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blank screen at boot up

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jackgreat

Sergeant

Joined: Jun 12, 2004
Posts: 86

Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 5:48 am Post subject: blank screen at boot up

Hello Everyone, Just a day ago, I noticed a new strange issue regarding my pc. When I switch on my PC nothing comes on the screen. And after the windows xp boots up and welcome screen comes then my lcd monitor comes back to life. This is so strange, and it has just started. In other words bios and loading of windows does not appear. The screen is blank but as soon as windows boots up things come back and then all is normal. And I think this happened as there was a power fluctuation and my system which was on, rebooted. But then I could see bios when it reboot. I turned it off. Since then this issue has begun. Has anyone come across something like this? what can I do to fix it ? Help will be appreaciated. Thanks, JG

k027

Special Response Team
Guest Forums Host

Joined: Aug 25, 2003
Posts: 8404

Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:54 am Post subject:

Check your BIOS for a "quick boot" option which you may have inadvertantly enabled. See this: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1785999,00.asp

jackgreat

Sergeant

Joined: Jun 12, 2004
Posts: 86

Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:58 pm Post subject: issue still there

k027 wrote:

Check your BIOS for a "quick boot" option which you may have inadvertantly enabled. See this:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1785999,00.asp

I dont think quick boot has been enabled. This is because I dont see the initial boot and nor do I see windows xp loading.
Moreover since I cannot see bios and its initial bootup, how can I change them. The screen is blank during bootup and only comes back to life when windows is fully loaded.

Bill_Bright

General

Premium Member

Joined: Jan 16, 2004
Posts: 8963
Location: Nebraska, USA

Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:16 pm Post subject:

This could be a failing monitor or failing graphics card and they are unable to sync resolutions at the lower standard VGA resolutions during boot. The first thing I would do is swap monitors with another computer and see what happens. If the problem follows the monitor, you know it's the monitor. If the problem stays with the PC, you got a problem with your graphics system, either the driver is corrupt, or the card (or motherboard if on-board) is failing - assuming all is fine after the boot is complete. _________________ Bill, AFE7Ret Freedom is NOT Free!

jackgreat

Sergeant

Joined: Jun 12, 2004
Posts: 86

Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:17 pm Post subject: puzzled

I dont have a spare monitor or so at the moment to test. So far no other problem has appeared. windows and graphics etc are working fine. the boot up issue is only present. Games etc are also working okay. I have geforce 7600 gt card. I still dunno why screen goes blank at boot.

Bill_Bright

General

Premium Member

Joined: Jan 16, 2004
Posts: 8963
Location: Nebraska, USA

Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:34 pm Post subject:

Quote:

I still dunno why screen goes blank at boot.

And you won't until you determine if your monitor is failing to sync to the graphics card during boot, or if the graphics card is sending the proper signals to the monitor. So if you don't have a spare monitor, or another computer to try your monitor on, it's just a guessing game.

All cables are securely fastened, right? And the card is secured with a retaining screw?

I would advise against changing the computer's resolution at this time until you determine what is causing the problem - it would not be good to change it a non-supported resolution, and be stuck there.

_________________

Bill, AFE7Ret
Freedom is NOT Free!

jackgreat

Sergeant

Joined: Jun 12, 2004
Posts: 86

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:38 pm Post subject:

Hi, sorry for late response. I dont think resolution is an issue because when i play red alert 2 then initial resolution changes to 800by600 then I change it to 1024byxxx as well and no problem occurs.

Bill_Bright

General

Premium Member

Joined: Jan 16, 2004
Posts: 8963
Location: Nebraska, USA

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 4:04 pm Post subject:

jackgreat wrote:

Hi, sorry for late response. I dont think resolution is an issue because when i play red alert 2 then initial resolution changes to 800by600 then I change it to 1024byxxx as well and no problem occurs.

800x600 is SVGA. Plain old VGA is 640x480 and some motherboards use that resolution during the initial stages of the boot process, until the graphics BIOS is read in.

Do you hear any beeps? It seems if you strategically place your tongue correctly, and time it perfectly, you should be able to enter the BIOS Setup Menu by pressing the correct key after at just the right time after the beep. Then you can check the settings k027 suggested. Of course, if there is still no picture, that won't do any good and you will have to reset the computer to get out. Fortunately, since nothing is written to the BIOS and the boot drive has yet to be accessed, no harm or data corruption can occur.

Beyond that, until you can test your computer with another monitor, as long as it boots up fine otherwise, I think I would leave it alone.

Did you check the maker's website for a BIOS update? If another monitor acts the same way, my next step would be to flash the BIOS. But since that is always risky, I would make sure it was my computer having problems and not the monitor.

_________________

Bill, AFE7Ret
Freedom is NOT Free!

jackgreat

Sergeant

Joined: Jun 12, 2004
Posts: 86

Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:15 am Post subject: results

I did some experiment and here are the results. I connected a normal lcd monitor to my motherboard's video output. And removed my graphics card. When I did that the bios screen came on the lcd monitor (without DVI) and I checked the settings of video output and it showed Auto. But when I insert my graphics card in PCI-Express slot and then bios screen does not display in monitor (With DVI) nor does it display in normal lcd monitor. When windows loads then DVI (original) monitor comes back to life. Now what does this indicate ?? What should I do ??

Bill_Bright

General

Premium Member

Joined: Jan 16, 2004
Posts: 8963
Location: Nebraska, USA

Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:26 pm Post subject:

Quote:

I connected a normal lcd monitor to my motherboard's video output. And removed my graphics card. When I did that the bios screen came on the lcd monitor (without DVI) and I checked the settings of video output and it showed Auto.

But when I insert my graphics card in PCI-Express slot and then bios screen does not display in monitor (With DVI) nor does it display in normal lcd monitor. When windows loads then DVI (original) monitor comes back to life.

I am glad you found another monitor and did some testing. Now I think I understand. But first, lets set some common terminology instead of "normal LCD" and "with" or "without DVI" to make sure we are on the same page.

The without DVI (and normal lcd?) connection I am assuming you refer to is the analog connection used by all CRT (picture tube type) and many LCD monitors. This familiar 15-pin analog connection is also known as the "VGA" connector - although that is not exactly proper. "VGA" has just been wrongly used to describe this connector for so long, that it has just stuck in society's vocabulary. The correct name for that connector is "D-Sub" - but know one but geeks could remember that so VGA became the common name for the connector, and cable.

For digital graphics, both the graphics source (card or on-board graphics) and the monitor must support digital signals via a digital video interface or "DVI" connection. Newer cards and monitors are supporting "High-Definition Multimedia Interface" (HDMI) connections to comply with standards already established by the home theater/audio reproduction equipment industry. The primary difference being HDMI carries 5.1 digital audio along with the video. The digital signal with DVI and HDMI are the same so adapters are simple and inexpensive, similar to DVI to D-Sub.

When talking connections for either end of the monitor's signal cable, the following terms are commonly understood:

On-board graphics typically support analog only and have a single 15-pin D-Sub connector in the rear I/O panel (that rectangle full of connectors on the back of the case).

I am assuming your add-in card has 1 DVI connector only, or maybe 1 DVI connector plus 1 D-Sub.

If I understand the hardware and both scenarios properly, when you connect in analog mode using a VGA cable to the motherboard's on-board DSub connector, you can enter the BIOS Setup Menu, or watch the system start, run through the POST, then load Windows - no problems.

But when you connect in digital mode through the DVI connections, you do not see but the tail end of the boot process.

If that is the problem, then it probably is not a problem - just an annoyance. Many early digital LCD monitors didn't support standard VGA and SVGA resolutions - so they remained blank (showed just a portion of display in huge text) until the boot process moved along far enough for a supported resolution to come along. I first came across this problem several years ago with a 17" ViewSonic VG171b. Fortunately, both the monitor and card supported DVI and D-Sub so when access to the BIOS Setup Menu was needed, a simple shutdown and swap of cables did it.

If your monitor only supports digital, then you will have to keep a second monitor (or good friend) nearby.

********

To further your experiment, you need to take your DVI monitor and connect it to another computer that supports DVI and see if you can get into that BIOS Setup Menu. If you can, then you know your card does not like the lower resolutions in digital mode. If your monitor behaves the same way on this computer too, then it is your monitor that does not like the lower resolutions.

_________________

Bill, AFE7Ret
Freedom is NOT Free!

jackgreat

Sergeant

Joined: Jun 12, 2004
Posts: 86

Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:16 pm Post subject: more information

Thanks a lot Bill for additional information. But I think there is something more that I should tell you. Before this problem started, I could see the bios screen in my orignial monitor which is connected to my addon graphics card thru DVI port. My addon graphics card is Geforece 7600GT and it has 2 DVI slots and no D-SUB. So I could see the entire bootup process before. The problem started when once there was a power failure and my system rebooted. At that time also I could see bios but I shut off my pc. After that when I resumed this issue started and i couldnt see bios. As mentioned before when i use normal lcd monitor (without DVI) using normal vga , then i can see BIOS only if I remove my graphics card. If my graphics card is plugged in then my monitor with DVI should show bios but it does not now. Now with the above information what would your conclusion be ??

Bill_Bright

General

Premium Member

Joined: Jan 16, 2004
Posts: 8963
Location: Nebraska, USA

Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject:

Well, the information about the power outage may be significant because power outages can result in corrupt files. You might try removing your card again, uninstall the drivers, and install fresh video drivers from your card maker's web site. If this is a BIOS issue, you may have to flash the BIOS, or upgrade the BIOS. Check the motherboard or PC makers website for new drivers. The reason you only see the BIOS with the on-board if you remove the add in card is because your BIOS is set to auto-sense the board and switch to it. With the card in, the monitor is expected to be fed from the card. I think you are still back to checking that monitor on another PC. If that does not do it, then _________________ Bill, AFE7Ret Freedom is NOT Free!

jackgreat

Sergeant

Joined: Jun 12, 2004
Posts: 86

Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:03 am Post subject: problem solved

hey, I solved the problem. By using my monitor's DVI cable on another DVI port (the one adjacent to first dvi port in my graphics card) I solved the issue. Now my bios and other stuff is visible in my LCD monitor. WoW I didn't know it was just that. Who would think that connecting to another dvi port would solve this issue. Kool..

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