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Desktop Running, Monitor turns black
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August 22, 2010
8:08 PM
Prema
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hi everyone. so i ahve a work computer that was custom built

the age is about 4-5+ years and it runs a celeron processor wth 1GB RAM, etc.

 

(its a sucky computer)

 

but recently (when i had XP) the computer would still run, but the monitor turns black. it would not respond to the mouse, keyboard. the only way to get it back running is by restarting it (and it works only if im lucky)

 

occasionaly it would restart, but the monitor would remain black…sometimes it would restart with the screen working, then as it appraches the welcome screen it turns black.

 

then like a couple of days ago i upgraded the computer to Win 7 and i have been experiencing the same problems… it is occuring more frequently now.. and in the morning i had it happen three (3) times.

 

the only way i found out it would work was if i sat there waited or fanned the computer

 

please help me finda solution..

 

thanks

Prema23
August 22, 2010
8:26 PM
Locutus
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It sounds like a graphics card problem.

Oh, the site that was :(
August 22, 2010
8:46 PM
Prema
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locotus- do you have a solution? cuz im not that smart technically wise compared to you

 

i was thinking about just disabling hte hibernate, standby, etc features. but i havent tried that.. but thanks man (but please give me some more details!)

 

thanks :)

 

wahti s 2+12? 14!! i lovee thattt

Prema23
August 22, 2010
8:47 PM
Locutus
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Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions--I've been fortunate enough that none of my hardware has ever failed in such a manner (I've had hard drive crashes, but never graphics crashes).  Maybe some of the other dotTechies have some ideas?

Oh, the site that was :(
August 22, 2010
9:22 PM
Prema
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do you think if i replaced the graphics card things would look better for me>?

Prema23
August 22, 2010
10:03 PM
Gioneo
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First thing you should do is try to run the diagnostics during boot (should be F8 right after post, before the starting windows sequence) and see if there's any problem with your hardware.

Next thing I would suggest is to update your graphics drivers (if an update is available) or do a driver rollback if you're running the latest. I won't go flat out and say your vga is bad, there could be many other reasons behind your issue.

August 22, 2010
10:18 PM
Ashraf
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I would hedge my bets in saying your RAM has gone bad as opposed to your graphics card. Do you have any *good* RAM that you can throw into your computer or find out? Or, better yet, try using the same monitor on another computer to see if you still have the same problems.

August 22, 2010
11:07 PM
Locutus
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@Ashraf:  If he used the monitor on another computer and it still didn't work, it'd be a monitor, not a graphics card issue.

@prema23:  You can check if it's your RAM.  First get a blank CD.  Then download this file (it's Memtest 86+) and extract it.  Double click the ISO to open Windows' built-in ISO burner and burn it to the blank CD.  Reboot your computer off the CD. 

Then you have to navigate to somewhere somehow, I forget.  But after a while it'll tell you if your RAM is faulty or not--you should let it go several passes.

Oh, the site that was :(
August 22, 2010
11:26 PM
Ashraf
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@Locutus: Uhhh you think I don't know that? I was simply suggesting different methods on how to diagnose the problem.

August 22, 2010
11:43 PM
Locutus
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I know you knew, don't worry.  I was just making sure the world knew. 

Or something like that.

Oh, the site that was :(
August 23, 2010
6:32 AM
Harlan
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I have the same problem with a laptop. I think it's caused by my 5 year old laptop overheating, but I'm not sure. I found that I could recover by putting it into either hibernation or standby, then reactivating it. Sometimes I lose an online session, but usually everything comes back as if nothing had happened. I would say that it is definitely a hardware problem. I use DesktopOK from softwareOK.com to restore my desktop icon layout, which often is scrambled when I have to recover from this, and I have all programs set to automatically backup their work every few minutes. When I have a graphics crash, I wait long enough to be sure everything has been saved, and then go through the standby/awake cycle. It's a nuisance, but replacing the hardware is not an option.

August 23, 2010
9:18 AM
Prema
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thanks guys for your help..please keep posting just in case.

i also forgot to mention one  detail.. since this is a work computer… the location where the tower is placed doesnt receive much air circulation, so its crowded, heated, and dusty..

 

next thing is i had a 512 KB ram installed during the XP version (prior to upgrade) and it also occured then. (during the last few months).

 

the background behind the computer was it was custom-built by a friend of my dad's for my sister, who eventually put so much viruses on the computer, it literally failed. so we gave it back to the builder, asking him to fix it up.. he sort of did that, then i put on Avast and Malwarebytes and did a search, and REMOVING ALL THE TROJAN, ETC I FOUND ON THE COMPUTER (btw mALWAREBYTES IS THE BEST MALWARE REMOVER!)

 

(oh im in caps, sry)

 

so just a couple days ago our maintenance person said he knew a person who put Win 7 on the computer, and so we gave the computer to him to to install the software.. she put in a 1GB RAM

 

first i thought it the computer itself, cuz of the heating problem.. then i guessed it was the monitor that was having a problem (since its age is 5+)… but now im confused.. ill do what everyone says.. but yeahhh just for additional details..

 

@ashraf..i kinda dont have the extra RAM, but since the lady put in a 1 GB, shouldnt it work?

 

@Locotus haha ya i will download the software nad burn it to a CD.. and go through the menus.. lol…ill have to figure that out hehe

 

there is another option, but im not sure my dad will be willing.

 

staples has a deal for a $299 Desktop..

Processor AMD Athlon II X2 Dual-Core 215 Processor
Memory (RAM) 4GB
Type of Memory DDR3
Memory Expandable to 8GB
Hard Drive Size 640GB
Hard Drive Type SATA
Optical Drive 16X DVDñR/RW SuperMulti Drive
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Network Card 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 Port)
Video Graphics Integrated ATI Radeon HD4250 Graphics Solution
Display None
Other ports Multi-in-One Digital Media Card Reader
# of USB slots 12
TV Tuner None
Dimensions 15 (H) x 7.1 (W) x 16.5 (D) inches
Warranty 1 year
Space Saving Design No
Extra Features Multi-in-One Digital Media Card Reader; 1 HDMI port

 

i tried to convince him to throw that piece of shit away, and get this.. but he didnt listen.. (the bad thing is well.. its outta stock right now.. idk if its in stores (lol?)

but yeah htanks again..

Prema23
August 23, 2010
9:31 AM
Gioneo
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Locutus said:

@Ashraf:  If he used the monitor on another computer and it still didn't work, it'd be a monitor, not a graphics card issue.

@prema23:  You can check if it's your RAM.  First get a blank CD.  Then download this file (it's Memtest 86+) and extract it.  Double click the ISO to open Windows' built-in ISO burner and burn it to the blank CD.  Reboot your computer off the CD. 

Then you have to navigate to somewhere somehow, I forget.  But after a while it'll tell you if your RAM is faulty or not–you should let it go several passes.

He mentioned he has Win7. There's no need to go through all that to check the memory. The Windows Memory Diagnostic tool can take care of it.
 

@Prema23:

F8 during boot, then choose repair your computer from the list. You'll get a list of tools to repair your computer including the memory tool.

If your memory is good, try and boot in Safe Mode with Networking (for internet access, and hopefully in safe mode your screen won't go blank), download the drivers for your vga (manufacturer's site) and save them, remove the current drivers from Control Panel – System – Device Manager on the left and go to Display Adapters (your vga component will be listed there) – Reboot in safe mode again and install the drivers you've downloaded – Reboot normally.

See if that works for you.

*That system for 299 was a good deal.

August 23, 2010
12:26 PM
Mags
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prema23 said:

i also forgot to mention one  detail.. since this is a work computer… the location where the tower is placed doesnt receive much air circulation, so its crowded, heated, and dusty..

 

That is a very important detail.  I would suggest (if you can) is pull that tower out from where it is and give it a good cleaning to get rid of the dust, especially around the fan.  Next check to see if the fan is properly working, if it isn't, then replace it.  If you have a cheap fan, then replace it with a better one. Dust if not cleaned out iis one of the major causes of computer problems.

 

I'd suggest you try this before going to the expense of buying new equiment.

 

My son lost his hard drive due to a cheap fan and not cleaning out the dust.

September 2, 2010
8:32 PM
DSep
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Absolutely. Making sure the rear mounted fan is working should be the first thing you check when such an overheating issue occurs. Bad RAM is possible, but I'm inclined to believe it's a graphics issue if windows actually tries to boot.

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