Stuck at windows logo screen after installing new hard drive.

inneruniverse · Apr 5, 2015

Hello I will be as thorough as possible to hopefully narrow down what could be causing this issue.

I bought a Western Digital Blue 1 TB hard drive and installed it in my computer.

I unplugged my two old drives and put the WD drive in and installed Windows 7 on it.

She booted to desktop and I inserted my Gigabyte mobo disc and installed the drivers. Then after the network driver was installed I went to nvidias website and downloaded the latest driver for my GPU.

At this point I restarted my computer. This is the point where it boots to the password screen but my monitor picks up no image. My monitor screen is black but if I type in my password the monitor will regain image and it will show the windows logo as you can see here.

I can't get past this screen. I can start in safe mode and it will boot to desktop, but I have not found a way to get past the screen by starting normally.

After failing to get past the screen I unplugged the new drive and plugged both my old drives back in and I am able to boot to desktop just fine.

Any ideas on how to troubleshoot this?

i7Baby · Apr 5, 2015

Disconnect the OS drive and see if the PC posts - loads bios. If so, then your hardware is OK but maybe not your OS drive and/or Windows.

100% legit Windows? Never been used before?

nostall · Apr 5, 2015

Re-boot into safe mode and from the Control Panel uninstall all the Nvidia drivers and anything else Nvidia.
Try rebooting normally and see if you can get into Windows.
And before any more suggestions can be made, the forum really needs to see what your build consists of: CPU make and model, motherboard model, RAM, and PSU.
Try the safe mode suggestion, repost with specs and results,and then informed suggestions can be made for troubleshooting.
Sounds like a driver problem or driver conflict.

inneruniverse · Apr 5, 2015

nostall :

I rebooted into safe mode and uninstaled all nvidia drivers. Booted normally and was able to get to desktop. Then I reinstalled nvidia drivers and rebooted. Had the same problem where I got stuck on the windows logo screen.

For some reason it seems installing nvidia drivers is preventing me from booting to desktop. Any idea why?

Oh here are my system specs.

i7Baby · Apr 5, 2015

Its not a great quality power supply. What 12v, 5v and 3.3v readings are you getting from bios or your mobo utility software?

inneruniverse · Apr 5, 2015

How do I check readings?

I don't really suspect the power supply being the problem because I'm running two other hard drives and they work just fine. I can boot to desktop on them with no problems. The new hard drive only isn't booting to desktop when I install Nvidia drivers. If the other two both work fine I don't see how the power supply could be causing issues with the new one when I have both the old ones unplugged.

i7Baby · Apr 5, 2015

"I'm running two other hard drives and they work just fine. I can boot to desktop on them with no problems." - have you more than one OS in your PC? If so, that causes problems.

inneruniverse · Apr 5, 2015

I only have one OS running, Windows 7 64-bit. I've never had any problems with it. Running it on this machine since 2012.

i7Baby · Apr 5, 2015

Then how do the other drives boot to desktop?

inneruniverse · Apr 5, 2015

I'm not sure what you are asking. I mentioned in the OP my other drives work fine. I have no idea why the other drives boot to desktop but the new one doesn't if I install nvidia drivers but does if I don't.

i7Baby · Apr 5, 2015

The only way they could boot to desktop is if they have windows on them. So you would have several copies of Windows between them. More than one copy at a time in a PC can cause problems.

inneruniverse · Apr 5, 2015

I see. I only have windows on one of those other two hard drives. Also the new one I bought boots to desktop as long as I don't install the GPU drivers so I don't think that would be the issue.

i7Baby · Apr 5, 2015

Try your PC only with one HDD with an OS on it connected.

inneruniverse · Apr 5, 2015

That is what I have been doing. The new HDD is in, the others are disconnected.

i7Baby · Apr 5, 2015

OK. Leave it that way.

Do a Windows re-install on it then.

nostall · Apr 6, 2015

Is your monitor connected to the motherboard video outputs, thus using the Intel integrated graphics when it boots?
Also, have you disabled/unselected the Intel graphics in the BIOS and selected the PCI-E (I don't remember the correct name) graphics.
This really looks like a driver conflict or there is a conflict between your Nvidia and Intel graphics.

Also try disabling the video card in the Device Manager, shut down and switch to Intel graphics and see if the new hard drive boots: If it does you have further narrowed it down to the video card or the nvidia driver or conflicts with the integrated.

inneruniverse · Apr 11, 2015

hi guys. I apologize for keeping this thread open for so long. I have very busy weekdays typically 10am-10pm at night so when I get home I'm usually too tired to mess with my computer. Thank you so much for everyone thus far who has tried to help me, I really appreciate it. With that said, I'm still having the same problem.

These are the things I have tried today:

-reformat hard drive, reinstall windows.
-insert motherboard disc and install chipset drivers
-run all windows updates that are available, including GPU driver update.
-GPU driver from windows update caused same problem of being stuck at windows logo screen: removed it in safe mode
-downloaded latest driver from nvidia website: failed and removed in safe mode
-downloaded second latest driver from nvidia website: failed and removed in safe mode
-installed driver from the disc that came with my gpu: failed and removed in safe mode

I won't be reformatting the hard drive again as it takes all day to re-install windows and I doubt that's the problem as I have tried reformatting the drive and reinstalling windows twice now.

@nostall,

Would you mind explaining how I go about unselecting the Intel graphics in the BIOS and selecting the Nvidia graphics?

nostall · Apr 11, 2015

inneruniverse :

I can't give you specifics as I have not worked in a Gigabyte BIOS before, but in one of the 'sections or tabs' in the
BIOS should be a selection to use the integrated or PCI-e graphics.
You didn't answer a major question, though. Where have you hooked up your monitor: to the motherboard video connection(s) (that would be intel graphics) or to your video card?
Try a normal boot using JUST the intel graphics. Remove the video card completely. If it boots, don't install anything else, but if you can work with the computer: open files, set up a screen saver, set a background, and let it run for an hour or more. If it runs this way, then the problem is probably the video card.

EDIT, 1953HRS PST. You should have your manual for this mobo; on page 31 it tells you to push the "Delete" key to enter the BIOS during POST when the power is turned on.
In the BIOS select and enter "Advanced BIOS Features." Find the section titled "Init Diplay First". Your manual tells you what to select to boot using the video card or onboard Intel graphics. Then check the settings in "Onboard VGA."
Something else I just thought of, Have you set your motherboard Hard drives to AHCI, as opposed to IDE? SSD's need to run in that manner. That's found under the section "Integrated Peripherals." If it isn't set to that, then you can try changing, just be advised I have read, here in Tom's and elsewhere, that this needs to have been done BEFORE the SSD is installed: Don't know if it will work properly if it wasn't set-up then.

inneruniverse · Apr 11, 2015

I don't have an SSD I'm using a hard drive. Keep in mind I have three hard drives. One primary, one back up, the third drive is my new drive. Out of my two old drives, both have had windows on them in the past and worked with my current GPU. The backup drive no longer has windows, but the primary drive does and is running my GPU fine since 2012. It still works fine, it's just small and out of room which is why I bought the new TB drive.

For this reason I do not believe there to be any fault with my GPU as it's working just fine right now as I type this on my old hard drive. Both of my monitors are plugged into this GPU currently, they have not been plugged into the motherboard.

So just to be clear, you want me to unplug my monitors from the GPU, and plug one of them into the motherboard. Then follow the manual to enter BIOS and select onboard VGA?

Also all the work I've been doing on the new hard drive has been done with the other two disconnected.

nostall · Apr 12, 2015

inneruniverse :

I'm sorry, somewhere along the line I thought you were working with a new SSD.
It is worth a try to hook up to the motherboard and try to boot into Windows with the new drive. If it DOES boot into Windows and lets you work withing windows and maybe connect to the internet, then that hard drive is probably o.k.
If it doesn't, if Windows freezes as shown, then I think the drive is probably bad: since that is actually the only New thing you have added to the PC and you have formatted and reinstalled several times.
Re. the BIOS, it is worth checking those settings, including the AHCI setting; your new hard drive is a SATA 3 (6Gbs/s) drive and they run best on AHCI.
Again, sorry about the SSD confusion, must have been thinking of one of the other threads.

P.S. ( in this case it means Pre Sleep) I have to call it a night; I'll be back on tomorrow morning around 11 pacific time. Have a good night.

inneruniverse · Apr 12, 2015

nostall thanks for the advice. I am scared to switch to AHCI setting because I don't want it to mess up my other two hard drives. You said it has to be done before installing the new drives and those drives are already installed and working and I am terrified of switching a setting and then being stuck with three drives that don't work instead of one.

I will however check if the motherboard is already on that setting, and I will try plugging a monitor into the motherboard and seeing if it works.

Thanks for the help so far I really appreciate it.

inneruniverse · Apr 12, 2015

edit: I found out what the problem was. It's so silly. I had an HDMI cable plugged in to use my TV as a third monitor. I forgot about it completely. I assume it was interfering somehow with the GPU driver registering my primary monitor. After unplugging it and booting with the drivers installed it booted to desktop with no problems.

Thank you again to everyone who tried to help me.

nostall · Apr 12, 2015

inneruniverse :

Don't you just HATE it when it is something as simple as that!!! None of us, not me, i7Baby, or the two or three friends I mentioned the problem to thought of nor mentioned anything like that. Jeeeez !
Inneruniverse, congratulations on fixing the problem and I'm glad you are up and running.
One question, was it plugged into your T.V./3rd monitor or just into the card? Just curious?
Oh, and did you pull all your hair out or do you still have some? LOL

The_prodigal_engineer · Oct 24, 2015

Greetings,I am expreriencing the same issue on my computer but i have nothing else connected (like OP had his tv). I doubt spec details matter since it only has to do with the gpu. GTS 450.
I've been reading forums and most ended up buying new GPUs. So i guess there's usually a painful truth to face but no harm in asking. Is there a way back to normal? Is it through the pocket though?
PS. One suggestion by some guy was cleaning away the dust from the unit and putting it back in. Shall i go for it anyways?
Sorry for not opening a new thread in case that is what i was supposed to do.

inneruniverse · Oct 25, 2015

I'd recommend making a new thread, this one is really old. Make a new one tailored to the problem you are having and list the things you have tried.

Stuck at windows logo screen after installing new hard drive.

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