# Monitor goes into power save when windows starts



## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

My less than year old alienware PC runs windows 7. Starting yesterday, for no apparent reason, the monitor will go into power save mode when windows 7 opens (after the music chimes but before I go to the accounts screen).

Opened the computer in safe mode, set a restore point four days ago which worked fine but had no effect on the monitor going to sleep. Spent hours on the phone with alienware tech support, to no avail -- they claim I need a new videocard but I am dubious as the PC is less than a year in use.

Any thoughts? Might it be something malicious? Ran spybot but only found one piece of adware, removal of which had no effect.

TIA


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Does it stay working in Safe Mode?

If so uninstall the video drivers and reboot.

Aside from that, test the monitor on another PC. Then you will know for sure if it's a monitor or PC issue.


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## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

Thanks for that, that was one of the things the alienware tech tried.

Sorry to say I cannot hook the monitor up to another pc -- this is the only one I have access to. (I'm writing this on a smartphone.)


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Then if it's not working in Safe Mode, it is likely a hardware issue. It could be any number of possible causes. Video card would be at the top of the list, but but other likely components would be the power supply, motherboard, or monitor.


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## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

It is working in safe mode. It only goes into power save when windows starts.


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Then go back to my first post^^^^^


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

what are you running
video card
cpu
m/board
ram
power supply
brand
model
wattage

check the listings in the bios for voltages and temperatures and post them


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## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

dogg, the alienware support guy deleted the drivers and rebooted, but that did not solve the problem.

dai, I will see if I can figure out how to get that information in safe mode and then post. I'm not a tech savvy person so I'll see what I can do. Thanks.


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## brobarapas (Sep 26, 2009)

So what your saying is you can boot into windows in safe mode and the monitor is fine is this correct?


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## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

It was true up until today. Now I can't even do that, the monitor doesn't even come out of power save mode for the initial startup. It did until this morning, but now it's just in power save even as the pc starts up.

Previously as long as I was able to bypass Windows startup I could get into safe mode and use the PC, including the monitor of course. Not any more....

Now I REALLY feel screwed.


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## brobarapas (Sep 26, 2009)

What is the led light doing on the monitor?


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## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

When the monitor first comes on, the light is white, the alienware logo comes up, the monitor then goes into power save, and the light flashes amber.


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## brobarapas (Sep 26, 2009)

Disconnect all power from the computer,,touch a metal surface on the computer to discharge all static from your body,open the case of your computer,

remove the m/b battery from your computer;
restart your computer, it should now power up (you may get some warning messages during the start-up sequence, ignore them.
set the date and time of your computer using the "Date and Time" control panel,


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## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

Opened it up to follow the advice -- I can't find the battery!

http://www.redplanettrading.com/images/D/j560m-overview-800.jpg


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## brobarapas (Sep 26, 2009)

it looks like a silver coin .next to your ram


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## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

It's in a place where I can't get at it but I can't post a photo because I only have my smartphone to use at present.


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## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

Update -- the Dell tech was just here, bringing a new video card to fix the problem. It didn't work. The monitor still stays in power save when the pc comes on.

Remembering what I was told here, I asked him to remove the CMOS battery. He did and it did not help.

However he had another desktop in his car, and attached my monitor to it. The monitor did the same thing, staying in power save when that desktop was turned on.

The tech says it's either the monitor or the cable. They are sending a new monitor and a new cable as replacements. Hopefully that will work.

Does that sound like it makes sense? The monitor comes on and flashes the alienware logo, then goes onto power save and does not come out. Does that sound like a monitor or monitor-cable problem?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

all help has to be in the thread
looking at the pic the lettering on screen does not help

going up from the bottom corner is that the battery under the letter E

what video card is in it

look on the psu label for

make
model
wattage


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## brobarapas (Sep 26, 2009)

Well it cant be the monitor if his monitor done the exact same thing,what cable is he sending the power cable or the vga/hdmi/etc cable,? Its highly doubtful it is the cable,I wish you look,I did not realize your pc was still under warranty,If you go to the dell forums you will see allot of folk encountering the same issue,If it was my pc I would have gave him the lot and told him to call back when he had everything running properly


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## khuminis (Nov 15, 2009)

Actually it was my monitor he hooked up to his desktop pc, not the other way around.

I'll check the Dell forum, thanks.


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

If it doesn't work with two different PC's, it's a bad monitor.


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