Windows Booting to Command Prompt Only

[Bl1zz4rd]

Hi all!

Recently I've had a problem start on my Windows 7 PC where Windows boots to command prompt only (image attached). If I type in "explorer.exe", everything loads properly, and I'm able to use my PC as normal. If I shut down/restart, it goes back to the cmd screen.

Is there something I can change in my registry/startup files that can fix this? I'd rather just type something in or delete something than do a system restore.

Any help is appreciated

 

[newklear]

Hi all!

Recently I've had a problem start on my Windows 7 PC where Windows boots to command prompt only (image attached). If I type in "explorer.exe", everything loads properly, and I'm able to use my PC as normal. If I shut down/restart, it goes back to the cmd screen.

Is there something I can change in my registry/startup files that can fix this? I'd rather just type something in or delete something than do a system restore.

Any help is appreciated

Check out msconfig. Windows button + R > msconfig
Else you might need to do the Startup Repair using your windows 7 dvd.

 

[Zuner]

Maybe check the shell entry in the registry.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

The Shell string should say "explorer.exe"

 

[Bl1zz4rd]

Maybe check the shell entry in the registry.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

The Shell string should say "explorer.exe"

Can confirm that it does say that.

Check out msconfig. Windows button + R > msconfig
Else you might need to do the Startup Repair using your windows 7 dvd.

Everything looks normal in msconfig. Startup repair ran and it's still doing the same thing, unfortunately.

Very strange since it's never done this before, and I can't think of any changes I've made recently that could've prompted it to start.

 

[Dan C]

Can confirm that it does say that.



Everything looks normal in msconfig. Startup repair ran and it's still doing the same thing, unfortunately.

Very strange since it's never done this before, and I can't think of any changes I've made recently that could've prompted it to start.

System restore ?

You can always put the explorer.exe in the startup folder

 

[Bl1zz4rd]

System restore ?

You can always put the explorer.exe in the startup folder

This is the first time a system restore hasn't fixed such a problem. It ran a startup repair and the problem persists, I'll give it another try (maybe restore to an older point).

 

[Bl1zz4rd]

Update:

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Someone shared this thread with me.

I downloaded and ran Autoruns. In that thread, TairikuOkami mentions to the person having the same problem I was that "%comspec%" shouldn't be there, when he searched for "cmd". I right clicked and deleted that %comspec% line in Autoruns, restarted, and now the problem's gone.

 

[GreGorGy]

Very interesting. So if you work backwards, you could force a windozer to start with a prompt. I wonder if that would be useful in any way... other than to fück with some people at work.