Strange bootup behavior: monitor sleeps for a sec then black screen w/cursor, then regular login

[LadyA]

I have googled this problem to death and lots of people seem to have the same or similar issue, but I wanted to start my own thread in case my problem is different. I'm assuming it's a graphics/display issue but I could be wrong.

My specs: Windows 7 64-bit SP1, Intel Core i7-3770, 12GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce GT 640

And I am using extended monitors in case that is important to know (they're both ASUS VE247 24"). Primary display is using DVI-D and secondary is using HDMI. Display settings labels my main display as #2 though, not sure why or if that even matters. Screen shot of what I mean: http://i.imgur.com/Bn56xr3.jpg (it's correctly marked as the main display and works as such, it just is labeled 2 for some reason).

I have that silly GeForce Experience software that automatically updates my graphics drivers, even though I don't game, so all drivers are up to date currently.

Anyway, here is exactly what happens after I turn the computer on:

1. the Dell screen with F2/F12 options shows for about 25 seconds
2. "starting windows" with the Windows logo shows for about 30 seconds
3. screen goes black and flashes "DVI no signal" for 1 second
4. then the monitor goes to sleep (black screen with orange light) for about 20 seconds
5. then the monitor wakes back up (blue light) and flashes "DVI", but then screen stays black with a white cursor showing for about 15 seconds
6. then goes to the regular Windows log-in screen and I can log in normally
7. once logged in, all the icons on the desktop and taskbar seem to "repopulate" or something. They turn to blank white icons and then revert back to normal pretty quickly.

After that everything seems normal and I can use the computer just fine.

I can't help but wonder if this is linked to some Windows update because my mom's computer (also Windows 7) is doing basically the same thing and her graphics card is also a GeForce.

Any idea what the issue is? Thanks in advance!

 

[i7Baby]

Main screen will be the one you hook up first.

Are both monitors running off your graphics card?

gddr3 (Dual Link DVI-I, Dual Link DVI-D, Mini HDMI) gt640 or ddr5 (Dual Link DVI-D, HDMI, VGA)?

ASUS VE247 has HDMI , D-Sub (vga), DVI-D

 

[LadyA]

Oh, so it's just calling the main screen #2 because I must have plugged it in second?

Yep, both monitors are plugged into the graphics card and extended monitors has been working just fine. The only weird issue is during bootup/startup I guess.

It's a gt640 with DDR3 (I wasn't sure, so double checked using Speccy). The card came with the system when I bought it already assembled from Costco so it might be a little different than the gt640 that people buy off the shelf.

It looks like this: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-640-oem/product-images
It has a dual link DVI-I, HDMI, and a DisplayPort.

I do remember checking that it would be okay to plug in the DVI-D monitor to the DVI-I port on the card and the Nvidia website said they are compatible. From the 3rd paragraph on this page: "NVIDIA based graphics cards which carry a DVI-I connector are fully compatible with flat panel LCD monitors which typically have DVI-D cables."

(Thanks for helping with both my questions lately!

 

[i7Baby]

What port out of the graphics card goes into what port on what (No.1 or 2.) monitor?

DVI-D and DVI-I are not compatible. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface

I'd run DVI-I out of the card to a DVI/VGA adapter via a vga cable to one monitor vga port - adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999201 - you usually get one with most graphics cards.

and DVI-D to the other monitor DVI-D port.

 

[LadyA]

The graphics card DVI-I is connected to the DVI-D on the primary monitor (the one my computer labels as #2).

The graphics card HDMI is connected to the HDMI on the extended monitor (the one my computer labels as #1).

Everything works on both of the monitors once it's finished booting and starting up, so I always assumed it was okay (I'm kind of a newb though).

So instead of having each monitor connect directly to the graphics card, it is better to connect the monitors to each other (with DVI-D) and then only use one port on the graphics card (using the adapter)? I just want to make sure I understood that right. I had no idea I could connect the monitors to each other.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[i7Baby]

"The graphics card DVI-I is connected to the DVI-D on the primary monitor (the one my computer labels as #2)." - Try "DVI-I out of the card to a DVI/VGA adapter via a vga cable to one monitor vga port - adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... - you usually get one with most graphics cards."

 

[LadyA]

"The graphics card DVI-I is connected to the DVI-D on the primary monitor (the one my computer labels as #2)." - Try "DVI-I out of the card to a DVI/VGA adapter via a vga cable to one monitor vga port - adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... - you usually get one with most graphics cards."

Oh, ya, I got that part.... but it was when you said "and DVI-D to the other monitor DVI-D port" that made me think you also meant to connect the monitors to each other (both of them have DVI-D)... I was picturing almost a chain set-up, like [monitor]to[monitor]to[graphics card]. So one monitor would have two cables attached - one that goes to the other monitor and one that goes to the graphics card.

I must have went way out in left field with that?

But I do know what you mean with the adapter... I guess I'll try that and then just leave the other monitor how it is (connected via HDMI).

Once I try that out I will post back to say if it fixed the weird boot-up problems.

Thanks again!

 

[i7Baby]

DVI-D is not compatible with DVI-I - as I said above.

 

[LadyA]

DVI-D is not compatible with DVI-I - as I said above.

There's probably some confusion here... yes I understood that when you said it and the first monitor issue with getting an adapter is all good, understood.

it was just -->

What port out of the graphics card goes into what port on what (No.1 or 2.) monitor?

DVI-D and DVI-I are not compatible. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface

I'd run DVI-I out of the card to a DVI/VGA adapter via a vga cable to one monitor vga port - adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999201 - you usually get one with most graphics cards.

and DVI-D to the other monitor DVI-D port.

...the part of your quote I put in bold is what threw me off into left field, I must have misunderstood. The only two things that are DVI-D are my two monitors... so I thought you were saying to connect them to each other with like a male-to-male DVI-D cable, and then use the VGA port of one of them to connect to the DVI/VGA adapter and then to the graphics card DVI-I.

A side note, I wonder how the DVI-D to DVI-I connection is working just fine if they are not compatible? The only issue is the weird boot-up thing, which is something relatively new. It wasn't happening when I first set these monitors up in 2012. And like the link I showed you, Nvidia's own website said their DVI-I ports on the cards are compatible with LCD monitors that are DVI-D.

Oh well, not a big deal... I will just get the $5 adapter and see if it fixes the boot issue.

 

[LadyA]

Sorry about all that, I'm kind of figuring things out as I go... I confused myself, plus most of this is new to me.

Guess I just had to do more googling. So I don't even know if this is a connections issue or not to begin with but it was a good place to start. From everything I read today the set-up I have is perfectly fine though and I also saw a senior mod in this forum say, "A DVI-I port will work with a DVI-D device. No adapter is required." (And there was lots of other people asking if they can plug in a DVI-D monitor to a DVI-I port on a graphics card and they were told yes.)

But after more reading, I learned about the resolution/refresh rate/MHz and how dual-link and single-link can matter depending on those things. So I checked the DVI-D cable that I have been using and it is only single-link which I didn't realize before. Nothing really wrong with that from what I read, but since my monitor and the graphics card both will support dual-link, I figured maybe I should try a dual-link DVI-D cable and see if that fixes the issue.

The table shown under "single link and dual link" on this website - http://www.playtool.com/pages/dvicompat/dvi.html - seems to show that for a 1920x1080 screen resolution at 60 MHz refresh rate (that's what I'm using), a dual-link cable should (or can) be used. I'm not saying that too confidently, that's just how I interpreted the table.

So, instead of buying a DVI/VGA adapter, I'm going to get a dual-link DVI-D cable just to see if it fixes the weird issue. I have a feeling nothing will change, but maybe it's worth a try. Will post back if it works.

(Do I get an award/badge for "longest posts"? LOL Sorry, I always seem to do that.)

 

[i7Baby]

For 1080p anything will work.

 

[LadyA]

For some reason I didn't get a notification of your reply... if I saw it, it might have prevented me wasting $8 on a dual-link DVI-D cable, haha! I tried the new cable and it didn't fix the behavior whatsoever. Oh well, LOL

I'm still wondering if it's a drivers issue somehow because the boot-up/start-up behavior wasn't always like that, it's a newer thing that's happened and there have been two Nvidia graphics driver updates plus lots of Windows updates in that time span. Seems like it could be related, not sure.

Since the computer seems to work fine and everything once I've logged in, I've just gotten used to the way it boots up and have kinda given up on trying to fix it for the time being.