Can't get past Windows welcome screen !

Computer:
HP pavillion laptop. Windows XP Home, Service Pack 1.

Problem:
Pc has been working great with no problems. Used it several times this morning. Went to start up tonight and can't get past the welcome screen. When I push the start button it seems to start normally. First is the black screen that shows the windows logo and says" Windows XP Home Edition", then it goes to a completely black screen, then to a window that is blue and looks like a folded cloth. Here is where the problem starts, instead of going to the screen where I click on my user name, it goes to the screen where there is dark blue on top and on bottom, and light blue in the middle. It says something like " Windows Xp". On this last screen there is no place to click to get things "going". It just stops there. I tried going into safe mode but it boots up the same way. I also tried doing the "restore to when computer worked last" mode, but again it goes to the same screen and stops. How can I get past this without reformat? It seems as though it is just bypassing the username window? I tried using the system cd that came with the pc to do a "repair", but it asks for an administrator password, and when I go into setup (f2) it says that all passwords are clear.

Thanks in advance for any help getting this fixed. I am not adverse to a reformat, but have some pictures that I want to save.

 

I would just reformat and start out clean. This could be a number of different things and it's going to be pretty hard to troubleshoot if you can't even start in safe mode.
You could boot with a boot disk and pull your pictures off before you reformat. I would recommend using the "BartPE" bootable windows disk - just do a search for "BartPE" in google and you'll find the site right away. This disk will boot into a 'stripped down' windows environment and will give you full access to all of your files on the drive - you can then copy your pictures onto a floppy or a usb drive.
I would also recommending updating your new installation to service pack 2.

 

admin password should be your logon pass if you have a typical setup.

 

Try pressing Cont/Alt Del TWICE at this screen. It may present you with a log on screen where you have to type in the user name. I have not figured a way to get the icons back - (there seems to be a lot of people with this problem. After doing this the "Users" icon in Control Panel does not seem to function anymore. I have not found a simple fix for this on the Web, but this seems to be an easy workaround until I do.

 

PS. - I think most preloaded XP home default Username is Administrator - with no password, but that could vary.

 

Did you try f8 and safe mode?

 

I tried the f8 and going into safe mode, but I get the same screen. I'm on my wifes pc right now (they are identical HP laptops) and mine is running right next to hers. It seems as though the log in screen is hidden behind the current screen showing which is dark blue on top and bottom and light blue in the middle with the windows logo and Windows XP on it. I also tried the control/alt/del many times.
More questions: a boot disk has been suggested, what exactly is this? Is it the Xp disk that came with the pc? Can I make one on my wifes pc and use on mine? If so, how do you do it.? These don't have floppy drives, just cd rom. What about putting my hard drive in her pc?
As far as passwords go, do you mean I should type in "admin" as the password? When I could get to the log in screen there was no password. When I did the f8 and looked at the password section of it, it said that the passwords were all "clear"? I took that to mean that there were no passwords in use anywhere.

 

I have to ask but have you tried to swap momitors? It could be that the monitor frquency have shifted somehow if that is the case you would get something like this. I asume that it works fine loading up have you tried f5 as opposed to f8 during start up. If you did not put a start up password then you don't need one. A boot disk is what you should have to bypass the normal h/d bootup. You should have made that when you started power it upthe first time. Do not format the H/D that is the very last thing you should do and i hope you have windows install CD after that. Do not use any password for boot up that for it is just for you and the ball and chain. You need that at work where there are 100 CPU tied together at home is not neccessary.You have two identical computer and that is lucky Try swapping things make sure that you ground youself first.