My PC starts but the screen remains black.

Gonzo100100 · 10 Nov 2023 at 14:42

Hi, I recently had an issue with my computer. It doesn’t turn on. When I power on, all the fans start to work, there is the green light on the motherboard but the screen stays black.

I opened the tower and

So far, I tried to unplug the screen cable from the graphic card and connect to it to the motherboard directly, didn’t help.

Then I disconnected the system SSD to see if it opens the motherboard menu.

What else should I do? Should I try to replace the motherboard or it could be something else? The computer worked for a long time with no issues.

Tetras · 10 Nov 2023 at 14:58

Was the computer moved recently? If it was, then I'd just double check that everything is firmly seated in the slot: especially the power connectors, RAM and the graphics card.

Easiest troubleshooting steps to do:
1. Pull any extra devices (like your USB devices), just to check for a malfunction.
2. Clear the CMOS and/or pull the battery.
3. Replace the battery with a new one.

Werewolf · 10 Nov 2023 at 14:58

Hi

What are the system specifications?
If it's got a discrete graphics card rather than the graphics being on the motherboard or CPU then plugging the monitor directly onto the motherboard output may not help (not all motherboards with a graphics connector have graphics as often that's an option on the CPU).

If the motherboard light is green it suggests the motherboard is booting up ok or at least getting power, are you hearing any beeps, or does the motherboard have any additional status indicators?

Before doing anything with the motherboard I'd suggest trying a new cable to the monitor, and possibly a different monitor to rule both of those out (based partly on the fact that you're likely to have a suitable spare cable and display with your TV etc, one of the joys of modern displays and computers is that they do usually share a connection type which makes some troubleshooting easier).

sg0 · 10 Nov 2023 at 20:33

Do you have a case hdd light? Does it flicker? It could be booting normally just no image?

Jupiter · 12 Nov 2023 at 17:14

This is very common and steps to take are well-defined. You need to isolate the cause. Tetras' steps are good. If nothing is working, I'd keep removing 'things' from the computer until something changes. And go from there

Noughtboy · 15 Nov 2023 at 16:27

Werewolf said:
Hi

What are the system specifications?
If it's got a discrete graphics card rather than the graphics being on the motherboard or CPU then plugging the monitor directly onto the motherboard output may not help (not all motherboards with a graphics connector have graphics as often that's an option on the CPU).

If the motherboard light is green it suggests the motherboard is booting up ok or at least getting power, are you hearing any beeps, or does the motherboard have any additional status indicators?

Before doing anything with the motherboard I'd suggest trying a new cable to the monitor, and possibly a different monitor to rule both of those out (based partly on the fact that you're likely to have a suitable spare cable and display with your TV etc, one of the joys of modern displays and computers is that they do usually share a connection type which makes some troubleshooting easier).

Yep...I think @Werewolf is on the right track. Just let us know your MB so we can check there is actually an IGP. If so, you will need to unplug your GPU otherwise the BIOS is likely still routing it through there.

If it doesn't boot into BIOS after this, would imply that either the monitor or (less likely) the cable has malfunctioned.

If all of those fail to resolve the issue, it is possibly RAM, MB or CPU. Easiest to check is RAM by removing one stick and using this to boot in the other three slots. If still not joy, do the same with the other stick. I think, at that point you can assume MB or CPU or possibly PSU. However, the only way to check those is a replacement for each to confirm. If you want, you could use a PSU checker (essentially just a cable that you plug the 24 pin into and it looks at the PSU when you switch it on and highlights ant problem. They are relatively cheap and generally useful. Used mine everytime I bought a PSU and 5/6 times over the years when trouble shooting.

Gonzo100100 · 21 Dec 2023 at 14:13

I’m sorry I didn’t reply I left doing anything with this computer for a while because I bought a laptop. However, I still would like to fix it now when I have more time.

The tests I have done are those:

Changed monitors, connected the SSD to another PC (it of course didn’t load the system but it opened Windows repair screen at least), changed the graphics card. I changed the Motherboard mattery too. Basically, removed all that was possible to remove except CPU, PSU and RAM. I believe that if none of that helped, I can try to change the motherboard but I need to buy. Could you recommend me a motherboard that will work with the existing components that are listed below?

Asus HD 7770 GHz TOP 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W)

XFX Pro 450W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply

TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38GM1600HC11DC01)

Asus P8H61-MX USB3 Motherboard -the part to replace.