# Black screen after boot logo, after a random display drive failure



## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

Hello all,

I have a problem (obviously) with my computer.. This computer is a new rig and even though i've been having Blue screens of Death at the beginning ( fixed thanks to this forum ), everything's been running perfectly.

Here are the specs to my computer running Windows 8 Pro

MOBO : Asus p8z77-V PRO
CPU : Intel i-5 3570k
RAM : 1x4gb cl8 12800 Gskill Ripjaw ( i had 2 but one of them was faulty so it was removed )
SSD : Samsung 840 250gb (OS : Windows 8 pro x64 )
HDD : WD Caviar Black 1tb
Heatsink : Noctua NH-D14
PSU : Antec HCP 850 gold
GPU : MSI Radeon 6950 Twin FROZR ( i have a spare GeForce 9600 GT which i will get into details later )

My monitor is a Xstar 27" 1440p. It has been running on overclock from 60hz to 100hz, without any problems.

Now to the problem : 

I've been having MAJOR problems with my WiFi. The wifi adapter is the intergrated one from the Mobo, WiFi Go, which only has 2.4 ghz. So i was trying to find out how i could make my computer compatible with 5ghz. I moved the case ( and i think the Dual DVI cable on the graphic card might have pulled just a bit ), and i see a popup on my monitor at the bottom right corner saying " Display Driver has failed but recovered " or something very similar. 

Next thing i know, my peripherals dont work anymore. Screen seems frozen ( but i dont know for SURE that it was frozen, might be just my peripherals that stopped working because i can't remember if there was an animated image still moving or not in one of the opened windows.. it's all very blurry at this point )

From what I know and what I can see ( with verifications made later on ), i don't think any updates have been done, and no drivers were updated.

So I hard reset my computer and whadda ya know.. Windows logo shows and right after ( when i'm supposed to get the logon screen ), the monitor just turns black.... So i reset a couple of times, and every time is the exact same problem. The screen just goes black after the boot sequence.

Heres what i tried :

- Tried restoring from a restore point. Didn't work
- Tried in safe mode. Computer boots up and works.
- - Tried uninstalling graphics drivers. OK
- - Tried reinstalling the drivers, but the card was not recognized and the only way to get the drivers for my card is with an auto-detect from AMD. So that didn't work.
- - When reebooting the computer, screen goes black again

- Tried reseating my card. Didn't work
- Tried the second DVI slot on my card. Didn't work
- Tried taking out the card and plugging a second monitor (1080p, because the korean one was not compatible with the iGPU ) to the intergrated gpu. The computer boots up fine.

- I call ASUS customer support. I explain the situation and the guy tells me to RMA my graphics card. Which i do, and I send it away.

Now.. I could've stopped there, but since i JUST got into my 3 weeks vacation from work, and wanted to use a bit of that time to play a few games on the computer, I tried running them with the iGPU. As expected, it ... it was barely acceptable for a low-end graphics game.

I then remembered I had another GPU ( GeForce 9600 GT ) in an older computer I gave to my girlfriend for her work. Knowing it wasnt gonna be much improvement, I still decided to try it out. So i plug it in, connect my 1080p monitor to it... And then that's when I realized that the GPU i sent back for RMA was NOT the problem. Because it did the exact same thing for this GPU.

So i tried reinstalling the drivers for the Gefore ( which this time, the install worked because it's not an autodetect ), but the problem was not solved. Still a black screen. I try to look around in forums some more, and I can't seem to find anything that is like my situation. 

I read somewhere that it was recommended to run Chkdsk /f /r or something. When I did that in Safe Mode with networking, it said it couldnt do it right away. So it prompted me to ask if I wanted to schedule it on next startup. To which I said yes.

Good god, I inflicted myself another 5 hours and an overnight of troubleshooting. I was not able to reboot my computer and cancel the chkdsk because it was stuck at 28%. I rebooted, trying to cancel PRIOR the chkdsk started, but as soon as the windows logo came on, it said " you have 0 seconds to press any key to cancel the operation " or something. So i couldnt cancel it in any way. Anyways, after a while I just gave up and went to sleep. When I come back, i could boot up the computer just fine with my monitor plugged in to the intergrated mobo gpu.

I am now here, short of options and solutions, after trying to troubleshoot by myself and with extensive research, asking for your help on how to finally solve this, or at LEAST find the problem so I can possibly RMA if anything is wrong.

Thank you for taking your time to read and I can't wait to hear from someone.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*First try running Memtest86+:* This runs from a boot disk or CD and should eliminate or confirm if your one or more of your memory sticks are bad. 

Let it run for about 20 passes (An ideal test would be about an hour), if no errors by then your ram is OK. 

Download the bootable .ISO from here: http://www.memtest.org/ 

How to create a bootable CD: How to Create a Boot Disk With Imgburn | eHow

Let me know if the software shows up with any errors. Please take a picture of it.

---------------

Next: Download Seagate Tools for DOS from here: SeaTools for DOS | Seagate

Once downloaded on another PC burn the software to a bootable CD.

Then on the broken PC boot to the Seagate Tools and run the short test.

If any errors take a picture and reply with the pictures.


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

Hello and thank you for your reply. While I was waiting for help, I proceeded with more tests.

I wanted to try to boot windows from another system to this computer to see if it worked. I can confirm that the problem seems to be windows based. 

I took my girlfriend's HDD in her computer and added it in my system. I then booted from that HDD, using the monitor on the GPU (geforce) and it worked. I could boot normally into windows. ( peripherals didn't work but who cares, I saw the logon screen ).

From here. Is there anything you can help me with to prevent a full reinstall of windows ? a way to find the corrupted file or to repair whatever needs to be repaired ?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Did you run the two tests I said to do above?


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

Memtest went perfect.

Seatools did not detect any drives.


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

A piece of information that might be relevant ( but apparently isn't the cause after disabling it )

My computer was running in Test Mode to be able to overclock my 1440p monitor. It showed Windows 8 pro Test mode, build 9200 at the bottom right corner of the screen. Like stated in the OP, i OC'ed from 60 to 100hz. I disabled with a command line in CMD : 
bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF

The Test mode watermark does not appear anymore at the corner of the screen, therefore i dont think it was because of that...


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

What I would do is go into Safe mode and backup any important data then go ahead and reinstall Windows.


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

When i tried refreshing windows, it said my drive was locked. I think thats why I can't do sfc /scannow and dism commands. maybe it's why it wont let seatools access the hard drives too.

I tried googling and so far i've tried a command explained on this website
Fix - The drive where Windows is installed is locked

unfortunately, that did not seem to work. Do I have to be in safe mode or something ?

Any ideas on what to do to unlock my drive ?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Boot into Safe Mode and open up a command prompt Window.

Then type* unlock* *x*

*x* meaning the drive that is locked.


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

Typed : Unlock c

"Unlock is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."

tried with "c:" "c:\", etc, nothing worked


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

try it without the capital U.


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

hmm i dont think DOS commands are case sensitive. Nonetheless, when I first tried, I did try with lower case U

Same result


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

When you use your Windows CD did you try to just format the drive completely or does it give you the warning?


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

no I did not try to perform a full format/clean install. I tried doing the system refresh. I'm trying to not get to the point of a full reinstall. I'm starting to think it might be my only option, but I wouldn't want my device to stay locked after also, to prevent me from recovering again if anything happens. Thats why i'd like to find a fix for this..


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Well what I would do is go into Safe Mode and copy any important files.

Then do the reset.


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

So i chatted with a microsoft tech support.

he led me to understand that the reason i would get the black screens is because theres a corrupted driver file from my radeon GPU that's still trying to load, even though i uninstalled everything. Like.. it was probably not deleted completely or something. So it still tries to load when a GPU is inserted on my Mobo ( from what i understood ). He also thinks that the device locked comes from a permission issue.

he told me to get the Autorun tech program from here Autoruns for Windows and disable the corrupted file. He said it would be a .sys file related to ATI

i dont really want to disable these if i'm not sure which one to mess with. Do you think you can be of some help ?










PS : Thx for all the help btw. Is there a way for me to +rep you ?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

That may be a reason to black outs.

Just to get things straight for me...You right now are running off of your Nvidia GPU and not the AMD GPU correct?

You also uninstalled all of the AMD software? Check the control panel then go to Uninstall a Program.



> PS : Thx for all the help btw. Is there a way for me to +rep you ?


No problem! We don't have a +rep system here at TSF but thanks for asking. :smile:


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

Incorrect. I've been running from my integrated mobo gpu. It's also a radeon, 4000 series. 

My main card was a radeon 6950,then tried with a geforce 9600, which ended up doing the same thing (black scree). The only way I can boot successfully is by safe mode through any gpu card (meaning no driver is loaded), or by integrated gpu (normal mode, or safe mode, both work) 

Thing is. I'm pretty sure I un installed everything through standard procedure (install un install programs, device manager). When connecting through my integrated gpu, since it's also a radeon (4000 though), amd drivers might be reinstalled... Quite complicated huh


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Can you take a picture of your voltages in your BIOS?


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

give me a second ill do that right away. Just running CCleaner to uninstall AMD Catalyst center. Was still in the list..


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

do you want it WITH or without the NVIDIA card plugged in ? i can get into bios even with the GPU. just wont be able to boot pas the bios.


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

Is this what you wanted ?

This is without the Geforce GPU inserted. Only running with my integrated mobo gpu (radeon 4000)


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

UPDATE :

So i completely ran CCleaner to delete AMD catalyst control center, and all system/temp/whatever files that needed to be deleted.

I ran DriverFusion also, to wipe all remaining driver files on the computer for AMD/radeon.

Still, nothing works.

Now, i just realized, you asked me for voltage. I'm not sure why, but keep in mind that I tested with another HDD with windows 7 installed, and it worked perfectly by using the NVIDIA gpu card. So whatever the problem is, it's without a doubt specific to the SSD that belond in this system, and my guess is that it's related to it's windows files / drivers

I'm sure we're on the right path. Came a long way in figuring this out since problem first started!


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

I ask for the voltages to rule out a failing PSU. The voltages seems fine so we can rule that out.

I would plug the SSD into the PC and see if you can find any errors with it:

This will require a CD Write ROM as well as a blank CD. 

Installing IMGBurn​ 
*Step 1:* First you’ll need to download a program called IMGBurn from here: The Official ImgBurn Website 











*Step 2:* Run the installer when asked and follow the onscreen installation guide. 

Downloading Seagate Tools​ 
*Step 1:* Next you will need to save Seagate Tools for DOS to a working PC. 

*Step 2:* Make your way to this website here: SeaTools | Seagate 

*Step 3:* Once there click the Downloads Tab at the top. Then select Seagate Tools for DOS. 










*Step 4:* When asked to accept the terms and agreements press accept. 

*Note:* By pressing accept you are stating that you agree and fully understand the documentation. 

*Step 5:* Press the download button and save the file to your desktop. 

Writing the File​
*Step 1:* Returning to your desktop launch the IMGBurn software. 

*Step 2:* In the menu of IMGBurn select Write Image file to Disk 










*Step 3:* Select the Seagate Tools .ISO file to be burned to your black CD. 










*Step 4:* Now we need to finish off by writing the file to the CD. Press the Write to CD button and allow the process to begin. 

Running Seagate Tools​
*Step 1:* Once IMGBurn has finished writing the CD, take the CD and put it into the PC to test. 

*Step 2:* Reboot the PC. While it is booting keep pressing F8 until you are asked on which drive you should boot from. 

*Step 3:* Select your CD ROM and Seagate tools should appear. 










*Step 4:* Once Seagate tools is up and has found your hard drive(s) select to run the short test. 

*Step 5:* Post back a picture of the completed hard drive test. 
http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f195/how-to-post-a-screenshot-184291.html


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

Well its the same thing as before. No drives show up. I tried wiping completely and doing a full reinstall.... Guess what. Black screen still. What the hell is going on. I'm writing from my phone now....


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Did the reinstall finish?


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

SOLVED -
After reinstalling windows from my OLD cpu, i saw it was working. I tried plugging my SSD back in my new computer, didn't work.. again.

But now...

This... is... this is just great...
There are not enough sacred words to express my flabbergastation of the situation...
Turns out.. it was my $%#$%^$^ USB hub in front of my case that was messing with the whole motherboard. I don't know if it's the USB hub from the case, or just the usb module of the Mobo... I was talking to my brother on the phone and we started trying to mess with all the cables to see if it was just the power that was being messed with. As I moved ONE usb cable to plug my usb key in the front hub of the case, my screen flickered black for half a second, and i heard the "device plugged" chime.

My eyes got as wide as my fists, my jaw dropped to the floor and a vein on my forehead popped. I dropped everything I was doing to reboot the computer with the GPU inserted.
It worked.

Can.. you.. @#%@##% .. believe it.. ?

I wiped my whole frogging drive... for... a USB hub... that was messing with my computer...


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## euginecalicoy (May 28, 2013)

hello,

we have the same problem, first what i would do is i o to boot up and i changed the
HDD option from SATA to IDE and then save and exit after these i restart my laptop and it will back to normal again, try these procedure


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

Well... I guess I can say this is half solved.

Half the time now my computer works
the other half, screen just goes black / standby, and theres no chance in waking this thing up

I've tried messing with the power supply, changing slots here and there for all the power cords..
I have yet to know EXACTLY where it's coming from, and if its a powersupply issue or a mobo issue... i think there might be something shortcircuiting somewhere in the case that keeps the gpu from kicking in... i don't know


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Let's try to rule out the GPU.

Take the GPU out completely and run the video via the motherboard. See if that still causes black screens. Also try it with a different cable.


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## Lukamo (Jan 16, 2013)

Yeah, well.. it doesnt do the black screens when the GPU is out
For now I tried using all different slots in my power supply and i'm gonna see how that works out for a while. If it doesnt give black screens anymore, i guess it's either because it was a power supply failure or because one of the cords I moved around got placed back in a correct manner which wont cause shortcircuiting.

I'll re-post after a while to report the status of my computer. I'm going on vacation so I won't be using it much in the next few weeks.

Thanks alot again, all your help was very much appreciated


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Enjoy your vacation and let me know how it turns out in the end!


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## twizzard (Apr 21, 2009)

Sounds like it might be a hard disk problem. Get SpinRite 6 from GRC.com; it is inexpensive (about $70 as I remember) and does an unbelievably good job of diagnosing and fixing hard drives. While you currently have to run it on a Windows system to create the boot media it uses, on such a system it can check and fix any disk the computer can see.


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