[memmons9]

About a year ago, after successfully installing W-10 on my laptop, I decided to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 on my desktop.  I started the process and when I came back, the computer screen was blank and the fan was running.  I hard rebooted and nothing.  Just the fan.  Nothing came up on the screen at all.  I went away for the winter and when I got back in April 2016 I tried rebooting the computer again.  It booted up and went directly back into the Windows 10 install.  I sat there and watched and the process completed.  The screen was back to normal.  I left it running like I normally do and when I came back to see how it was doing, the screen was blank again.  I tried to reboot and nothing would come up on the screen just like four months before.  Do you have any ideas about what to do now?

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Oh yeah.  I should mention that I replaced the button battery somewhere is all of this.  I think it is the CMOS battery.

[memmons9]

Oh yeah.  I should mention that I replaced the button battery somewhere is all of this.  I think it is the CMOS battery.

[phillpower2]

   memmons9,

 

Do you have any ideas about what to do now?

 

 

Try connecting another screen to the computer or if you have a notebook try connecting that to the present screen and test, this to make sure that it is not a problem with the screen as opposed to your desktop computer.

 

Please provide information about your computer, this includes is it a custom build or brand name such as Dell or HP, if a brand name, provide the model name or series number (not serial) if a custom build post the brand and model name or number for the MB and add on video card if one is used, providing these details will enable us to better assist you.

 

 

[memmons9]

I disconnected all external drives, etc and pressed the power button. The computer started to spool up for two seconds and then went completely quiet, except for the fan noise. There was none of the usual beeps during the bootup process. My monitor has a self test mode and it acknowledged that the HDMI cable was active and then the screen went black after the self test was complete.  While I was reading the sticker on the side of the computer for model number, etc., I noticed the tell-tail ticking noise of an active hard-drive.  I let it run for a few minutes and the screen turned light blue with the circulating circle and words reading "computer is updating.  Do not turn off computer".  I have checked back a couple times and the light blue windows flag was on the screen with the circulating circle of dots.  Now the screen has returned to normal.  The hard-drive is still ticking away.  This is exactly what it did when I got back home in April 2016 after three months away before it went black again.  I am cautiously optimistic.

 

Here is the computer info. in case there is a repeat performance.  I will watch it for the day and report back tomorrow morning with a thumbs up or down.

HP Pavilion e9240f, AMD Phenom II x4 945 processor, 8 GB DDR3 System Memory, 1 TB hard-drive, ATI Radeon HD 4650 graphics card.

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the update, if the issue does happen again can you post the PSU information for us.

 

I noticed the tell-tail ticking noise of an active hard-drive. 

 

 

I suggest keeping a check on the HDD as well, any odd noise from a HDD is not a good sign, failing HDD sounds here

 

Can I suggest that you check the power profile settings to make sure that it is set to Balanced and not High Performance and that the screen is set to never turn off.

 

Fingers crossed for you 

[memmons9]

Current status of computer:  I let the computer run yesterday and all night.  We lost power yesterday for a couple hours and I restarted the computer.  The bootup looked perfectly normal.  I checked in again this morning and an update was in process.  I let it finish and then decided to shut it down and restart.  The computer ran some updates and restarted and ran some more updates as it booted up.  Everything looks good.  I will let it run and see what happens.  I'm still cautiously optimistic though.  Thanks for your attention to my request for help.  I think it is appropriate to close this post and if I have any more difficulty with it, I will post a new thread. Thanks again.

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the update, no need to start a new thread if the problem reappears, just post back here, if we don`t hear back from you after a week or so we can mark your thread as being resolved.

 

You are most welcome btw 

[memmons9]

I checked on the desktop computer this morning and the screen is black again.  I tried everything I know to wake it up but no good.  I hard booted and the fan came one but there was no other sounds and the screen remains black.  This has to be something in the hardware.

[phillpower2]

Best Answer

Any error beeps at all.

 

Are you comfortable/confident working inside of a computer.

[memmons9]

The fan is the only sound.  The HDD noise one usually hears is absent.  When it worked recently I could hear a very faint rapid ticking noise that one always hears when the HDD is doing something.  I have worked inside computers before but I wouldn't say I was a computer tech.  What have you in mind?  I'm game.

[phillpower2]

As said in my reply #5 any odd noise from a HDD is not a good sign but if the HDD had failed you would get a "no bootable device found" message rather than nothing on the screen at all so I suspect the problem lays elsewhere.

 

First check should be removing the add on video card from the MB and trying the MBs integrated graphics;

 

The following checks require the computer case to be opened so take the following safety precautions 1st, disconnect the power cord from the wall and take anti static

precautions before touching anything inside, you can do this by touching a bare metal part of the case or PSU.

 

Remove the side of the case.

 

Remove the add on video card, connect your screen to the appropriate graphics port on the MB, attach the power cord etc and power up, let us know if there is any change in the behaviour. 

 

NB: Will not be around for a few hrs now due to other commitments but should be back just after 4pm UK time, if no change after removing the add on video card please repeat the same safety steps, leave out the video card, remove all RAM, reconnect the power cord, turn on the power, let us know if you hear any error beeps.

[memmons9]

I took the side panel off and unsecured the video card.  I have used the HDMI port since the beginning.  I couldn't get the card all the way out as it was secured to the MB  somehow.  I gave up for fear of damaging the card or MB if I forced it.  Instead I plugged a DVI connector into the video card and the monitor and removed the HDMI.  I turned the computer on and it is working fine.  It still didn't come up with the usual beeps but the text of the screen was normal.  I am running some HP supplied hardware diagnostics now.  I will backup all my data from the HDD to a portable 320GB drive I have just in case the HDD is going.  I have always been suspicious of the HDD because at times over the years it has made some weird grinding type noises but they would stop and there was never any obvious problems.  I listened to the file of HDD noises you sent earlier but I didn't hear anything like what I experienced.  I will keep you up to date on the progress.  I appreciate your help.  Thanks

[memmons9]

I ran every diagnostic tool I have and everything passed.  Now I just checked and the screen is black and it won't restart just like before.  I wonder if there is a temperature issue that crashes the computer.

[phillpower2]

The add on video card must be completely removed from the MB, what is most likely happening is that the add on video card is settling back into the PCI-E slot and then being detected by the BIOS on boot, when this happens the MBs integrated video ports are disabled by default.

 

I couldn't get the card all the way out as it was secured to the MB  somehow.

 

 

The card will be held in place by a locking tab at the back just above the surface of the MB, this tab needs to be pulled out to release the bottom of the card, excuse the title of the tutorial but see the guide here, note what step 6 says.

[phillpower2]

Not heard back from you memmons9, do you still require assistance or is the issue now resolved, an update would be appreciated.