STARTUP MENU ON BLACK SCREEN

[Nitrojr]

My wife laptop it was stuck on "preparing automatic repair" not sure what the wife did next, but then it was on the " InsydeH20 setup utility" page. i took a pic of it just for the info. then again not sure what the wife did,  but it is now on black screen with white print "startup menu" in upper left corner... help

[itsmyname]

@Nitrojr -- hold-down the on/off button for 30 seconds, until the computer powers-off.

Then, restart the computer, and tell us what is visible on the screen.

[Nitrojr]

it is on black screen HP logo in the center below it says "preparing automatic repair"

[Nitrojr]

@itmyname the screen is on black screen HP logo in the center below it says "preparing automatic repair"

[itsmyname]

@Nitrojr -- preparing automatic repair

Please have some patience. It probably is doing something, other than updating the display.

Does your computer's case have a lamp that lights-up each time that the disk-drive is active (reading or writing) ?  If that lamp is on, most of the time, or blinking erratically, Windows is doing something. 

[Nitrojr]

@itsmyname..no blinking or flashing lights it does have thinking dots going around in a circle on screen. 

currently not hooked to the internet with the laptop in Question. yesterday i reconfigured SSID & passwords in case of hack

[itsmyname]

@Nitrojr -- does have thinking dots going around in a circle on screen

That is a good sign.  Take a coffee-break, and have some more patience, to see if the screen changes.

[Nitrojr]

@itsmyname thank you for the moral support, having Black coffee to match my black screen. 

btw, it was froze on this screen once before... before the wife started pushing "F" buttons and "F" bombs... lol