DELL Optiplex GX270 Blank Window Screen

Reboot and press F8 before Windows starts to load. Select Safe Mode from the list. If that gets to the desktop (it looks weird in Safe Mode), something loading at startup is causing the problem. In this case, run msconfig in Safe Mode and uncheck everything except items related to firewall and antiviral software. Reboot normally and put a check in "Don't show this again" box, assuming you get to the desktop. You can then re-check items one or few at a time in msconfig and reboot normally to see which one is the problem. Then reinstall that software/driver.

If Safe Mode doesn't work either, reboot, press F8 and choose "Last Known Good" from the list. If that works shut down normally and reboot normally.

If you're still not successful, you'll need to run a Repair/Reinstall of XP. You'll need a Dell Windows Reinstallation CD with the same service pack that's on the hard drive. Personal files will be ok, but you will have to reinstall some Microsoft Windows updates and hotfixes again.

thans Ron,

I have tried but in order to get to the Run so that i can type MSCONFIG...i must see the start button..in this case i cannot see the START button..all is blank

@ jsenibiau I just been thru about the same ordeal, caught a nasty virus and windows wouldn'T START UP tried the bio battery reset thingy but same results then i had a extra button battery popped it in, windows starts up great, try that before you start repairing OS, I went that route first before the battery thingy and now my problem is with my GPU drivers. and my bussiness is the desktop! gonna have to find a post about that! Good luck!

jsenibiau -  I don't think resetting BIOS is going to help in your situation. You said all 4 LEDs are green, so the hardware completed the POST successfully and turned things over to Windows. Clearing BIOS might have helped if it failed to POST but you get beyond that to a "naked" Windows desktop (Can I say that word here?  :emotion-2:) .

Did you press F8 before Windows starts to load and select Safe Mode from the menu? Or are you saying you don't see the Start button after booting into Safe Mode either?  And did you try Last Good from that F8 menu?

This is a long shot, but if  you boot "normally"  and press Ctrl-Alt-Del does Task Manager open? If it does, click File>New Task (Run) on the toolbar. When the box opens, type in:

sfc /scannow   (Note: there's one space between sfc and /scannow)

Click OK

Insert the Windows XP CD when requested. It must be the same version of Windows (eg, Pro) and the same Service Pack that's on the hard drive,eg, both SP2 or SP3.  sfc will take ~30-40 min to run, so be patient and don't interrupt it. sfc gives you no messages when it's done. It just exits to the desktop. Then reboot normally.

If none of that helps, you'll probably need to run the Repair/Reinstall, then get the latest updates from the Microsoft site and finally do a thorough scan for malware.

Bubski- If you still have problems, and haven't done so, start your own thread and include the PC model, version of Windows, etc...

The problem might be "scumware" like that which infected a relative's machine. I fixed it by booting up in Safe Mode, and modifying certain Registry entries, then rebooting normally and running a full antimalware scan using Windows Security Essentials.