I am using a HP Pavilion 514C.
Recently my keyboard was unplugged from my computer.
I have plugged the keyboard back in.
When I turn on my computer it goes to a black screen saying:

"We apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not start successfully. A recent hardware or software change might have caused this."
Then it gives 5 different choices to choose from:
Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command Prompt
Last Know Good Configuration
Start Windwos Normally

I have tried them all. Each time I select one, it starts to load Windows, then it goes back to that same screen.

I COULD do a complete system restore, but I have a ton of personal files that I would like to salvage.
Is there any ways in which this can be achieved?

two ways to get your data...remove the drive and slave it to a working computer and get your data transfered to that computer and/or burn the data to cd/dvds...
or try puppy linux ...it will run totally in ram ...drag and drop the data to a usb flash drive or a usb external hard drive...
I will post the links and instructions if you want to try using puppy..

This post has been edited by happyrck: Mar 11 2008, 11:50 AM

Does the keyboard work on a level lower then windows? Please enter BIOS. This is usually done by tapping repeatedly DEL or F2 keys. If you succeed then we know that the keyboard is operable in the BIOS level and we have to look higher up the software ladder.

Skeptic: The keyboard works just fine. I move around the screen I mentioned previously, but nothing after that.

happyrck: I could do that whole data removal thing, but I will leave that to later if I cannot figure this out.
The broken computer cannot do a lot beside turn on and go to that black screen.
I am not sure how I could get Puppy Linux onto that computer because it has very little functionality.

Is the computer with a SP-2 connection or a USB? If it's USB try go get a PS-2 one and boot the computer with it. If successful go to device manager, and in Keyboards right-click the driver and uninstall it. Reboot the computer and let windows install the driver afresh. If the keyboard is PS-2 do the same process but with a USB keyboard.

Skeptic: No such luck with the PS-2 adapter to USB.
The computer still goes to the black screen.

happyrck: I downloaded a version of puppy linux and put it onto a USB flash drive.
It was no use because I could not get to a screen so that I could utilize the contents.
It seems no matter what I do, the computer goes to that black screen.

unless your bios supports booting from usb it won't work unless you get it burned onto a cd..

get puppy linux...Get puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso download it and burn it to cd ...if you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files go hereand get burncdcc ..a small FAST no frills iso burning program...make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....put the cd in the cd drive..boot your computer....puppy will boot and run totally in ram...if your hardware is is good working order you will know...
after you get it running and your at the desktop...you take the puppy linux cd out and then you can use the burner to copy all yor data to cd/dvds
you can also use it to backup your data to a external usb harddrive..just have it hooked to the computer when you boot up with puppy...
==========================
quick guide for saving data...music..files on a system that will not boot using puppy Linux..


after you get to puppy desktop..
click on the drives icon...looks like a flash drive...top row..it will list all the drives connected to

your computer...

click on the red icon for the drive you want to mount...in this case its a flash drive ...puppy will

mount the drive..the drive icon turns green when its mounted...
minimize the drives mounter window..you will need it again in a few minutes..
drag the right edge of it sideways to shrink it to its narrowest size...then drag the window to the
right edge of the screen...

now click on the icon that looks like a filing cabinet (kind of yellow) on the main drive...it should
already be green..
you will see a list of all the folders on the main drive Usually your C: drive..shrink that window to

the narrowest you can..drag that window to the left side of the screen...
at this point you should have 2 windows open on your desktop..the flash drive on the right side..
go back to the folders on the C: drive...click on the documents and settings folder...then your user
name or all users..find the folders that has your data..
drag and drop the folder with the data you want to make copies of to the flash drive window...

your options are to move ..copy ect...JUST COPY..if its to big you will have to open the folder and
drag and drop individual files until the flash drive is full...(I have a 120 GB external USB drive for
big data recovery jobs and a 4 GB flash drive for the smaller jobs)..after you get the files copied to
the flash drive...
Click on the drives mounter you minimized earlier
UNMOUNT THE FLASH DRIVE by clicking on the green icon..you will once in awhile get error messages when
unmouting the drive..ignore them..when the flash drive icon turns red again its safe to remove the
flash drive..trot on over (stroll if you want to look cool) to another computer and plug in the flash

drive and copy all the data files ( I drag and drop) to the other computer..
make sure the other computer can read them...

now delete the data on the flash drive...take it back to the misbehaving computer and plug it in

again..click on the drives icon again and repeat until you have all your data transferred to the working
system..

happyrck:

UNREAL
Thanks for the help.
I am pretty much speechless.
Thanks a million.

did you get booted up with puppy yet...

Sorry.
Yes. I got it all fixed now.
I just got my data off of the busted computer and then I could restore it to factory.
Everything well as planned.
Thank You.

your welcome... glad you got it working...

backups for your data are a good thing...the more important the data is the more copies you should have and to different media ...like burn to dvds...copy to external hard drive...online storage..or all of the above...

This post has been edited by happyrck: Mar 13 2008, 07:36 AM