I have a dell 4700 with windows 7 installed. Today when i turned it on it loads during the dell logo, after it goes to a black screen showing my bios info and my ATA controller card info, from there it just doesnt go anywhere, not even the windows loading screen for windows 7. It just hangs there. For some reason when i click f8 to get into safe mode, it doesnt work. Is it a hard drive problem or software help is appreciated

My guess: not a software problem. The only things that I can suggest that doesn't involve serious troubleshooting is to clear the CMOS. Instructions on how to do that are available at support.dell.com. If your PC is a Dimension 4700, the jumper is near the connector for the front panel stuff. Good luck.

my computer is indeed a dell dimension 4700...can you be more specific on where the jumper is? do u mean the jumper on the hard drive ?

The jumper is on the motherboard. It's similar to an HD jumper, but it's on the board. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4700/sm/techov.htm#wp1052362 It's on the upper right of the "System Board Components" picture. The instructions for using it are: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4700/sm/syssetup.htm#wp1052769 (It's done with the PC shut down and unplugged. Be sure to avoid an electrostatic discharge that could damage electronic components. It's possible, but unlikely.)

hello, have you connected any USB storage to your laptop? please unplug everything first and try to booting up again. otherwise, as bobkn's suggest, clear your CMOS and reset your BIOS. thanks

Hey i tried clearing the CMOS and still no luck at the same screen where it says "Sil 0680 ATA/133 Controller BIOS Version 3.2.10 Copyright (C) 1997-2003 Silicon Image, Inc. Press F3 to enter configuration utility Drive Number 1: ST3200822A 190782 MB"

I suspect that incompatible driver updates were installed by some reasons. You may boot in Last Known Good configuration. Using Last Known Good Configuration If it does not response when you press F8, this issue should not be related to Windows. In this case I suggest you contact Dell to check hardware issues. Dell - Contact Us Important Note: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.Arthur Xie - MSFT