"he tried that but it's freezing up on him when it get's to the file... Disk(0)RDisk(0)Partition(1)\Windows\System32\Drivers\mup.sys" Are you sure it's actually freezing? When I boot into safe mode, the boot process stops at this same line. It sits there for quite some time before progressing further. Give it time. Most laptops change display by pressing the Fn key, along with another (predetermined) F key. Which F key depends on the make of the laptop. the possible combinations are: Acer - Fn + F5 Dell - Fn + F8 HP (some models) - Fn + F5 IBM ThinkPad - Fn + F7 Sony - Fn + F7 Toshiba - Fn + F5 Hope this helps. Please let us know if you found someone's advice to be helpful.

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before i even began to post i suggested he start in safe mode and he let it sit for 45 min and it never moved. is that long enough or can it seriously take longer? --Rachel

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45 minutes should be long enough. Please let us know if you found someone's advice to be helpful.

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And as you press the combination two/thre times... you cycle thru' three options: laptop screen + external display; external only; laptop only (the exact sequence may vary between makes). If you post this (from your post above): Disk(0)RDisk(0)Partition(1)\Windows\System32\Drivers\mup.sys in google etc. and search the www (using that content) you will find a number of hits that discuss it... It is not an uncommon problem. A Repair routine - allow it check system files - may resolve what may in fact be a corrupted/damaged driver...? http://www.theeldergeek.com/repairi... details the various options that may allow you back in; not the least the "enable vga-mode" ? If all else fails... the info at this link may be the path out of the mess...: http://www.informationweek.com/wind... But I'd go this latter route after trying other possibilities - that do not require some form of (re-)installation. Fred Langa's site/info does contain some "very" helpful and incisive info/fixes etc... Well worth visiting it...

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well we are going to explore all of this and i'll post back after we discover anything new or unchanged. thank you so far. --Rachel

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ok we have tried every possible option including me walking him thru using keyboard keys to fix what he did and it still goes blank/black after the windows startup screen. what else can we do? we are out of options it seems. --Rachel

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"When" the system boots up initially... do you see the usual opening screen with the bios etc. listed (usually top left of screen). In other words do you ever see anything on the screen during the boot up; and if so at what stage does it all go blank/black? Did you go thru the F + Function key routine to see if you can restore a display - either to built-in screen (even if it is a little faint) or to the external screen? It might be useful to know make this laptop is. You say it's European... Acer are widely used there; as are Siemens, Fujitsu (Japanese I know... but also has ties with ICL in the UK); there is also Medion; and another version of the Acer range but sold under a different name in Tesco (a UK supermarket chain). I'm trying to avoid a re-installation etc., as that for me would be a last resort... Which is why the double-checks of vga o/p switching etc... It's the message re'' the driver (in your earlier post-7) that has me a llittle concerned... Somehow that appears to have become damaged/corrupted - even missing - or at least in now incorrect...? But again confirm if you can go thru the appropriate switching pattern/sequence for enabling/disabling etc. the external/internal displays? And also advise the make/model number of the laptop... There is "always" the possibility that it's actually something more physical inside the laptop too...; but that is very long shot...

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It is a Nobilis 259EN1 according to my husband. we tried all Fn + F-keys. None seemed to do anything. Everything seems normal on start up untill the traditional windows emblem with the blue running bar. then it goes blank like it's going to load the logon screen but it never loads it. --Rachel

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mmm - you get a display to start with then it all goes to black... and you get that reference to the driver file... (post-4)... You say you can opt for safe-mode (which means you can see the boot-options screen initially); but after that (as in normal-mode) no actual working display...? Increasingly it does look as though "somehow" some driver file or files (display files) have been lost/corrupted/changed... (less likely any others as you say you can hear music etc. as it completes the boot up - but no display...? At this stage I'd be inclined to do one of two things: The first is a rescue/just in-case path... Get hold of a Knoppix CD (linux on a CD) - or similar; boot the system with that and at least see if the contents of the problem system's drive can be viewed (and accessed) by Knoppix. If they can... I would copy off all data etc. immediately to optical media. The CD can be ought for few $$$/££'s (its' very cheap); or an iso image can be downloaded and burned CD... There is also a book (something along the lines of Knoppix Hacks) by O'Reilly ; well worth having as it does tell how to use that CD to best advantage. The title is a little mis-leading; it's not really hacking.. more a how to access a system that won't let you because it's damaged... After-which... follow the model/steps in Fred Langa's reference re' a non-destructive re-installation/repair of the OS at: http://www.informationweek.com/wind... (This is the ref/link I gave at the end of post-10.) If going this latter path I'd still use the Knoppix (or similar) approach to ideally transfer data off the system - first ("just in case..."). I'm presuming you get the brief boot-up display on the laptop's screen (and maybe on the external too)? Overall it does look like you are into some level of rebuild of the OS... A "very" long shot approach is to install a second version of the OS alongside the curent one. It will give you a dual boot (if it goes in OK - and it ought to...). Once one boots to the second version one ought to be able to take ownership of the documents etc. folders in the original version... One other possibility is that the on-board graphic card has gone down... But that you can see a display initially... I'm not sure this is the case; but as I say it may be a possibility...

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Incidentally... This being a laptop (and presumably reasonably current) I suspect it does "not" have a full version OS CD; rather that it came with recovery-CD/routine? If this is so then it does rather limit your options; at least as far a second/parallel installation; and likewise a repair-routine (as per Fred Langa)... For these you do need a full version CD (or a true-upgrade with a compliant OS CD to hand as well). I would seriously look at getting data off this drive - before you go any repair routes. To do this either use the Knoppix CD routine; or slave the drive to working system and copy data off that way. You/he would need an adapter to hold the 2.5ins drive and this allows you to connect it to a standard EIDE ribbon...; then it can be slaved etc.... After-which data is accessed via Explore etc. on the working system. Once that data rescue has been achieved... probably one would then go thru' the least destructive recovery route that the laptop manufacture allows for it? Incidentally I did a trawl for the model as posted; didn't really get any results that model as posted...? Did "he" get the model etc. details correct? The closest I got was two hit (in German) but neither actually produced any info. when opened... If the problem is a damaged/missing driver... it "might" be possible to slave the drive as above; then copy to the system folder a correct/working driver? And "if" this did work... then the whole problem might be resolved, as the display o/p etc. might well be restored again once the drive is back in the laptop?

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