black screen, and when if first starts up, the light with the two arrows going in opposite directions and the light with the capital A (caps lock) will light up once each (simultaneously) then turn off. The power light also stays on the whole time.

The last time I turned my computer on before it started doing this, it had a warning about a fatal error that I didn't read completely because I thought it was the screen that shows up when Windows isn't shut down properly, as I wasn't looking at the screen, but the person I was talking to at the time.

I have tried with and without the battery, with it plugged in and without it plugged in, and I just can't get it to start up correctly. Like I said, I THINK it's a hardware problem, as I've had some minor hardware issues since I purchased the computer, but nothing that seemed of extreme importance.

If you could help me as quickly as possible it would be greatly appreciated. The next two weeks are my final exams at my University and my notes are all saved on my computer and my Digital class final project is as well.

Please Help! I'm willing to do anythig that won't erase my data, as that is the most important part of my computer right now since I have to upgrade to a Mac before next school year. If my computer is compltely hopeless, if you can offer a way for me to save the hard drive and it's information, that would be life saving.

Thanks for any advice or input you can give!

 

This is a temporary solution to getting your data. I like Puppy linux because of the small download. You will also need a flash drive or external hard drive. Download Puppy and burn the iso file with something like Imgburn. Then, boot the Puppy Cd and copy (do not move) your data files to the flash key or external hard drive using the file manager of Puppy. You should see your hard drive on the desktop. Just click that. You may have to change the boot order in BIOS.

Have you tried booting in safe mode?

Edit: If this is a hardware issue that involves the screen, Puppy will of course not work for you.

 

I dont have the option to boot in safe mode that I know of. How would I go about that? It doesn't act like my computer has been shut down improperly when I start it up, unless it just doesn't have a chance to get to that screen.

Thanks for the fix to the data recovery, though! That may just be a life saver

 

I tried the F8 thing and it did absolutely nothing to change the normal process of what it has been doing.

My options on the MSI screen that it goes to first are:

Press DEL key to run Setup
Press F11 key to run Boot Menu
Press TAB key to show POST screen
Press F3 key to run Recovery


Note that the recovery option is MSI's recovery system which will erase all of my data, making it worthless until I can get all of my data that I want off of my computer. I'm going to try the Puppy Linux idea in a few minutes, so if that works I might be able to try the MSI recovery.

I'll also try that Microsoft Virus thing, but I doubt it's a virus, as I always have Avast running and if I notice any sort of strange activity from my computer, I also have Malwarebyte's that I update and run a full scan with. Then, if I still feel like there is something wrong, I run a boot-time scan with Avast. I bought this computer in the fall of 2010 and I ran a boot-time scan about a month or two ago, so I don't think it's a virus, but I won't rule it out.

 

I made sure my boot up process would run anything in my Disk Drive first, and it just made my laptop linger at the "blinking underscore screen" longer, then went to the black screen that does nothing. I even went as far as hitting F11 and selecting the disk drive there and the same thing happened. However, I am using one of the school's Mac computers (which I am wildly unfamiliar with) so I may have burned the disk wrong. I couldn't install Imgburn since it's a Mac, but I put all of the files from the Puppy Linux download on the disk using Finder. Is that the correct way to do this?

An Update:

Using the F11 option causes the computer to shut down after about 20 seconds of the plain black screen.

 

Have you tried to reseat the ram modules and harddrive, as you have said that youcan get it to work sometimes by shaking or tapping it, it also may only be that it is your screen has failed try hooking up an external monitor, if you have a flashlight/torch shine the light at an angle to the screen and see if you can see an image. do you have another machine that you could hook your drive up to as a slave?? or invest in a caddy they are very cheap and it will allow you to pull all of your important files/data of that drive.

iain.t :major

 

For Mac.... use this tool to create your bootable linux disc.....

http://simplyburns.berlios.de/

iain.t :major

 

I have tried reseating the RAM, but the Hard Drive won't budge anyway, so I can't do anything with it. The area that seems to require jolting to fix the problem of the computer not starting at ALL is the battery area (below the keyboard on the right side), but I have tried it without the battery and it still wont boot right. The screen is definitely on when it works, but it's all black and there is no image. Could this be a problem with the GPU? Also, what is a caddy?

 

HMmmm it could well be that it is your onboard gpu has failed, try applying a bit of pressure around the area where the gpu is situated on the motherboard,does your machine get very hot when it runs?? as the heat could of damaged the soulder around the card.
Here is an external caddy......

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SATA-USB-External-Enclosure-Caddy/dp/B001EL0SQ0

you will probably be able to get one cheaper from ebay just search for a..... 2.5" HDD SATA to USB external Enclosure Caddy .... you will then be able to put your drive in there and hook it up to another machine to drag your data/files off and burn to disc/flashdrive or another HDD.

iain.t :major

 

It doesn't normally get hot. I've only experienced it overheating once, and that was probably 5 months ago. I had blocked the fan's exhaust vent without realizing it. However, I have been able to get Puppy Linux to work now, but my computer is now either overheating quite often ( it doesn't feel very hot, but it could feel like it's too hot) or randomly shutting off for no apparent reason. However, since Puppy Linux worked, it appears as though it must be a software problem, although there is still an underlying hardware problem also. (When the screen won't come on at all)

 

The moon thinggie means something with standby or hybernate. I'ld say its something with the hotkeys having an error in the OS and consequently setting the error into the BiOS. But since puppy is working (isnt it a saver or what), but switching itself off, then its a problem with the power switch or hybernate/standby switches. Maybe they got loose when you get into habit of hitting (instead of switching) the laptop off/on. Heheh.

Might try tapping around that area to see if that is actually the problem. Crack it open and solder on some new switches. If you aint got a hot-air solder elements then get some geek to do it.

 

I don't think it has anything to do with Hibernate/Sleep or my Power switch. It turns on every time no matter what, and the Moon Light is always lit up unless it's in sleep mode (it blinks) or in Hibernate/Turned Off. The problem is what when it turns on it won't turn the screen on, but that's been a problem I've had for a while. I can work around it for now, I'm more concerned about fixing the problem of Windows not booting up. Since it's definitely a Software problem, can someone move this Thread to the Software forum?

I've also ruled out my GPU, as Puppy recognized it and it's working fine in Puppy.

 

I called 24/7 techies and they told me that my version of Windows is corrupted. I'll post a new Thread in the software forum. Thanks to everyone for their help

 

That doesn't have a thing to do with a corrupt window install.
You may have a corrupt window install BUT you also have a hardware problem because shaking a computer to get it to boot up is not normal.

You will have to address the hardware problem too.