Before any bashing lectures, yes ive searched google for days on this issue and no fix or shortcut key is working. Its a dell studio from 2008, hard drive is only a year or 2 old. Ive tried changing around bios in f2, resetting defaults, every boot option in f12 gives me the same screen. Diagnostics do not start at alk, same black screen with the underscore. Ctrl alt delete restarts the whole thing, fn and power button doesnt do anything. No i didnt do anything to my comp, turned it on one day and it goes to black screen underscore after dell logo. F8 doesnt work, trust me that shortcut has NEVER EVER worked. Ive hit every single f and number key there is, nothing works. Just f2 and 12 but theres nothing there. Ive tried a recovery disc and it never starts, yes ive used cd boot option in f12 plus changing bios ordet, same black underscore screen. Ive takenout everything but the power cord, even battery, same thing, it doesnt even give me any error sunce the battery was out. Ive tried it all belueve me. Also since my warrenty is up, dell refuses to do anything, i cant get the email info or use the live chat. If its a straighr motherboard issue can someine just confirm it, ill replace thibgs myself.