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Logging into Vista and only get a black screen with a white mouse arrow


Resolve by removing the UpperFilter and LowerFilter registry keys for the CDROM drive.

This article explains which keys to erase but not how to do them if you can't get into Windows.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929461


1.Boot to the VISTA recovery/repair console (whether off of a DVD/CD or if you can do it straight from the hard drive).

2.Run command prompt from the main menu of the and type "regedit" (without the quotes).

3. Click on the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE once so it is highlighted.

4. Click File, Load Hive. Browse to the "C:\Windows\system32\config" folder and highlight the "system" file (this is the system hive of the registry for the computer) and click Open/OK.

5. Name the hive "sys hive" (it doesn't actually matter what you name it, just don't name it the same as another hive) and hit ok.

6. Navigate to the hive you just created under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and you will see keys under it called ControlSetxx (xx usually being 1,2,3 or another low #).

Following the Microsoft Article, under each of those keys do the following steps 7-11.

7. Locate, and then click the following registry subkey:
ControlSetxx\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.

8. In the right pane, right-click UpperFilters (if present), and then click Delete.

9. Click Yes to confirm the removal of the UpperFilters registry entry.

10. In the right pane, right-click LowerFilters (if present), and then click Delete.

11. Click Yes to confirm the removal of the LowerFilters registry entry.

12. Navigate back up so the "sys hive" is highlighte