Inspiron 1545 Black screen with movable cursor after startup

Question

I had my laptop hooked up to my tv through an HDMI cord. My laptop screen was not appearing on my tv so I  right clicked on my desktop and clicked the option to move screen to tv. After that my screen went black and nothing showed up on my tv. My computer was unresponsive so I turned it off and powered back up. My dell loading screen showed up then it went to a black screen with a movable cursor. Again my laptop was unresponsive to everything I tried. I have tried running in safe mode but the screen remains black. I have tried starting at last known good config and still black screen. I have tried hooking it back up to my tv to see if i can get the screen to show up there but again it just gives me the black screen and cursor. At this moment I am running diagnostics and so far all has been good but it is still going. If anyone has an idea of how I can fix this it would be much appreciated! I am a college student and I need my laptop! Thanks!

checkmatepurk · Accepted Answer

i just now had the same problem where my screen would black out and only show my cursor.... and I kept reading and reading on the ways you guys tried to solve the issue. I downloaded the spyhunter as well....nothing would work....what I did to solve this problem I actually stumbled into on accident....very simple....nothing to download...... just make sure you have all the files you need saved or backed up somewhere..... 1.restart computer and select the option run in safe mode with networks (mine was f5) 2.hold ctrl+alt+delete to bring up task manager and at the bottom left of the task manager box it will say either (more details) or (fewer details) make sure you have MORE DETAILS selected. 3.click file and hit run new task. 4.when it lets you type in the box.....................type CONTROL PANEL 5. select user accounts and family safety. 6. select the user account that is blacking out after start up. 7.click make changes to my account in pc settings. WHEN I DID THIS IT GAVE ME AN OPTION THAT SAID I HAD TO REFRESH WINDOWS BEFORE I COULD MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE ACCOUNT. SO I CLICKED REFRESH....MY LAPTOP DID ITS THING AND NOW ITS JUST LIKE BRAND NEW AGAIN....ONLY TOOK 15 MINUTES... IF YOU KNOW A FASTER OR EASIER WAY TO GET TO THE OPTION THAT WANTS YOU TO LET WINDOWS REFRESH ITSELF....THATS ALL YOU HAVE TO DO!! ...............................................enjoy hope this works for you guys as it did for me

clint3142 · Answer

All things being more difficult than need to be with Windows these days, I would simply restore a previously 'Known Good' boot. Start pressing repeatedly,  F8 , as soon as the Dell Splash screen goes away (and be really quick!) Should give you the Safe/Normal boot screen with a number of other options, one being 'restore a previously known good boot'

DELL-Saharsh K · Answer

Hi Hxd003,

Try releasing the residual charge from the system. Here are the steps:

Disconnect any external peripherals (flash drives, printers, external hard drives) from the computer including the battery and AC Adapter.
Press and hold the power button for 20 seconds.
Reconnect the battery and AC Adapter. Try to restart the computer and check.

I recommend that you run on-board diagnostics on the system and share the results. Here are the steps:

Restart the system and immediately start tapping the 'F12' key to enter the 'Boot Menu'.
Use the 'Down Arrow' key to highlight the 'Diagnostics' option. Press the 'Enter' key.
The diagnostics will begin. Please note the exact error message/code, if any appears on the screen.

Also, check if there is any issue with the LCD by running LCD BIST (Built in Self-test). To run the LCD BIST, press and hold the D key on the keyboard while pressing the power button, then release both at the same time. This will initiate A grey screen, then Red, then Blue, then Green then White, to allow you to inspect the entire LCD for color purity on each screen and to better identify defect such as cracks in the LCD or stuck pixels that may not be apparent in a normal viewing mode.

Try connecting the system to another external monitor apart from your TV and check if the display works on it or not. You may also try replacing the HDMI cable and check functionality.

Keep me posted with the results. I'll be happy to assist you further.

Hxd003 · Answer

I tried releasing the residual charge and then restarting my computer but I still got the black screen and cursor.

i ran the on board diagnostics and I passed everything.

I ran the LCD BIST and no problems there.

I tried hooking my laptop to a computer monitor and the black screen and cursor show up.

Anything else you can think might fix it?

Hxd003 · Answer

I tried to the last 'known good' and still no luck :emotion-6:

DELL-Saharsh K · Answer

Hi Hxd003,

Please check if the hard drive is getting detected in BIOS or not. Restart the system and immediately start tapping the 'F2' key to enter the 'BIOS Setup'. Under System information please check if the hard drive is getting detected against Primary Hard Drive.

Also, by moving cursor do you mean a blinking cursor or a mouse pointer which moves along when you move the mouse. Please reply with the information, I'll be happy to assist further.

2014_LAX · Answer

Hello im having the same problem I tried the above solutions and yes my hard drive is detected in BIOS and on my screen it is a mouse pointer not a blinking cursor. Please respond ASAP thankyou.

Hxd003 · Answer

I had to take my laptop to the computer store to get it fixed. I think somehow the operating system got deleted. They saved all of my documents but I had to redownload microsoft office.

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Inspiron 1545 Black screen with movable cursor after startup

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