Windows Vista forum: Windows loading - stops at black screen with cursor (Virus?)

I think it was Windows COM Surrogate (not Serrogade). Here's an example that links it to certain video programs: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/fix-for-com-surrogate-has-stopped-working-error-in-vista/ It also contains a few possible fixes (that might or might not have worked with you).

You can try to do those fixes (or other google might be able to find) while in Safe Mode.

If that doesn't work, it depends on what CD's/DVD's came with the machine. The idea is (a) repair install of Vista, (b) clean install of Vista or (c) System Recovery back to factory settings. The main question is if you have a Vista DVD, a Vista DVD + driver CD, a System Recovery DVD or (only) the option to do a System Recovery from a partition on the hard disk.

Kees

mentioned in
http://www.thefreecountry.com/security/antivirus-rescue-cd.shtml

Kees

Thanks for your assistance, Kees. I tried your methods and I think your CD idea would have worked. I made the CD and I was on my way to find a way to boot from it when I stumbled upon a fix. Without your suggestion, I would not have made it to that point and would probably still be stuck in "Safe Mode". I'm glad to be rid of the black screen problem AND the virus that caused it!

An explanation/solution...just in case anyone else ever has this problem...

I searched high and low on Google and Ask to find how to boot from the CD (that I created as Kees told me to try) instead of booting as normal from the hard drive. I never found anything, but I saw various hot keys to access certain menus and I decided that I would try some of these to see if I could find how to boot from the CD. I restarted my computer (attempting to find a "Boot from CD" option), but ended up stumbling upon a way to fix my computer.

1. I came to the Toshiba "Leading Innovation" screen. The options present on the screen were F12 and F2.
2. I knew that one of the shortcuts I had seen said F8...so, I pressed F8. This took me into "Advanced Boot Options". (If you accidentally press F12 or F2 and want to start over, hit Ctrl, Alt, Del.)
3. The first option presented on the screen was "Repair your computer". I pressed enter since it was selected and that launched "Startup Repair".
3. "Startup Repair" stated that "Your computer was unable to start" and it searched for a problem.
4. It then asked to perform a "System Restore" (which I had already done), so I decided to let it try again...

I had little hope, but after about 10 minutes, another message popped up. This message stated, "If System Repair was successful, after restarting, Windows will run normally, but if System Repair failed to fix the problem, System Repair may run again." I waited. There was the Toshiba screen, the "green caterpillar" Microsoft Corporation screen, then the dreaded black screen...but then the Windows logo came up! The sound played, the Vista welcome screen came up, and my personalized desktop appeared.

Awesome! I was so excited! I then downloaded an anti-virus software (AVG) and scanned my computer for a virus. I had 2 trojan horse viruses on my computer that had been downloaded under "disguised" names. I had opened one or both of those files that contained viruses and they had began to corrupt my system. That is what had been causing my problems. When I had performed the System Restore, the computer was restored back to the way it was before I had opened those files. (The second System Restore must have restored to a point further back than when I tried to do the System Restore myself the first time.) Then, when I scanned my computer, the anti-virus software removed the viruses from my computer.

=)

-NoLongerFrustratedToshibaUser

Many get back from "the brink" and still have no backup or restore plans. Let me share that we only lose what we don't backup.

For some of us these are just photos, emails and so on. Others need a full system backup. Try Clonezilla noted at http://lifehacker.com/5303067/five-best-free-system-restore-tools

Your lessons in making and using bootable CD/DVDs make you ready for this.
Bob

So I am having almost the same exact problem with the annoying black screen after load up except mine doesn't work in any of the safe modes. I have tried the usual CTL+ALT+DEL, didnt work!! I have tryed the FN keys hasn't work!! I have even tried to take the battery out and put it back in along with running the laptop on ONLY the power cord.
I have a Y530 Lenovo laptop running Windows Vista with Dual cord processors, it gets kinda hot, I have an extra fan running under it at all times when its on so over heating isn't a problem. I was having trouble in the Google Chrome Browser so I decided to De fragment and get rid of the temp files to speed up the performance. I also had deleted my history files.
I have tons of memory on this comp so overloading shouldn't have been an issue either. Any way I shut it down for the night after it froze on me and I couldn't CTRL+ALT+DEL because it was just FROZE, nothing worked!! I didn't Download anything. So at this point I had it!! I just left it off.
I went to go turn on the comp the next morning(with more patience) it loaded the Lenovo screen fine then it came up with the gray windows screen (with the options Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking and load windows Normally I think theres another one but cant remember what it was lol)so I clicked load windows Normally it flipped to the next screen witch is a plain black screen with only the words Microsoft and a loading bar under it at the very bottom of the screen ...so I waited then the dreaded back screen with the single white movable arrow. I Figured I would allow it to let it do its thing it was making sounds and everything I thought it was slow on load up because it wasn't shut down the correct way. This happened to me one other time but after shutting it off tons of times and taking the battery out and waiting it worked again.
So Stupid me, waited and waited and waited NOTHING HAPPENED ...I left it on for SERIOUSLY the hole day to see if anything would happen, of course nothing again. Thats when I decided enough is enough and took out the battery tried the FN keys along with CTRL+ALT+DEL. I talked to my brother in law who knows more about the comp then I do ...he said it was a false Hibernation file he told me to shut it off take out the battery and hold the power button for 10 seconds and that should fix it. I did that and still nothing but black screen of death.
Now frustrated and pissed I called my IT friend he said take the battery out for an hr and put it back in. I did that as well and now I am about to toss it out the window because nothing I do seems to be working PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!

The sad thing is it froze after the defrag was done everything was completed successfully and I went to go get back on the internet and of course it froze on me. so thats when i shut it off =(