I have A vaio (model PCG-L2M) when I turn on my laptop it sems to be working the vaio screen comes up as usual followed by a loading bar with Microsoft corporation underneath.
Usually this would be followed by the log in screen however instead I just get a blank screen with the mouse arrow and nothing else.

This OCCURRED over a week ago and I shutdown my computer as usual and the next day when I tried to turn it on this occurred.

I have tried starting in safe mode
I have unplugged etc.
Taken out the battery...

but I still get nothing

I can use av mode (where you can watch DVDs without turning on the laptop) so I don't THINK it is a
fault with the screen

I have had my laptop for around a year and a half


Any help would be much APPRECIATED OK did your laptop come with a CD for windows? If it did put this in your drive and start the computer and choose 'Startup Repair'.

If it didn't you may have a hidden partition on your laptop with the recovery on so... when on boot up repeatedly press F8 before the MS logo and then launch 'startup repair'.
Let us know how you get on. Hi thank you my laptop didn't come with A cd I pressed f8 and it did come up with start up repair I tried this but still have the same problem.
I can also get up a screen when pressing f2 that is a setup utility with tabs including boot advanced main security and exit I don't know if that is any help?

Thank you Try to avoid the F2 option for the time being. Did it give you options when the repair failed? Like other methods of recovery?Hi I tried the repair option again and it said that my laptop can not be automatically fixed.
When I press F8 these are the options I get:

advanced boot options
Choose advanced options for microsoft windows vista

repair your computer

safe mode
safe mode with networking
safe mode with command prompt

Enable boot logging
enable low resolution video
last known good configuration
directory services restore mode
debugging mode
disable automatic restart on SYSTEM failure
disable driver signature enforcement

Start windows normally

Thank you so much for your time and help

I would try 'last known good config' firstYep I tried that but it says I have no previous good configurations and no previous restore dates?
Any ideas?
Thank you It's sounding more like you need to do the thing we dread the most 'the full re-install' as there there are more qualified people to explain I will have a word with one or two of them and see if they can help. I don't want you doing something unnecessary.
Give me 10 minutes please. Any luck? Or should I take my laptop to a computer repair shop?
Thanks Just asking someone now please stand by.I'd suggest a re-install too. You could possibly use a bootable Linux CD (Live CD) to boot the computer and copy your data to a flash drive/External hard drive before reinstalling Windows.Thanks camerongray.

As you can see we seem to think the re-install is the option. Unless you can follow camerongray's option with Linux.Repair Install of Vista...Quote from: patio on July 05, 2010, 07:11:50 PM

Repair Install of Vista...