Member Avatar for mnarewec

Hi
Friend of mine has been using this laptop (Toshiba Satellite A10) for sometimes and then it couldn't go into windows. We
tried those icons on the screen (disrk,cd,floppy etc) but it gives us a blank screen with a cursor (dash) blinking on and off. This goes on forever. (what does that mean).

I tried pressing the Esc and F12 during when powering on but I can't get the BIOS setup screen. Is there any other keys should I press to go into BIOS. I tried all function keys in vain.


Please help.

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Short summary and clear next steps based on the thread (adds to , , , ):

A blinking underscore in the top‑left after the Toshiba splash usually means the firmware handed control to the boot stage but couldn’t find or run a valid boot loader (corrupt/ missing MBR/partition boot sector or no bootable device). This is distinct from a display or Windows UI hang — it’s the boot code stopping early. (support.microsoft.com)

What to check first (quick, low‑risk):

  • Use the machine’s boot/menu or HW Setup to confirm the internal hard drive is detected and to force-boot the CD/DVD (your A10 manual documents the F12 boot/menu behaviour and the HW Setup Boot Priority). If the Windows CD/DVD doesn’t show as bootable, try a known-good boot CD/USB or another disc. Also note / observed ESC → F1 shows a boot error prompt on this model — that can get you into setup when other keys don’t.

If the drive is present but Windows won’t start:

  • Use recovery tools: for XP-era systems use the Recovery Console commands (fixmbr, fixboot, bootcfg/chkdsk); for Vista/7 and later use the Windows RE Bootrec.exe options (FixMbr, FixBoot, RebuildBcd) or Startup Repair. Run chkdsk /r if the disk looks flaky. Back up files first if you can (boot a live CD/USB to copy data). (lifewire.com)

If the drive is missing from setup or the machine won’t respond to keys:

  • Do a power reset (remove AC and battery if possible, hold power 10–30s), reseat or test the HDD in an external enclosure, and retry setup. The A10 manual has an HDD troubleshooting checklist you should follow before invasive work. If the drive is dead or the connector is damaged, stop and get a tech to avoid data loss. (manualslib.com)

Why these steps: they separate (1) firmware/boot-order issues, (2) recoverable bootloader/MBR problems, and (3) hardware failure — following them reduces unnecessary reinstalls and preserves data.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for MartyMcFly

Try F2 or Del for Bios.

Press F8 during POST (PowerOn Self Test - The black screen white text stuff), and try booting into safe mode.

Also

Stick in your Windows disk, continue through the setup selecting, a fresh install of Windows. You should either get an error saying no Harddrive can be found, or the the part where it shows you partition (C:\ drive) and gives you the option of reinstalling Windows, which if Safe Mode doesn't work, you may want to do.

Let me know how you get on, Regards, MMF

Member Avatar for mnarewec

Hi MMF
Thanks for your reply. I tried DEL key but can't get into BIOS. The F2 Key pause the process and I see the BIG RED TEXT " In Touch with Tomorrow TOSHIBA". Bottom of the screen have 5 icons representing hard drive, CD, Foppy, Satellite and something else. I tried the error key and I see that I can select any of the icons. I press Enter and Still it gives me nothing.

Yes I have put in a windows disk in but I still get the Total black screen with curson (dash) blinking on and off at the Top Left Hand Side of the Black Screen

Pls help

Member Avatar for miasma

to get into one of the a10 satellites i pressed esc during the toshiba boot up sequence and an error message poped up saying "boot error press f1 to enter setup"

maybe that will help you get in

Member Avatar for knwong

I was wondering how to access the bios setup as well. Press Esc then F1 just works fine. Thank you very much.

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