Cannot enter password

[vwq47]

Windows 10, most recent update.

When the machine turns on, the "cave and ocean" picture displays. The Password box flickers on the screen like a ghost when I press Enter or move the cursor, but disappears again. Pressing Enter or moving the mouse indicates there IS something being sensed by the operating system but the picture remains.
I CAN boot into BIOS diagnostics, and all seems OK. Keyboard and mouse both work in Diagnostics.
I cannot Boot into Safe Mode - or haven't found a way of doing so. (I cannot get into Windows at all.)
I've tried partial booting, shutting off the power and then rebooting several times, but to no avail.
I can't use the machine at all.

It is obvious that many people have had this problem but I have yet to find a solution that doesn't assume I can actually get into widows!
Hopefully someone HAS a solution.

vwq47

 

[Trouble]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I cannot Boot into Safe Mode - or haven't found a way of doing so. (I cannot get into Windows at all.)

At the sign-in screen where you are experiencing the actual problem.... do not log-in, instead.....
Depress and hold the shift key on your keyboard and use the power icon in the bottom corner to select "Restart".
That should get your to the Advanced Troubleshooting options which should provide you with an opportunity to select Startup Settings from which you should be able to get to the Safe Mode selections
#4 for regular Safe Mode (try that first)
AND #5 Safe Mode with Networking (try that one also).
See if either or both of those two options changes the behavior of the password box.

 

[vwq47]

Thanks for your trouble Trouble! I appreciate it.
MY trouble is, when I do what you suggest (Hold Shift and click on the Power icon) the icon (and Date) travel up the screen quickly. The Password box is ghosted on the screen and also probably travels up the screen.
There seems no way I can effectively click on the icon.
Other suggestions? This IS pretty frustrating.

PS I like your footer!

 

[vwq47]

Still no solution.
I tried Sticky Keys in case there was an issue with the Shift key - but no solution.
I then thought it might actually be a keyboard malfunction somehow (wireless keyboard) but I have installed it on another machine and it and the mouse work fine . . so I am stumped and very frustrated still because without my main machine running the home network has serious problems.

 

[Ben Myers]

Start the computer, wait ten or fifteen seconds, then press and hold the power button until the computer shuts down. Do this twice and the third time, the computer should boot into the recovery environment.

Ben

 

[Trouble]

MY trouble is, when I do what you suggest (Hold Shift and click on the Power icon) the icon (and Date) travel up the screen quickly

Try using the Ctrl + Alt + Del keyboard combination and see if that provides a stable screen that will also include a power button where you can use the Shift key to get to advanced troubleshooting and startup settings to boot into safe mode.

I sounds to me like you have a bad video driver or a display configuration problem.
Safe Mode should allow you to use Device Manager to uninstall the existing Video Card and reboot.
Hopefully from there it will either self correct or you can address the issue with the correct driver.

 

[vwq47]

I can boot using a WIndows iso image on a USB drive and all is fine for that version of Windows. I couldn't find anything wrong with the video card (which is actually onboard on the Dell Vostro 220s).

Ben, thanks for your suggestion too. I have tried this (twice now) and get to an "Automatic Repair" screen where the options are "shut Down" and "Advanced Options". The former is highlighted but I presume the latter is what I need. I have NO response to keyboard or mouse when on this screen. The only way out is to press the power button on the box!.

I seems to me that there must be some sort of driver issue with the mouse/keyboard in the Win 10 version sitting on my Hard drive. I'm not sure how to get potentially useful drivers onto the normal C: drive.

 

[vwq47]

I should have also said that my mouse and keyboard are wireless. I threw out my last SUB-wired keyboard not long ago!

 

[vwq47]

Yet again . . somehow this was missed from my previous post:

Ctrl-Alt Del does not work at all.

There IS a power button on the opening screen but it just moves up the screen if I click on it.

I can boot using a WIndows iso image on a USB drive ( Win14393PESE_x64 ISO v170116 ) and all is fine for that version of Windows. I couldn't find anything wrong with the video card (which is actually onboard on the Dell Vostro 220s).

I have NO response to keyboard or mouse when on this screen. The only way out is to press the power button!.

 

[Trouble]

I seems to me that there must be some sort of driver issue with the mouse/keyboard in the Win 10 version sitting on my Hard drive.

I threw out my last SUB-wired keyboard not long ago!

Might be time to invest in a new USB cable mouse and keyboard.
No need to mortgage the farm, something cheap to get you over the hump to see if your suspicion is correct.
https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasi...184873&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+keyboard+and+mouse

Never hurts to have something like this on hand for just such an occasion

 

[vwq47]

Thanks Trouble, I do appreciate your attention.

re Mouse and Keyboard: I had come to the same conclusion and bought one of each today - but there is NO change in what I can do on the machine. These work fine if I boot from a USB drive.
This is crazy.
I CAN find the original MS Key for my Windows when I boot from a USB drive. It was originally for Windows 7 Pro. I still have not worked out how to repair or recreate Windows 10 on my normal Boot drive. Still reading, but . . . .

 

[Ben Myers]

Try using the USB keyboard and mouse in the recovery environment.

Ben

 

[vwq47]

Thanks Ben,
If you mean depress and holding the shift key on the keyboard and use the power icon, I STILL cannot get past that screen. No change.
Function keys work to get into BIOS/BOOT functions with either wired or wireless keyboard.

vwq47

 

[Ben Myers]

Start the computer with the USB keyboard, wait ten or fifteen seconds, then press and hold the power button until the computer shuts down. Do this twice and the third time it should boot into the recovery environment.

Ben

 

[Trouble]

First.... MAKE SURE that you've removed the dongle for your wireless devices.
AND try again.
IF booting from the

These work fine if I boot from a USB drive.

Provides a stable screen, you should be able to use the Advanced Troubleshooting option from that boot to attempt a Safe Mode boot, by trying Startup settings.

 

[vwq47]

Thanks Guys,
But . . .
I've booted into the recovery environment with NO USB dongles attached. Still no joy. The "Automatic Repair" Recovery screen comes up but again, I cannot navigate the screen with either the mouse of the keyboard to choose "Shut down" or "Advanced options" that are shown.
I have looked at the SrtTrail.txt to see the logfile.
Because I have no network atm for that machine I can't attach a file, but I've attached a copy of a screen image.
After searching for what the error 0x32 might mean, (!!! "The request is not supported", whatever that means) I ran chkdsk on the SSD that was my boot drive. It came up with no errors or anything untoward.
So, I am still flumoxed.

I was the first person to have a serious 'microcomputer' in the University in which I worked. I have spent a lot of serious time on NSDOS, CPM, MSDOS and Windows operating systems. Who could have imagined just how complicated a "PC" operating system could become in those 43+years? I must say that as amazingly versatile as it is, modern versions of the Windows OS have wasted a LOT of my time even without my trying.

I do appreciate your inputs.

vwq47

 

[vwq47]

Bump?

 

[Ben Myers]

If neither mouse nor keyboard works in the recovery environment, you may have no choice but to do a clean install.

Ben

 

[Norton]

wwq47 If it's possible reinstall Windows from a recent back up image.