[SOLVED] black screen on start-up (help a desperate gamer)

Mar 14, 2020
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Hello,

It's been 3 days since I've been trying to repair my pc and nothing seems to work.
This is my first self-built PC (I made it almost 2 years ago and had no problem until now)
One day I unplugged all the cables from it for couple of hours (I had to move it from a desk to another).
When I replugged everything back in I tried to boot it and I got no signal on monitor, keyboard and mouse would turn on for 3 seconds and then go off, but the fans and the leds (including motherboard's led) are working perfectly. There is a red light under VGA on the motherboard as well.
I will list down below everything I've tried to do to save it, but neither of my ideas worked:
  1. Tested 2 monitors with different cables (hdmi, vga, dvi, even dvi to hdmi);
  2. Tried to boot the PC with/without RAMs;
  3. Removed the graphics card and tried to boot without it;
  4. Removed the HDD and tried to boot without it;
  5. Changed the PCIE cable for the graphics card;
  6. Removed te mobo battey for couple of hours and tried to boot after putting it back;
  7. Replaced the mobo battery with a new one;
(*)I will edit this post if I remember other failed tries, for the moment this is it.

I had the same problem some months ago, but somehow I managed to repair it, but I can't find the video that helped me anywhere, and I swear I can't remember what I did to solve it, but all I remember is that I didn't have to buy new components or work too much on the ones I have, it was a simple fix, kinda stupid if I remember well. Same as now, it had no reason for the black screen, just turned it off and on.

Because of this corona thing I cannot send it to warranity check, so I wish to repaird it by myself, please help me, I am kinda desperate.

PC specs:
MOTHERBOARD: GIGABYTE AORUS B450 M
CPU: AMD RYZEN 5 2600 3.4GHz
GPU: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1060 Windforce OC 6GB GDDR5 192-bit
RAMS: Patriot Viper 4 series DDR4 3000MHz CL16 (2x8Gb)
PSU: Seasonic M12II-620 EVO Edition Bronze 620W

Thank you for your time.
 
Solution
Kinda rip :( .
Unplugged absolutley everything and left only the motherboard connected, same problem. Now I have to somehow break out of quarantine just to travel 120km to get that warranity paper so I can send this thing to be repaired. I am so mad right now that I want to throw this thing in the trash can and buy a new one.

Bummer!

Glad you took everything out and tried putting it back together, but before you toss the mobo, did you try a different PSU? How about different RAM &/or a different GPU? Test each in another PC. If they check out fine, test your CPU in another PC if possible. Nothing sucks more than thinking an item is bad, replacing it and having the same issues.

There are also other options you can try, naming...

Mrgr74

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Hello,

It's been 3 days since I've been trying to repair my pc and nothing seems to work.
This is my first self-built PC (I made it almost 2 years ago and had no problem until now)
One day I unplugged all the cables from it for couple of hours (I had to move it from a desk to another).
When I replugged everything back in I tried to boot it and I got no signal on monitor, keyboard and mouse would turn on for 3 seconds and then go off, but the fans and the leds (including motherboard's led) are working perfectly. There is a red light under VGA on the motherboard as well.
I will list down below everything I've tried to do to save it, but neither of my ideas worked:
  1. Tested 2 monitors with different cables (hdmi, vga, dvi, even dvi to hdmi);
  2. Tried to boot the PC with/without RAMs;
  3. Removed the graphics card and tried to boot without it;
  4. Removed the HDD and tried to boot without it;
  5. Changed the PCIE cable for the graphics card;
  6. Removed te mobo battey for couple of hours and tried to boot after putting it back;
  7. Replaced the mobo battery with a new one;
(*)I will edit this post if I remember other failed tries, for the moment this is it.

I had the same problem some months ago, but somehow I managed to repair it, but I can't find the video that helped me anywhere, and I swear I can't remember what I did to solve it, but all I remember is that I didn't have to buy new components or work too much on the ones I have, it was a simple fix, kinda stupid if I remember well. Same as now, it had no reason for the black screen, just turned it off and on.

Because of this corona thing I cannot send it to warranity check, so I wish to repaird it by myself, please help me, I am kinda desperate.

PC specs:
MOTHERBOARD: GIGABYTE AORUS B450 M
CPU: AMD RYZEN 5 2600 3.4GHz
GPU: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1060 Windforce OC 6GB GDDR5 192-bit
RAMS: Patriot Viper 4 series DDR4 3000MHz CL16 (2x8Gb)
PSU: Seasonic M12II-620 EVO Edition Bronze 620W

Thank you for your time.

Hi @CMBfxx

1st off, welcome to the forums! :)

Is your system currently put together? Looking at the parts, you have a nice looking system. At any point did you enter the Bios & tweak any settings, such as trying to OC or adjust RAM settings? That sorta thing? (Just saw you replaced the mobo battery which would have reset all back to defaults)

Which slot do you have the 1060 installed in?

You took the RAM out, but have you tried 1x8GB stick at a time?

Can you borrow a friends PC so you can test the parts in it & vice versa?

Are you 110% sure you have the main power plugged into the mobo + the 8pin? (It's to the far left of where your RAM goes.

Are you 110% sure you plugged in the correct power to the 1060?

What cables did you unplug? Everything? Even the PW & RS switch?

Are you sure the PSU is turned on at the back? (lol sorry, I had to ask but you'd be surprised :) ) Have you tried another PSU?

Maybe take a few pics of the inside of your system so we can see how everything is connected.

No worries as we'll get you back up & running.
 
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Mar 14, 2020
8
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Hello,
Thank you for your kind welcome, even though I'd preferred to meet you guys in other circumstances.
I will answer some question and I will return in 10 minutes with some photos.
I tried with only 1 stick of RAM on any slot.
Everything inside is plugged in as it was in the last 2 years, and I had no problem ( at least I hope they were plugged right in the first place). The PSU is correctly plugged. *It's true that I didn't take too much care of it because it was on the bottom of the case and I never really cleaned it properly, only blew some air inside the case to blow the dust away, and I didn't see much dust inside it (it stayed on the desk all the time, only 1-2months close to the ground-but still on the desk.
I did unplug the PW and RS switches, but it didn't do anything.
There are no broken pins or anything like that, I tried to be as careful as possible while working inside.
And about the bios.. I don't really know too much about it so I was a little too scared to modify things there, only the fan speed (I was always working on the simplified version of the bios), but I didn't access bios settings in the last months. I used ryzen master to try to boost my pc a little for video editing, I tried to overclock it manually 2 or 3 times, but it was freezing the computer so I quit trying to force it. I was just using the soft to adjust the gpu fan speed. I don't have any other components to test them, I sold my last pc 2 weeks ago :( .
I will return with some photos.

EDIT: here is the build View: http://imgur.com/a/WdS44KZ
 
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Mrgr74

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Very clean & neat. I noticed that the fan on your GPU wasn't on so it most likely wasn't at temp but have you tried removing & re-seating your 1060 and then reconnecting your power &/or trying a different power connector? The 6pin connector in the pic looks like it's going in at an angle.

Do you have another GPU you can try? Don't worry about installing drivers or anything, I'm just curious if it's the GPU itself that's not working. If you install any other PCIe card and your PC boots, it's a fair bet that it's your GPU that's bad. (though not 100% the cause) You can also try your 1060 in another PC.
 
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Mar 14, 2020
8
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Very clean & neat. I noticed that the fan on your GPU wasn't on so it most likely wasn't at temp but have you tried removing & re-seating your 1060 and then reconnecting your power &/or trying a different power connector? The 6pin connector in the pic looks like it's going in at an angle.

Do you have another GPU you can try? Don't worry about installing drivers or anything, I'm just curious if it's the GPU itself that's not working. If you install any other PCIe card and your PC boots, it's a fair bet that it's your GPU that's bad. (though not 100% the cause) You can also try your 1060 in another PC.

'morning!

GPU's fans always did like that, I got scared about that some months ago, but it is like that from factory, usually they start when the temp rise up, or when I manually increase their power.

I tried reseating it and plugging in another cable, but still no result. Gladly to say, I don't really think it's the gpu's fault, but the motherboard's (kinda obvious, it is kinda cheap).

I asked a friend to come over today, he's an expert. If we find out the problem I will return here with the explenation.

Btw, I was so sad that i bought 16gb additional ram and a 480gb kingston ssd. I've read A LOT of mixed opinions, my question would be.. is it really not that compatible with my cpu? I need it for premiere and after effects edits, but I can't really say if it was worth buying them or not, I do really want to start my career as a freelancer, so I really need smoothness, but lots of prople say that it will be the same as 16gb or even worse because they won't be compatible with the cpu (from what I read, AMDs don't really like 4 ram sticks). The RAMS would be the same viper series 4, same color as well to avoid any risk.
Have a good day!
 

Mrgr74

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Good morning,

The SSD will definitely speed things up a bit, ESPECIALLY over an older HDD. You can't beat (yet) an HDD for raw storage, but for anything else, an SSD or even better an m.2 is the way to go. Keep in mind that some programs make better use of the faster read/write while others, you'll not notice much difference, but both an SSD and an m.2 is compatible with your R5 2600, which is a great CPU by the way.

As for RAM, are you talking about the 2x8 you have now or did you get an additional 16GB for a total of 32GB? Keep in mind that it's usually never a good idea to mix & match RAM. While it "may" work, it's always best to buy a matching Kit. So 2x8 for 16GB or 2x16 for 32GB etc. (Threadripper CPU's are the exception and work best with 4x4 or 4x8) Mixing & matching "can" lead to issues.

Have you completely stripped your PC down to bare parts and then put everything back together, ensuring everything is as it should be?

Glad to hear a friends coming over. Make sure he brings his PC over so you can test parts as needed.

How old is your PSU? Seasonic tend to be good, but not sure about your particular model.

Let us know how things go & what your friend finds!
 
Mar 14, 2020
8
2
15
Good morning,

The SSD will definitely speed things up a bit, ESPECIALLY over an older HDD. You can't beat (yet) an HDD for raw storage, but for anything else, an SSD or even better an m.2 is the way to go. Keep in mind that some programs make better use of the faster read/write while others, you'll not notice much difference, but both an SSD and an m.2 is compatible with your R5 2600, which is a great CPU by the way.

As for RAM, are you talking about the 2x8 you have now or did you get an additional 16GB for a total of 32GB? Keep in mind that it's usually never a good idea to mix & match RAM. While it "may" work, it's always best to buy a matching Kit. So 2x8 for 16GB or 2x16 for 32GB etc. (Threadripper CPU's are the exception and work best with 4x4 or 4x8) Mixing & matching "can" lead to issues.

Have you completely stripped your PC down to bare parts and then put everything back together, ensuring everything is as it should be?

Glad to hear a friends coming over. Make sure he brings his PC over so you can test parts as needed.

How old is your PSU? Seasonic tend to be good, but not sure about your particular model.

Let us know how things go & what your friend finds!

Kinda rip :( .
Unplugged absolutley everything and left only the motherboard connected, same problem. Now I have to somehow break out of quarantine just to travel 120km to get that warranity paper so I can send this thing to be repaired. I am so mad right now that I want to throw this thing in the trash can and buy a new one.
 

Mrgr74

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BANNED
Kinda rip :( .
Unplugged absolutley everything and left only the motherboard connected, same problem. Now I have to somehow break out of quarantine just to travel 120km to get that warranity paper so I can send this thing to be repaired. I am so mad right now that I want to throw this thing in the trash can and buy a new one.

Bummer!

Glad you took everything out and tried putting it back together, but before you toss the mobo, did you try a different PSU? How about different RAM &/or a different GPU? Test each in another PC. If they check out fine, test your CPU in another PC if possible. Nothing sucks more than thinking an item is bad, replacing it and having the same issues.

There are also other options you can try, naming taking the mobo in to a repair shop for them to verify if it's bad, but of course do this AFTER the quarantine lifts! Do you have a Tablet or smartphone you can game on in the meantime? I can suggest a few games if you do. ;)

There are also diagnostic cards you can buy from places like Amazon that will test each section of your mobo to check if they work.

Something like this or similar for example: PC/Laptop Diagnostic Checker

Let us know whatever you end up doing.
 
Solution
Mar 14, 2020
8
2
15
Bummer!

Glad you took everything out and tried putting it back together, but before you toss the mobo, did you try a different PSU? How about different RAM &/or a different GPU? Test each in another PC. If they check out fine, test your CPU in another PC if possible. Nothing sucks more than thinking an item is bad, replacing it and having the same issues.

There are also other options you can try, naming taking the mobo in to a repair shop for them to verify if it's bad, but of course do this AFTER the quarantine lifts! Do you have a Tablet or smartphone you can game on in the meantime? I can suggest a few games if you do. ;)

There are also diagnostic cards you can buy from places like Amazon that will test each section of your mobo to check if they work.

Something like this or similar for example: PC/Laptop Diagnostic Checker

Let us know whatever you end up doing.

Well..
The main reason for my frustration is that this "holiday" I was going to attend to some video editi/motion graphic courses, so I could start freelancing.
My girlfriend has a 5 years old pc (it was kinda expensive at that time she says). I will try it's parts and see where's the problem.
Be back with updates tomorrow.
 
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Mar 14, 2020
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It was... it still is the motherboard. I am trying to send it to be checked on warranity, 1 week already since I've been waiting for that courier. This is why I didn't want it to be the mobo, now I will have to way 1 month before I can use my pc again, I have the blessing to be born in Romania, so it will be done until summer.. or I hope so. The SSD arrived tho.. I've got an m.2 with 3500mb/s read-write speed.

You can close this topic if you want to, it was the motherboard's issue, bad luck bad timing. Thank you for the last week's support
 
Mar 14, 2020
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@Mrgr74 guess what, they sent the mobo back, turns out it is working. Now my question is, what is broken? That professional service won't give me any clue unless I pay them $25, and now that I lost 3 weeks and $10 because I had to pay the transport, I feel like I want to go out and take some Corona just not to be bored anymore.
Mobo didn't arrive yet, but they said that it was ok when they tested it. Does that mean that it is the graphics card? What a life..
 

Mrgr74

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Hi @CMBfxx

At this point, you may want to buy a diagnostic checker and check your mobo yourself, which most likely is what the repair place did themselves. I also just realized I linked to an older style PCI analyzer. Here is a newer model. Here's a video review. Here's Gigabytes Post Codes. It's cheaper than the $25 the repair company is trying to take you for. Perhaps leave an online review as a warning for other potential customers. Of course be as detailed as you can be so that you sound like anything other than bitter. lol..

What parts did you try from your GF's PC?
 
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Mar 14, 2020
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It doesn't matter anymore, it just started working perfectly when it came back. No problem at all right now.
I can't explain what happened, but I am 1000% sure it was the motherboard. It just started working by itself, and this is just impossible. I do think that they repaired it and just wanted to make me pay the delivery..
Installed the additional 16Gb (now I'm working on 32) and the samsung 970 evo plus ssd where I cloned the OS to and everything works just fine. Computers are still a mystery for me sometimes. Thank you for stayint with me these weeks, I really learned a lot of things. Cheers man, #stayhome
 
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