Ok, I have some MAJOR pc troubles here.

Last night, I turned off my laptop and went to bed. Everything seemed normal. I went to turn it on this morning, and it said "Windows has failed to start."

Normally at this point, I hit "Startup repair" which allows me to system restore, reformat the hd, etc. But now it won't even load this. Without startup repair, I'm screwed.

Internally, I cannot get it to work, but is there anything I can do externally to help remedy this situation?

Restore CD?

I don't know how it may relate to your problem, but my Dell Laptop wouldn't start it ... faulty motherboard.
Sometimes it will start, usually it doesn't. It can take anywhere from 10 tries to 100 booting it up. Other than that, I have no idea. My Dell laptop with start up issues was the motherboard.

The thing is, it won't load anything. And I mean ANYTHING.

When you normally see the loading bar at startup, where it says Microsoft Corporation, etc, it goes to a black screen after.

.

holy crap it's been so long since someone got timelined, I love you.

petmc, I didn't even get anything, the power lights just flashed, screen turned on (still black though) then went off.

I was hoping the title would lure people in here to post, so I could have a few different opinions.

Anyways, yeah. I'm never going with Dell again. This just plain sucks.

I've been happy with my Dell.

*shrug*

newsflash: Dell is not the only manufacturer with the occasional hardware failure

My 3 y/o Dell Latitude D610 that has had NO problems would like to have a word with you.

I had a Dell Inspiron tower during high school that won't turn on anymore, probably due to a busted capacitor on the motherboard or something.

try a live linux cd?

Bursted caps are actually a common problem (last checked). At my school (all Dells) motherboards would have to be routinely sent out to be replaced because caps busted. Of course one day the AC failed and the library computer lab turned into a furnace. That probably didn't help matters.

I have this dell, from 97' or so that i keep around to play Dark Forces,
The thing is a beast. Not only is it 12 years old at this point, but its covered in dust and the entire case is missing (only the metal chassis is left) never has had any hardware problems and, although slow, still manages to boot and play games to this very day.

I salute you unstoppable dell.

It's official: duh

sorry, had to do it

DUH!

My Dell is fine after about 5 years of use.

Just to clarify, you get no display at all? There is no dell logo, no option to enter BIOS?

If it's trying to load Windows, and just displaying a black screen then your should be able to press F8 at startup and get a Windows Boot menu which would allow you to try Safe mode, ect.

Dell makes pretty good monitors

Well, the biggest determinate of quality in a monitor is the panel, which they don't make, but yes, they sell very good monitors.

Sounds like a software problem, not a hardware one. Dell is possibly absolved from this crime.

Boot from a Windows CD and either System Restore (Vista) "Fix Windows" (XP, I don't think the XP CD can do System Restore) or reinstall (with XP and up you don't have to reformat so your data will be safe).

yeah, probably software, did it not come with a restore disc? mine did.

My laptop is doing exactly that. I was thinking it was the HD because the HD light goes out after a second during bootup. This is the second Dell laptop that I've had and they've both sucked. The first had a hinge break and the HD died, and this one has also had hinge problems and now either the HD or motherboard is dying. I bought an Acer Aspire One, I'll never have another Dell.

The hinges break because you don't take care of them.

It shows you in your owners manual how to tighten them when you take the system apart to clean the dust out. Which I'm betting a lot of people also don't do.

Most people don't run routine maintenance on anything. Computers, automobiles, machinery, you name it. And then they blame the manufacturer or someone else when it breaks.

Well most people probably think they're buying a magic box that will run forever without needing their help.

Recently I hadn't been keeping up with dust cleanout on my power supply and the magic smoke leaked out and killed it.

The hinges on my old IBM laptop literally cracked and fell apart, all from completely normal usage. Cheap laptops have cheap hinges, that's how it is.

I called Dell sales the other day to get some information about a particular laptop model and screen combination.

The last time I called Dell sales I got to talk to a nice and very informed Texan man who provided me with the information I wanted and up-sold other Dell products and services.

This time I talked to some Indian woman who couldn't understand what I was saying. She asked me "Do you have any discounts?" to which I replied, "Well, actually that is one of the things I would like to inquire..." and then she interrupted me with something in Hindu. Next she said "Ask the customer about internet service provider" five times. I'm not joking. The bint (heh) read the script word-for-word. After telling her "I have no idea what you are trying to ask me" she put me on hold.

To their credit, the next person I talked to was at least someone I could communicate with (in the sense that he was still Indian, and his accent was still debilitating, but we could understand each other). I got the information I wanted but why would I want to buy a laptop from Dell now?

Seriously. I can understand support - kinda. But sales and marketing are the backbone of ANY COMPANY THAT MAKES A PRODUCT. The day I called, I just got back from helping my mom take her iMac into an Apple store for repairs - you know, extremely friendly, helpful, English-speaking people. If I didn't have very specific needs for a laptop I would probably buy a Macbook today. Dell is putting themselves out of business for the sake of saving a few pennies a sale.

After having several friends who actually worked Dell customer support tell me to never buy a Dell computer because they are crap and the customer support is horrible, I've always avoided them.

mlyp

Jon'C: When I had to get a new motherboard a couple of years back the lines were most definitely staffed by Indians.

Sales.

I guess thats why the hinges on my laptop doesn't suck?

No, the hinge on the first one broke in half after six months because it was a piece of crap. The hinge issue on the last one isn't actually the hinge. The plastic around the screen broke where the hinge rests against it. That was a big issue with the E1505's according to the Dell Support forums. Thanks anyway.

Yeah, the E1405 and E1505 had that problem, I had a lot of them come in to the shop last year.

NoESC I need a portable 15.4" laptop with a WUXGA (1920x1200) screen and decent battery life. What should I get?

1920x1200 on a 15"? I'd be blind trying to read on that!

I'm using a laptop right now with 1920 x 1200 on a 15-inch screen.

My last laptop had 1920x1200 on a 15-inch screen too. It's perfectly readable.

dell xps m1530 can be had with that

and it's also $400 less right now because of a sale