Windows 7 - Black Screen Boot Up - Error Sound

[Gigi55]

Hello,

I got this problem and I need help please.. thank you in advance.
I open the pc in the morning like I do every day and in the past 4-5 days I get this type of problems:

- I boot up the PC and its just a black screen, no bios image no nothing just black screen and monitor power button is like on and off flashing like its not plugged in or something

- there are no beeps or nothing strange from the case hardware in the boot up, it all looks normal

- once the pc entered desktop I hear from the speakers the default Win 7 load out noise and then I keep herring this error like noise over and over, like "dudum dudum dudum dudum" type of thing that you sometimes hear from Windows 7

- in order for me to get rid of this problem I need to restart my PC.. after the restart all is normal and good an no problems I can see the bios, the load, the desktop, no more error sounds etc all is normal

- in a day I manage to get rid of this problem by plugging and unplugging the monitor a few times 😵 and I didn't need no restart... strange

- no I'm no PC tech guy.. I'm limited on resources and I only have this PC, no other PC, no other monitor, no other extra hardware parts or stuff like that.. so I need to know what are the limited actions that I can take before this crashes on me 100% and I would need to go find me a PC service repair

- so far I tried to uninstall the video card and update to the latest video driver and I'm planning on formatting my pc and putting a new fresh Win 7 copy... but I don't think that will do much I suspect it's the video plugin, signal or the monitor power up connection

- oh I also went to bios and loaded fail proof defaults / open the PC case and pushed on the ram / video card to make sure there fixed in spot and they were rock solid

- this happens just when I start the PC up in the morning, after I handle the problem everything is good and I can restart or use the PC 24/7 and no other problems or any other strange behavior

- I'm using Win 7 64 bit / AMD X4 630 @ 3.0 Ghz / ATI AMD HIS HD 5670 / 1 Tera HDD / power supply 400 or 450 W I forgot sorry / MSI mainboard I forgot the type, maybe C-45 or something with Military Class component XD I can look it up if its important and I have 3 Giga of ram.. 1 stick of 2 and 1 of 1 (in my activities there are very very rare moment when I get over the 3 Giga ram limit) I know its strange but this was my budget PC from a few years ago and I wanted the x 4 processor and the video card and the HDD and I had to cut from the RAM.. since I don't game that much or mess around with high end games or applications.

So guys anything else that you need to know ? any advice on my situation or something, anything will be appreciated.

 

[Gigi55]

This is probably GPU related. If this PC has been used for a while, a capacitor might be starting to die. Try to install the latest Windows updates. If Catalyst 14.9 is installed, update to beta 14.9.1, because 14.9 is bugged.

Ok I will update to 14.9.1 beta version soon enough.

@OP one thing you'll have to tell me is that which exact sounds you're getting. Go to control panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Change System sounds. Test the sounds and tell which of the ones you're getting. Are you getting the connect and disconnect sounds alternatively or the Device Failed to connect sound?
Also, if it's your PC that is turning on and off after a few seconds, then the fault is in the power supply. Sometimes the solderings on old power supplies melt causing the circuitry to malfunction and cause this problem.

I tested the sounds and it's Device Connect (4-5 times in a row) then fallowed by a Device Disconnect then again 4-5 times Device Connect etc etc that's the pattern and never that other sound "device failed" that sound is totally different and I never heard it from me.

If you do not have another DVI cable and your screen has a VGA in(and most that do come with a cable), you can use an adapter you may be able to get without any issues. This connects from the DVI-I port to a VGA port. Most video cards come with one as well. HDMI is another option, but you may have some interesting side effects(but they are easy to fix and will not stop the system from displaying video).

Ok so I need a new DVI cable.
+
Adapter to connect the DVI port from Video Card to the VGA port of my Monitor.
This should be like 2 tries that can fix my problem ?

PS: My monitor only has DVI and VGA, no HDMI and no Display Port.

Try another video card i your PC.
Try your video card in another PC.
Post your complete and detailed build.

I don't have that option, I'm aware that will be the logical and most simple way to handle and fix this and not make me waste cash in other areas.

That's why I'm asking people with more knowledge then me to narrow it down and If do go to my wallet it better be the right piece/part that I'm replacing and fix it.

What if I buy a new Monitor and the problem is still there 😵.. same with a video card.. I need to narrow it down and hit a home run with the part I will replace. (my funds are limited and I need to think hard and be sure when I do move on it)

About my complete build, ok I can do that:

Operating system: Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

Processor: AMD Athlon II X4 640 @ 3.00 Ghz
Main Board: MSI MainBoard 770-C45
RAM: 3.00 GB (1 x 2GB Kingston + 1 x 1GB PQI)
Video card: AMD HIS HD 5670 IceQ 1GB (128bit) GDDR5 PCIe Display Port
HDD: Seagate 1TB 7200RPM 32MB SATA-III
PSU: Sirtec - High Power Element PLUS 400W
Case: NOX CORE with 2 x Vents
Keyboard: PS/2 Keyboard Genius
Mouse: USB Microsoft Mouse
Sound: Speakers 2.1 Philips Sub woofer
Display: 22' inch Samsung Monitor SyncMaster 2233BW (VGA/DVI ports)

 

[i7Baby]

I didn't say buy them. Borrow them. Got friends with PCs?

edit - also try using 2 x 2gb or better still 2 x 4gb ram. Non identical sticks of ram can cause problems

and get a better quality PSU

 

[nukemaster]

2 Attempts yes.

I am hoping it is a cheap cable issue and not a new video card issue(more costly).

The fact that it works perfect once running leaves me to think it is not a power issue in this case.

 

[VincentP]

The device connect sound you are hearing is likely the monitor connecting as a device.
I would say your issue is in one of four components:
- Graphics card
- Monitor
- DVI cable
- Power supply

Does your motherboard have video connections for onboard graphics? If so, remove the graphics card and test with the onboard graphics.

 

[Gigi55]

2 Attempts yes.
I am hoping it is a cheap cable issue and not a new video card issue(more costly).
The fact that it works perfect once running leaves me to think it is not a power issue in this case.

Ok before I went offline and calling it a day with the PC I went and got a new VGA cable + VGA to DVI adapter to test them out on the hot / normal working computer while he was still on.. it worked so that 'hot state' test worked good.

Went offline for 9-10 hours came back on the PC to do the first boot up of the day on the 'cold' PC to test if the new cable + new port connection VGA in the monitor would be able to fix the issue and nope I still got BLACK screen on boot up, I got into WIN 7 desktop (after hearing the loading win sound of course) then same issue black screen but this time no more device connect sound over and over but same black screen.
(the only time I got the device sound connect was just 1 time / 1 sound when I did the first 'hot' test with the new cable and port and adapter)

After 5 minutes of black screen / no picture / and blinking on/off monitor light I got the display back and things went back to 'normal' so to say.

So is that clearing the monitor ? or is he still a suspect ? more focus on the Video Card and PSU ?

I would say your issue is in one of four components:
- Graphics card
- Monitor
- DVI cable
- Power supply
Does your motherboard have video connections for onboard graphics? If so, remove the graphics card and test with the onboard graphics.

I don't have onboard graphics sadly.

After the test with the cable I can rule out the DVI cable ? or still the problem can be in the DVI connection of the Video CARD ?


*********
So guys what should be my next plan of action 🙁

 

[i7Baby]

Go through Tom's checklist - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems

 

[VincentP]

2 Attempts yes.
I am hoping it is a cheap cable issue and not a new video card issue(more costly).
The fact that it works perfect once running leaves me to think it is not a power issue in this case.

Ok before I went offline and calling it a day with the PC I went and got a new VGA cable + VGA to DVI adapter to test them out on the hot / normal working computer while he was still on.. it worked so that 'hot state' test worked good.

Went offline for 9-10 hours came back on the PC to do the first boot up of the day on the 'cold' PC to test if the new cable + new port connection VGA in the monitor would be able to fix the issue and nope I still got BLACK screen on boot up, I got into WIN 7 desktop (after hearing the loading win sound of course) then same issue black screen but this time no more device connect sound over and over but same black screen.
(the only time I got the device sound connect was just 1 time / 1 sound when I did the first 'hot' test with the new cable and port and adapter)

After 5 minutes of black screen / no picture / and blinking on/off monitor light I got the display back and things went back to 'normal' so to say.

So is that clearing the monitor ? or is he still a suspect ? more focus on the Video Card and PSU ?

I would say your issue is in one of four components:
- Graphics card
- Monitor
- DVI cable
- Power supply
Does your motherboard have video connections for onboard graphics? If so, remove the graphics card and test with the onboard graphics.

I don't have onboard graphics sadly.

After the test with the cable I can rule out the DVI cable ? or still the problem can be in the DVI connection of the Video CARD ?


*********
So guys what should be my next plan of action 🙁

Testing with another cable like this has ruled out the cable.
This leaves the Graphics card, monitor and power supply as likely culprits.
I can see no way to further diagnose this without other components to test with.
If you can't obtain components to test with, I suggest you take it to a service centre where they have the equipment necessary to test.

 

[nukemaster]

Well looks like you have tested what you can with the limited parts you had access to.

If you happen to have a TV with VGA in, you may be able to test with that as well(would help to rule out the monitor).

 

[Gigi55]

Update on the situation!

Ok guys I'm good now.

Went to a PC Service and my PC wasn't the problem, everything was running well.

So then I went to a Monitor Service where the faulty part(s) were located and changed, a total of 7 capacitors and a integrated circuit, the services set me back around 23 euro (30$).

In the end, it was the Monitor!

I would like to thank each poster that tried to help me out, thanks guys this forum rocks.

 

[Gigi55]

Last checking my messages:

C12Friedman you were SPOT on right in the private message mate.

"From: C12Friedman

"Sent on: 13 October 2014 20:19
This is weird but as of the latest post, I'm guessing "monitor". Here's why, when the capacitors start dying (provided they die slow) they take time to charge up. That would be the cycling event of the monitor as the capacitors charge. I might suggest trying the monitor without any inputs (and after being off ~2 hours) see if it doesn't act the same way before declaring no signal.
I'm going into this because if it is the capacitors, they can be replaced fairly inexpensively by someone with basic soldering skills so don't throw out the monitor in any case."

Special thank you to you buddy, you were with me from beginning till end. 😀

 

[nukemaster]

Glad to hear you got it fixed.

You are kind of lucky as many other placed in the monitor capacitors going would just cause the screen to fail and on worst case take out other parts. In some placed a capacitor can be used to block dc in an ac only signal as well.

Again, glad you got it working.