# compaq presario r3000 screen problem



## ministerjee (May 10, 2008)

i have a compaq presario r3000, and im facing a weird problem, I turn on the laptop and it loads windows xp without any problems, after 1 minute
the screen goes blank.
its not the backlight because there is nothing on the screen that i can see even with a flash light.
is this something to do with video card setting?? Please help
Thanks in adv


----------



## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

hi ministerjee,

so you mean it has screen at the first few seconds of the boot up but as soon as XP loads, it blacks out? hmm that could mean a corrupt something that affects Windows.

pop in your XP install CD if you have one and run *CHKDSK /R* in recovery console. get your brand of HDD then d/load the diagnostic utility from the HDD Diagnostic Tools link on my sig. Test your HDD also for errors. and since you are doing the tests, test also your RAM using Memtest86+ (link on my sig).

post back what happens...


----------



## ministerjee (May 10, 2008)

no, its not like that, it starts normally as its suppose to, and shows desktop and everything, i can click and run programs but after 1 minute mouse freezes and screen goes blank. 
I tried to restart in safe mode, it starts but then mouse freezed and there was some green color lines on the desktop that appeared. Sometimes it freezes before getting to that point at all.


----------



## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

i understand and it may be worse than i expected ( i just hope not). try what i suggested first. they will help rule out the problem.


----------



## ministerjee (May 10, 2008)

i have the windows XP install CD,but in what mode do i have to start?? can u guide
thanks


----------



## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

place the XP install CD in your CD drive and boot from it. you may have to change boot sequence in BIOS to be able to boot from the CD drive.

in XP menu, select Recovery Console. follow the instructions and provide necessary info until you get *C:\Windows*. enter CHKDSK /R


----------



## ministerjee (May 10, 2008)

OK, let me try this and i get back to you right away


----------



## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

run that and the other tests too (Memtest and HDD diagnostics). i really encourage that you do them just to be sure that your RAM and hard drive are still in excellent shape.


----------



## ministerjee (May 10, 2008)

Ok, I got a bad news, its not letting me to save any setting, The ENTER button does not do anything, I can scroll thru all the diff options but they all show at the bottom of the screen cut in half. Also there are lines.please see pictures.


----------



## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

hmmm strange.

if you cannot change anything in BIOS settings, change the boot device by pressing F12 when you see the COMPAQ logo during boot up.


----------



## ministerjee (May 10, 2008)

F12 or F8 gets me to windows safe mode options only, and it halts if i go to safe mode after a minute


----------



## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

this does not look good... 

when the COMPAQ logo appears, there are some texts at the bottom. one of them says about pressing a key to change boot device. kindly check what key to press to do this.

again in the BIOS settings, the boot order would show a list. if you can access the list, which came first, the HDD or the CD drive?

EDIT:

i removed the link because i realized you have an R3000 and not a V3000.

EDIT 2:
if you cannot get the information in BIOS settings. let us do the other tests instead. start with Memtest86+. d/load from the link on my sig and burn the ISO image into a blank CD (do not copy directly to CD). use Nero or ImgBurn or similar to be able to do this. pop this CD into your CD drive and reboot. the diagnostic will start immediately. btw if you have more than one RAM module installed, remove one first as the test is very effective if run on individual RAM modules.

EDIT 3:
the white lines, the blank screen and the freeze point to a dying video card or RAM module or HDD (but most likely - the video card).


----------



## ministerjee (May 10, 2008)

How do u select any option from BIOS menu. 
I can only go up and down with curser keys and the option changes to white from blue.


----------



## ministerjee (May 10, 2008)

Okay, there is more to tell u, i highlighted the ATAPI CD drive (because i don't know how to select it)and save configration and exit.
I restarted the laptop,it showed blank screen again.I restarted the laptop again it showed windows logo then loaded windows without any problems, and to my surprise its not going blank as i type.
I clicked the CD drive but its not showing any files from the XP CD.this is strange.
edit: Okay it can read other CD's but not my windows XP CD.

Do i still do what u just told me?? please advice


----------



## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

ministerjee said:


> How do u select any option from BIOS menu.
> I can only go up and down with curser keys and the option changes to white from blue.


that depends... for sure, SELECT = ENTER, but in the boot sequence, i think you first highlight the device (using up/down arrow keys) and press F5/F6 to move it up/down the order.


----------



## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

ministerjee said:


> Okay, there more to tell u, i highlighted the ATAPI CD drive (because i don't know how to select it)and save configration and exit.
> I restarted the laptop,it showed blank screen again.I restarted the laptop again it showed windows logo then loaded windows without any problems, and to my surprise its not going blank as i type.
> I clicked the CD drive but its not showing any files from the XP CD.this is strange.
> Do i still do what u just told me?? please advice
> ...


highlight CD drive and press F5 or F6 to move it up the order then save the configuration. 

if you can boot from the CD drive, proceed with the tests still. 

but then again, if you see a working system... it is your call to proceed or not. time will tell if it is indeed your video card. a dying video chip/card would behave the same way.

nope you cannot uninstall the video card if it is integrated to your motherboard. check your machine specs if this is so. 

your problem seem to be more than just something that we can tweak, uninstall or reinstall to resolve. it may even involve parts replacement. doing the tests will help. but then again, i could be wrong.


----------



## ministerjee (May 10, 2008)

Thank u for the help, i also think its the video card(is there any way to be sure???).My laptop is still up and running for now not sure for how long.
Is there anything i can do just to save the dying video card temporary. also is it possible to replace just the video card by ordering.and if i do order, what type/model do i need and would i be able to replace it myself.


----------



## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

ministerjee said:


> Thank u for the help, i also think its the video card(is there any way to be sure???).My laptop is still up and running for now not sure for how long.
> Is there anything i can do just to save the dying video card temporary. also is it possible to replace just the video card by ordering.and if i do order, what type/model do i need and would i be able to replace it myself.


AFAIK, this came with an integrated video card. that means, you cannot replace it unless you replace the motherboard (an expensive fix).

also, the video card can go kookie if your laptop is overheating. same symptoms too. i suggest you use SpeedFan or similar so you can monitor the temps. observe if you get the symptoms when the system gets too hot. make sure your vents and heatsink are free from dust and any obstruction.

just in case you want to pursue the isolation, here are the things i suggest that you try:

1. run Memtest86+
2. run HDD diagnostics for your hard drive
3. do CHKDSK /R or a non-destructive Windows repair

if symptoms persists, consider motherboard replacement.


----------

