Computer Boots To Black Screen

For such a relatively small device, a lot can go wrong with your laptop or computer. One of the more frustrating things that could go wrong is when your screen won't turn on. You may find that your fan is working, but there is nothing on your display, or there is just no signal. This is occasionally referred to as the black screen of death (bsod), fortunately you should be able to fix it. If your computer boots to a black screen here are a few ways that you could remedy the problem.

No Display When Turned On

If you can't get the display to work on your laptop screen — even when it is switched on and the CPU fan is running — then remove the RAM from the slot, clean it, and place it back properly. (You can also try inserting it in another slot.)

Note: Before touching any of your PC's internals, remember to ground yourself to remove any static electricity.

If you have two RAMs inserted, then remove both and replace only one. If you check the display and it still isn't working, try switching out the RAM. If you are replacing the RAM, make sure that it is compatible with your computer's specs.

If the problem persists, then try connecting an external monitor to your laptop. Simply look for the VGA connector (there will be a monitor symbol) on your laptop, and connect it to the external monitor. Then turn your laptop on.

If you are able to get the display to work on an external monitor, then there may be a problem with your laptop's backlight bulb or inverter, one or both of which will need to be replaced.

Screen Black, But Can Boot In Safe Mode

If you find that the screen works normally (it doesn't turn black) in safe mode, then there is probably a corrupted drive for your video card (safe mode loads the generic windows driver and not the one specific to your card).

Go into the Device Manager under display adapters and right click your display adapter and click Uninstall.

Now reboot normally. Windows will detect the display adapter that is installed and reinstall the driver for the device. It may ask you to reboot again. Upon this reboot if the problem persists then the driver is completely corrupted.

You will need to go online and download the most up to date driver for your device and install that. You can go online if you boot in safe mode with networking.

Black Screen After Windows Has Loaded

If your computer is starting normally, but then as soon as Windows has loaded, the screen goes black, this solution could help. Before you try to replace a graphics card or do a reinstall of an Operating System, Check to see if the jumpers on the hard drive are set to master.

This is a small clip that sits in pins on the back of the hard drive. Cable select could be going out and cause the same symptoms. If you are not sure how to set a jumper just google it for directions and it should help, but hard drive a labeled. CS-for cable select, SL- for slave, and MA- for master.

Black Screen With Moving Cursor

Do you have a black screen, except you can see and move the cursor? In this situation, typically ctrl+alt+delete and doesn't respond, and rebooting to safe mode results in the same black screen.

When you switch ON your computer, start tapping the "F8" key to get "Windows Advanced Options"( if boot menu appears, press "Esc" key and keep tapping the F8 key)

Select "Safe Mode with Networking"

Press Windows+R keys and type regedt32 and press Enter.

Registry Editor will be opened. Navigate to the following location

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon

At the right side, find the strings shell & userinit and check the following

shell value data should be Explorere

userinit value data should be C:WINDOWSsystem32userinie ,

If shell and userinit are having different data values then change it as mentioned above. Just double click shell and userinit and enter the data values as shell --> "Value data" should be Explorere

userinit --> "Value data" should be C:WINDOWSsystem32userinie,

Once you have done this, download some form of anti-virus software. We recommend Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Update to the latest version and perform a Full Scan - the default is Quick Scan, so you will need to select this option.

Black Screen After Changing Resolution

If you suddenly notice a change in resolution, as if the computer has started up in safe mood, and then opt to change the resolution (above 800x600 in some examples)- you may find that the screen goes black. A quick fix for this is to immediately press the F8 key after the start up screen, and selecting Enable VGA from the menu. You should then be able to reset the resolution and resolve the black screen issue.

Alternative Solutions

Disconnect everything. Remove your power cord (from the PC or laptop). Push the start button 2-3 times to eliminate remaining current. Reconnect everything. Push the start button. A slight variation on this solution is to remove your power cord (from the PC or laptop) and hold the Power On button for 30 seconds to 1 minute and then connect the power cord back again. Turn it on to see if the problem persists.

If the problem persists, check the video or graphics card (if any). If there is no graphic card and problem still changing it clear your CMOS by removing battery.

If it is not fixed, check the processor's heat sink for any GPU overheating issues.

If you notice any beeping noise during bootup, these can guide to what is wrong with your PC. Read this article on how to recognize computer beeps.

Try to Enter BIOS , some users have found that the monitor auto adjusts without doing anything more. After exiting BIOS, the monitor worked normally.

, some users have found that the monitor auto adjusts without doing anything more. After exiting BIOS, the monitor worked normally. After, we suggest you to check motherboard and processor to see if they are damaged.

Finally, if possible, swap your monitors to ensure it's not just the monitor or cables that are faulty, and just check for any lose connections between your PC and monitor.

Image: © Pankaj Patel - Unsplasom