Rarely do I come across a problem with a computer that I cannot diagnose, however getting a black screen on boot can stump me sometimes. I always try to trouble shoot the problem manually, without using those fancy programs, because I believe it is the only way to learn.

There are two types of black screens that can appear. One that will have a beep sequence sounding to let you know what the problem could be, and the other has nothing at all. No beeps, no cursor, no logo screen, and no choice to boot to safe mode or access the bios.

If you get a beep sequence, I am not saying it is good news, however it is a step in the right direction towards solving this problem. This is a message from your computer that can be understood by looking up your bios (the brand) beep code. For example you may have an Award Bios, Ami Bios, Phoenix BIOS, compaq, Dell, or Acer Bios. This list goes on and on. Bios Central is the best place to get all brands of beep codes. http://bioscentral.com/

When you get the black screen, and absolutely nothing else, this is where the challenge begins. Sometimes the fans and the cpu seems to be running.

When this happens to me, I have an instant advantage as I have a replacement part for basically any computer component at my fingertips.

Common things that can happen with a black screen.

At boot up, it sound like it is booting as the cpu fan is running and the lights are on. It also finds the cd rom but it won't boot from a cd either.
Sometimes it will boot to a black screen and the power switch light will be green and then turns to orange or amber. Everything is running.

Some Common Reasons for a Black Screen at Bootup

Where is your Monitor plugged in?

The first and most obvious reason for a computer appearing to run but you cannot see the video is the monitor. A common mistake is to plug the monitor into the onboard video plug when you actually have a PCI video card installed. Trust me I have done this myself. Simply move the plug to the correct position.

The next reason is RAM...

If your memory is not seated properly (not in), is damaged, or even absent altogether, this can cause major problems.

If you have no memory installed at all, some computers make no sounds and just show a black screen. Other computers go crazy and beep their head off. I am an expert at this one, as I build so my computers and forget to put the memory in.
When your computer gets a black screen only sometimes, it usually means your ram is on the way out..For example if you boot your computer and it doesn't work, then go back an hour later, and it does work, your memory is playing up. You can try taking the ram out, gently cleaning it with an antistatic cloth, and replacing it. This may solve your problem. If it does not, then you should try running your computer with another compatible stick of ram installed.

Installing new hardware

Often when computer users install hardware in order to upgrade their own computers they run into problems. If you have just performed an upgrade and then get a black screen, the answer is obvious. Some hardware components may not be compatible with the others in your system. And of course there is always the risk of static electricity damaging

Leaving a bootable usb flash drive connected to your computer.

Yes this can confuse your computer and it won't know where to boot up. I have had a black screen from doing this and have realised and removed the usb and the computer just continues to boot normally..

Corrupting the Boot Sector.

I have learnt this lesson the hard way. Never turn off the computer when it is half way through the boot procedure. Even when it is taking forever, or having a major problem you must let it run through if possible. Interrupting it once may be ok, but twice or three times is a no no. After you have carelessly restarted and shutdown a few times the black screen may appear. But this time it may be beyond repair for the average computer user.

Your CPU is not correctly seated.

After transporting a computer from one house to another, this is the first place I look. Transporting a working computer, and then not working with a black screen = dislodging the CPU. You can fix this easily by removing the CPU fan and carefully replacing it back in its spot.

Your registry files are corrupted

Having a black screen can also be caused by your registry or maybe your whole file system is damaged. Sometimes this happens when people install programs incorrectly, alter registry settings, or simply just delete the wrong file while browsing around. If you have a backup of the file you deleted or the registry you can replace it by removing your hard drive and putting it in an external drive. Unfortunately you have to pin point what is wrong to be able to do this. In this situation I usually format my computer. Formatting brings back your system files and registry to new again. See how to Format Windows XP.

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Mitz Pantic wrote this article and others for http://www.tips4pc.com Browse Tips4pc.com for more articles that are written in an easy to understand interface and FREE computer help.

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