Blank screen & outta ideas

[helpimblank]

Hey all,
My pc doesn't show any display when i turn it on now, i just dunno what to do.
Whenever i turn it on now it either starts up and the fans are all spinning etc but there's just a blank screen OR i turn it on, the fans spin for about 2 seconds then it kind've turns off and starts back up again then it's just on but no display.
This doesn't happen every time though... just when i've unplugged it from power completely.

It was working fine before, no issues. I gave it a clean earlier with compressed air etc, put it back in and seemed fine. Rebooted since i updated my graphics card ATI Catalyst software and there was a windows update waiting for a reboot in the background, once i rebooted when it got back to windows desktop i was getting an error "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" bsod.

I rebooted into safe mode and checked on this computer (my wifes) and read that this is usually a dodgy driver, reboot and select "last known good configuration" so i done so, loaded windows normally, got another bsod this time something different, only a stop code but can't remember it. Rebooted -again- and now my monitor is just showing a blank screen, it's in standby mode like it's a problem with the graphics card.

Really stuck at what to do now, i've opened the case back up checking everything was slotted into place fine which it is.. now i'm just stuck, please please help!!!

Thanks, sorry for the long read just trying to explain exactly what happend.

Mobo: Abit ip35 pro
Graphics: ATI HD4870

Edit; Still no luck, when i plug my keyboard in it flash's its backlight quickly then that's it, i'm not sure if this is graphics card which i'd guess it would be usually or something else like PSU.. though all my fans are spinning including the graphics card fan etc.. ugh so stressed!

Also i reset the cmos switch on backpanel, no luck. Reseated the graphics card, no luck. Took one RAM stick out of the two, no luck and no 'beeps', took out both RAM sticks to try get a beep but nothing, reseated themm both and still nothing... halp!!

 

[davcon]

Uninstall AMD drivers in add/remove programs
Install the appropriate drivers from AMD site only.
don't use Windows update gpu drivers.
Install the drivers as Admin.
New drivers aren't always perfect for some cards.
using older driver versions is sometimes the best option.
At least you know they work.

 

[helpimblank]

Uninstall AMD drivers in add/remove programs
Install the appropriate drivers from AMD site only.
don't use Windows update gpu drivers.
Install the drivers as Admin.
New drivers aren't always perfect for some cards.
using older driver versions is sometimes the best option.
At least you know they work.

??? I did install the new catalyst from ati's site. Though that isn't the problem, my computer doesn't even show it's booting up, the fans are all on etc but the monitor is blank screen like no signal.. there's no 'beeps' so i'm at a loss as to narrowing the problem down. I've tried a different monitor / reseating vid card & RAM but no luck, all the cables seem fine too, no reason not to be really as was working before.

If i could atleast get the display up i could fix this but nothing on the monitor so i don't know what to do I'm fairly confident with software issues but hardware i'm just a newb.
Please help somebody

 

[hang-the-9]

If your motherboard is not complaining about there being no ram in the system, I'd say you need to replace it.

 

[helpimblank]

If your motherboard is not complaining about there being no ram in the system, I'd say you need to replace it.

That's what i'm worried about, though i'm really short on cash so i don't wanna just get a mobo and replace it then the problem is still there >.< Any way to test first? Thanks.

 

[helpimblank]

Checked inside my pc, i see no speaker on the mobo header, i guess i've never had one as on the mobo itself there's an LED display instead (IP35 Pro XE). I checked the abit error code section as the LED shows up as 9.0. on my rig when i have it on, showing a blank screen/no signal on monitor, this is what it says...

9.0. Complete µGuru initial processAWARD BIOS take over booting job
1. Power on -> Stop at 9.0.2. 0.0.-> 8.3. -> 9.0. Award BIOS initial stop processing ; OC too high or BIOS dead
Soloution:
1. Clear CMOS
2.Restore default setting for BIOS
3. Replace BIOS chip
4. Send to RMA at last

So i guess all i can do is take the battery out the mobo, replace and hope for the best right? How accurate are these LED's usually, anyone know?
Really sick of this problem already i've been up all night searching google etc for help but am kinda lost with it

 

[helpimblank]

Hmm.. also, is there a way i could flash the bios via usb stick? like an automatic way? as i have no display. Maybe flashing with a new bios would sort it? if possible..

 

[helpimblank]

bump

 

[hang-the-9]

Without a screen you won't be able to do anything with the BIOS, you need to put in confirmations to start the BIOS flash. You would not need a speaker attached to hear error beeps from no RAM and such, that comes from a small speaker on the motherboard.

I hate to say it, but your only real option to find the cause of this is to replace the motherboard.

 

[mw14220]

Borrow a graphics card from some one and see what happens then. I had an xfx 9800gt that went bad and I had most of your symptoms. I had a 1650 laying around and when I swapped them around, and loaded the drivers the 1650 put up a display. When I sent the 9800 to xfx rma They sent me a newer model gpu.

 

[helpimblank]

Without a screen you won't be able to do anything with the BIOS, you need to put in confirmations to start the BIOS flash. You would not need a speaker attached to hear error beeps from no RAM and such, that comes from a small speaker on the motherboard.

I hate to say it, but your only real option to find the cause of this is to replace the motherboard.

Some motherboards can be flashed via pen automatically, was just wondering if anyone knew if the ip35 could also. As u said in earlier post there's no speaker attached to the mobo, i don't mean regular speakers i mean a motherboard speaker as it has an LED display instead of beep codes.
Yeah was really worried its the motherboard but it looks like it :/

Borrow a graphics card from some one and see what happens then. I had an xfx 9800gt that went bad and I had most of your symptoms. I had a 1650 laying around and when I swapped them around, and loaded the drivers the 1650 put up a display. When I sent the 9800 to xfx rma They sent me a newer model gpu.

Tried another graphics card from one of my other pc's but thanks for the advice, sadly i can't rma anything i've had it too long (out of warranty) :/

I've basically tested everything i can now without a spare motherboard, or atleast i think so. Here's what i've done, please let me know if you'd suggest anything else to try before new mobo...

* Disconnected several fans / tried a lower powered graphics card to test if it was a PSU problem, doesnt seem so.
* Switched RAM slots around, tried one stick etc.
* Reseated Graphics card, Reseated RAM, checked that Heatsink was on tight, checked cables.
* Had a proper look at the capacitors to check for any bulging / leaks, nothing.
* Cleared CMOS via a battery disconnect / jumper.
* Tried different Monitor
* Tried different (lower powered) Graphics Card.

Think that's everything i've tried thus far... now i'm clueless without having a spare motherboard to test with
Drivin' me mental!!
Any advice is welcome and thank you for replies thus far.

 

[mw14220]

After the IRQL message there should be a location number that can tell you where the problem is. According to the microsoft web site it is usually a kernel that was corrupted. Google technet.microsoft.com.for microsofts explaination and look up the location number. This will give you an idea if it is the mobo or not. Windows should have put a message with the location in your document file.

 

[helpimblank]

After the IRQL message there should be a location number that can tell you where the problem is. According to the microsoft web site it is usually a kernel that was corrupted. Google technet.microsoft.com.for microsofts explaination and look up the location number. This will give you an idea if it is the mobo or not. Windows should have put a message with the location in your document file.

Hi mate, thanks for the info. I honestly don't remember the IRQL bsod stuff but after that.. i would say 2-3 restarts after i had another BSOD this happend just before my screen started doing the "no signal" stuff and i've not been able to use the computer since. I do have a picture of this BSOD if you think you could identify the problem via stop code? It's on my phone, dunno why i took a picture of it but maybe it'll come in handy! I'll charge my phone a little and put it up on here shortly, thanks alot for the help!!

 

[jsc]

If your PC is not booting (no single, short beep), something died in it. Time to start troubleshooting.

Work systematically through our standard checklist and troubleshooting thread:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems
I mean work through, not just read over it. We spent a lot of time on this. It should find most of the problems.

If not, continue.
The following is an expansion of my troubleshooting tips in the breadboarding link in the "Cannot boot" thread.

I have tested the following beep patterns on Gigabyte, eVGA, and ECS motherboards. Other BIOS' may be different, but they all use a single short beep for a successful POST.

Breadboard - that will help isolate any kind of case problem you might have.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/262730-31-breadboarding

Breadboard with just motherboard, CPU & HSF, case speaker, and PSU.

Make sure you plug the CPU power cable in. The system will not boot without it.

I always breadboard a new build. It takes only a few minutes, and you know you are putting good parts in the case once you are finished.

You can turn on the PC by momentarily shorting the two pins that the case power switch goes to. You should hear a series of long, single beeps indicating memory problems. Silence indicates a problem with (in most likely order) the PSU, motherboard, or CPU. Remember, at this time, you do not have a graphics card installed so the load on your PSU will be reduced.

If no beeps:
Running fans and drives and motherboard LED's do not necessarily indicate a good PSU. In the absence of a single short beep, they also do not indicate that the system is booting.

At this point, you can sort of check the PSU. Try to borrow a known good PSU of around 550 - 600 watts. That will power just about any system with a single GPU. If you cannot do that, use a DMM to measure the voltages. Measure between the colored wires and either chassis ground or the black wires. Yellow wires should be 12 volts. Red wires: +5 volts, orange wires: +3.3 volts, blue wire : -12 volts, violet wire: 5 volts always on. Tolerances are +/- 5% except for the -12 volts which is +/- 10%.

The gray wire is really important. It should go from 0 to +5 volts when you turn the PSU on with the case switch. CPU needs this signal to boot.

You can turn on the PSU by completely disconnecting the PSU and using a paperclip or jumper wire to short the green wire to one of the neighboring black wires.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWXgQSokF4&feature=youtube_gdata

A way that might be easier is to use the main power plug. Working from the back of the plug where the wires come out, use a bare paperclip to short between the green wire and one of the neighboring black wires. That will do the same thing with an installed PSU. It is also an easy way to bypass a questionable case power switch.

This checks the PSU under no load conditions, so it is not completely reliable. But if it can not pass this, it is dead. Then repeat the checks with the PSU plugged into the computer to put a load on the PSU.

If the system beeps:
If it looks like the PSU is good, install a memory stick. Boot. Beep pattern should change to one long and several short beeps indicating a missing graphics card.

Silence, long single beeps, or series of short beeps indicate a problem with the memory. If you get short beeps verify that the memory is in the appropriate motherboard slots.

Insert the video card and connect any necessary PCIe power connectors. Boot. At this point, the system should POST successfully (a single short beep). Notice that you do not need keyboard, mouse, monitor, or drives to successfully POST.
At this point, if the system doesn't work, it's either the video card or an inadequate PSU. Or rarely - the motherboard's PCIe interface.

Now start connecting the rest of the devices starting with the monitor, then keyboard and mouse, then the rest of the devices, testing after each step. It's possible that you can pass the POST with a defective video card. The POST routines can only check the video interface. It cannot check the internal parts of the video card.

 

[hang-the-9]

Have you tried different RAM or just swapped around what was in the system?

I really don't think you will get anywhere without replacing the motherboard here.

 

[mw14220]

Hi mate, thanks for the info. I honestly don't remember the IRQL bsod stuff but after that.. i would say 2-3 restarts after i had another BSOD this happend just before my screen started doing the "no signal" stuff and i've not been able to use the computer since. I do have a picture of this BSOD if you think you could identify the problem via stop code? It's on my phone, dunno why i took a picture of it but maybe it'll come in handy! I'll charge my phone a little and put it up on here shortly, thanks alot for the help!!

Yes post it. I am a relative newcommer, and not a programmer, but there are a lot of people here that can take that info and help you. I have learned a lot as a lurker on this site and have used info from other's posts to help solve my pbms.

 

[helpimblank]

Yes post it. I am a relative newcommer, and not a programmer, but there are a lot of people here that can take that info and help you. I have learned a lot as a lurker on this site and have used info from other's posts to help solve my pbms.

Here it is mate, hopefully somebody can work it out...

 

[helpimblank]

final bump... if somebody can please look at the error code and let me know what it means it'd be appreciated, thanks.

 

[davcon]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330182

 

[mw14220]

If it is a regestry error re-install windows or repair . Go into your bios or start up screen and select boot from disk. You must do this before the windows copy on your HD starts up. Normaly you will need to press F12 or delete very quickly, which ever stops the boot up process on your machine. When you get to the screen where all your machines start up tests are run and verified it will ask you Boot from disk? Y/n. Put in the windows disk hit Y and windows will reinstall it's start up drivers. Your machine should boot up and then you can re install windows or roll it back to an earlier date when it worked correctly. I think this is a corruption of a file or a file that was downloaded recently pbm and not a mobo pbm. If it is a software pbm on your hard drive getting a new mobo will probably do no good unless you re install windows anyway. I had a pbm like this and it turned out to be my up dated ethernet card drivers .

 

[helpimblank]

If it is a regestry error re-install windows or repair . Go into your bios or start up screen and select boot from disk. You must do this before the windows copy on your HD starts up. Normaly you will need to press F12 or delete very quickly, which ever stops the boot up process on your machine. When you get to the screen where all your machines start up tests are run and verified it will ask you Boot from disk? Y/n. Put in the windows disk hit Y and windows will reinstall it's start up drivers. Your machine should boot up and then you can re install windows or roll it back to an earlier date when it worked correctly. I think this is a corruption of a file or a file that was downloaded recently pbm and not a mobo pbm. If it is a software pbm on your hard drive getting a new mobo will probably do no good unless you re install windows anyway. I had a pbm like this and it turned out to be my up dated ethernet card drivers .

Wouldn't it still show the post screen etc though if it was a file / driver issue? remember when i turn on the pc the monitor is totally blank displaying "no signal"

 

[davcon]

Have you tried different display cables?
I just fixed a clients black screen issue on Wednesday by simply removing the HDMI cable and switching to a DVI.
Problem was solved = faulty cable
Btw the client was going mental and had begun the rma process for his mobo.
His symptoms included black screen
When the screen did display he couldn't access his bios
When i was there the rig was very slow and unresponsive
Progressively got worse and became totally unresponsive.
Wiggled the HDMI cable and the monitor turned on and off.
Removed the HDMI and tried VGA = booted right up to logo default screen
Something he hadn't seen in two months after numerous cmos resets and the like
Eventually used DVI = happy client with totally functional pc