Screen Problem

L

leofea

New Member
Hi,

I am new to this forum, I am desperate need of an answer, so I thought I would give it a go.

I have got a desktop computer, and recently, the screen has started to randomly turn off, mainly when the user has just logged on, but if not, it will after max 5 mins. It does not do this in safe mode or if I boot of a CD, but only when in Windows XP normal mode.

I hear the noise that the computer makes when it has been shut down, and a few seconds later the screen shows no signal. Everything inside the computer remains running (fans, hard drive etc), it is just the screen.

I am using the on board graphics, but have also tried with a 64MB graphics card.

Could it be that I need to get a graphics card with more memory?

I have taken it to the PC shop, and they replaced the motherboard, however it has made no difference.

Any ideas?

Thank you
 
I wonder if the settings for power saving got changed?

You can configure your machine to do a variety of things in a set amount of time to save power..etc.

I like to put these values to 'Never' because I had a laptop that kept turning off on me..somehow the values got changed to 'after 10 minutes'.

I then select my screensaver to go on after say 30 minutes of inactivity.but that way programs can still run in background.
 
Thanks for the quick response.

I have already tried this.

Once the screen goes off, there is no way of getting it to come back on, I have to hold down the power button and then turn it back on again.

Any other ideas?

Thank you
 
Hmm..

But you say everything still runs?

What about music...if you have some tunes playing--do they crap out when screen dies or keep going?
 
The situaltion is a catch 22, I cannot play music, as I do not get enough time to play music, if I get as far as selecting a tune, when I double click on it, the screen will probably go.

I do not know if everything is still running, it just appears to. Also, if I touch the hard drive, I can feel it working, this is how I know it is still on.

I have used chkdsk, defragmented the drive, cleaned the registry, and used HDD Regenerator to check for bad sectors, none of which making any difference.

Thanks again for your quick reply
 
I'm wondering if it could be that your monitor's refresh rate is incorrect? Has that been changed or can you look at what it shows?
 
I wonder if that's because of windows. Do you have drivers installed on the computer from your internal components? Maybe they cause conflicts and problems.
To check that try this:

Enter windows in Safe Mode and:
Right click My Computer - Properties - Hardware - Device Manager
Double click the graphic card's name in the list and select the "Resources" tab. Select every Resource and check for conflicts.

Or else, you could try reinstalling windows.
BTW did you reinstall windows after replacing the motherboard? It is strongly recommended to do so.
 
What would the graphics card be named, as it is a on board graphics card.

I have just tried "sfc/ scannow", and the screen went off half way through.. So did the CD drive, therefore other parts could be shutting down also.

Any ideas now?
 
Hey, can you give us the details on the components inside the computer?

Is it a retail machine? If so, post the make/model number.

I wonder if your power supply is dying.?@
 
leofea said:
What would the graphics card be named, as it is a on board graphics card.

I have just tried "sfc/ scannow", and the screen went off half way through.. So did the CD drive, therefore other parts could be shutting down also.

Any ideas now?
Click to expand...

Look under 'display adapters' from the Device Manager list.
 
I cannot get much information, as cannot load many programs without it powering off.

Loaded up CCleaner, and it has come up with the following:

MS Windows XP SP3
AMD Athlon XP2700+
959MB RAM
VIA/S3G UniChrome

Not top spec as not the main machine.

Also, power supply is:

ATX 400W Switching Power Supply

Thanks
 
MS Windows XP SP3
AMD Athlon XP2700+
959MB RAM
VIA/SG3 UniChrome 1GB

ATX 400W Switching Power Supply.

Now top spec as not my main computer.

Thanks
 
leofea said:
I cannot get much information, as cannot load many programs without it powering off.

Loaded up CCleaner, and it has come up with the following:

MS Windows XP SP3
AMD Athlon XP2700+
959MB RAM
VIA/S3G UniChrome

Not top spec as not the main machine.

Also, power supply is:

ATX 400W Switching Power Supply

Thanks
Click to expand...

Is it a retail machine? if so, look on case for a make/model #
 
I am not sure, as I think I moved drives round a while ago, Dell box, but Packard Bell loads up when I turn the computer on.
 
The fact that this problem is not duplicated when in safe mode or booting from a CD would lead me to think it is not really hardware related. So did you look at what your refresh rate is set to? Display Properties --> Settings --> Advanced --> Monitor
• The default refresh rate setting is 60 Hertz (HZ); however, your monitor may support a higher setting. Check your manufacturer's documentation for information about the settings that your monitor supports.
• If you use a higher refresh rate, you can reduce the rate that your screen flickers; however, if you specify a refresh rate that is too high for your monitor, your screen may become unusable and your hardware may be damaged.
• Changes to the refresh rate affect all users that log on to the computer.
Click to expand...
Source Link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311403

Not really sure I'm helping at this point, so I'll let it go for now. :o
 
Since this problem happens at a seemingly random time, the refresh rate is most likely not to blame since the refresh rate is set upon boot.
It sounds like the computer is forced into a low-power state (like sleep or standby) since the cd drive stops and nothing seems to be happening after it does this.
Try to reproduce it, check the time it happened and check your Event log while in safe mode.

Control Panel >Admin Tools> Event Viewer

Something may be logged that could determine what is happening.
 
I have just looked at the CPU temp and its showing 69/70 degreen.

Do you think that putting some thermal paste on the heatsink would stop the power loss?
 
leofea said:
I have just looked at the CPU temp and its showing 69/70 degreen.

Do you think that putting some thermal paste on the heatsink would stop the power loss?
Click to expand...

If that is 69/70 Celsius then you definitely need to get that CPU cooled down, that is very hot for a CPU and it can definitely cause crashes.
 
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