Monitor problem, screen blacking out

Skybird · 09-19-13, 05:42 AM

Since two days, every couple of minutes my monitor goes black. The power LED indicates it still is working, it does not go into standby. I need to switch it off and on, and there it is again, until the next blackout.

What could this be? The gfx board? The monitor? Or an infection? The mainboard?

Herr-Berbunch · 09-19-13, 06:02 AM

Roll back your graphics drivers, I've got (had) the same problem with the current round of nvidia drivers.

Skybird · 09-19-13, 06:36 AM

Rolling back? I have had no new one since long!

I sticked to an older driver, the new ones all gave me problems and artifacts with some games. It does all games that I have, flawlessly. More I cannot demand.

Have not touched the graphics driver since long time!

Anyhow, which version is recommended today, I mean: is said to be stable and not known for having many problems? I am on 275.33 currently. The later range from 28x.xx to - 302.xx all caused artifacts when I tried three or four from that range. Latest version I see is 326.xx. But a Beta.

P.S. I have cleaned and removed dust just some weeks ago, just did it again the past hour. All wires disconnected and reconnected, case opened. I still hope that maybe a flock of dust was just shortcutting something, somehow. Had the same issue with a USB port some weeks ago, the whole system did not boot due to a shortcutted USB port. I thought I have a clean system usually. Clean it 2-3 times a year. Others let pass years, with no issues.

Skybird · 09-19-13, 06:58 AM

Cleaning and maintenance did not help. It just blacked out again. Think it is not the monitor.

And just again. Trying the driver via windows update now. Hope it does not break my games.

Herr-Berbunch · 09-19-13, 07:13 AM

Yep, I had problems with the 326.xx, can't remember what I've gone back to at home as I'm at work. I had issues with a couple before that, 314.xx springs into my mind but I don't know for good or bad reason.

It could just be a corrupt driver and you may find reinstalling 275.33 works fine again.

When it was happening to me I checked the event logs and a nvlddmkm.sys issue was either causing it or being caused by it just as it happened. Lots on the interwebs about this but nothing concrete to do apart from try other drivers or reinstall current.

Edit, the driver I had installed before the black screen issues used to freeze everything and turn the curser to 8-bit colour, with an obvious increase in size. It was hideous.

Skybird · 09-19-13, 07:22 AM

It seems I also cannot enter the BIOS anymore. Holding the key when booting, does nothing. Instead, since some days already, after the "press button to enter BIOS", I now have a long pause with a black screen and only the mouse cursor, before the screen for entering my PIN appears. That break is around 30-40 seconds, and was not there before.

Just did a memory test as well, though accidentally.

Google shows many people having this symptom. I still wait for someone having an answer.

In other words: I think I'm in trouble.

Checking the logs now, and then have another intense AV scan and malware scan.

the_tyrant · 09-19-13, 08:55 AM

The NSA has caught on to you!

Ok, so assuming you have tried to fix your drivers, have you tried looking at your motherboard? Try clearing your BIOS?

Skybird · 09-19-13, 05:32 PM

All things I tried did not work, including new driver 327.xx. So it ended with a reinstall via an externally stored backup from three months ago. Much time spend on copying, defragging

, manually tuning to make up for changes over the past three months... I always fear that the HD spinning for six hours in a row will kill the HD next...

So far, no more blackouts since then. The Klingon method still works well, it seems.

Skybird · 09-19-13, 07:10 PM

Celebrated too early. Having played some rounds of Skyrim, I had the issue showing up again when entering or leaving buildings. Sometimes the newly loaded scenery is just a black screen. Switching off the monitor in game and switching it on again, brings up the scene, it also runs in the background of the black screen (you can hear action sounds if you hit keys and run into walls or tables, or jump).

I have run out of ideas then. Its a new driver.

GFX board? Possible, but how to test it. Monitor? Unlikely, it has run for hours inbetween. PSU? How to check that?

the_tyrant · 09-19-13, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

Celebrated too early. Having played some rounds of Skyrim, I had the issue showing up again when entering or leaving buildings. Sometimes the newly loaded scenery is just a black screen. Switching off the monitor in game and switching it on again, brings up the scene, it also runs in the background of the black screen (you can hear action sounds if you hit keys and run into walls or tables, or jump).

I have run out of ideas then. Its a new driver.

GFX board? Possible, but how to test it. Monitor? Unlikely, it has run for hours inbetween. PSU? How to check that?

Can you borrow a graphics card from a buddy, swap it in there and try it maybe?

Skybird · 09-20-13, 04:39 AM

No.

It seems I am one of the very few desktop PC users anymore... The few people I know all have gone laptop or tablet/smartphone already. I wonder why, but that's just me.

Considering a manual reinstallation by hand now. Damn, i hate this dance, costs you a day with all finetuning of options in sims and such.

System is 2,5 years old. The PSU unlikely already has worn out, I think, it is a 750W unit for an Asus P8H67 B3, i2500@3.3, 8 GB, GTX460SE. The symptom seems to be not performance-dependent anyway, happening even in idle sometimes. This morning I had two blackouts quickly after booting, and since then nothing until now.

Skybird · 09-20-13, 07:14 AM

It spreads, and I will now embark on a fully manual reinstallation. The system just suffered a total system-wide lockup, and not even software reboot worked anymore. After hardware reboot, it took some minutes - and again the system locked up completely, no HD activity, not even a small blinker of the Hd LED, no Keyboard or mouse (USB) recognised, no nothing.

The basic stuff installation and tweaking alone is worth one day's work , things like FSX (60GB of manually tuned addons) or simulations not even included.

Promises to become a really bad weekend over here.

And it has started raining outside. Great weekend.

the_tyrant · 09-20-13, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

It spreads, and I will now embark on a fully manual reinstallation. The system just suffered a total system-wide lockup, and not even software reboot worked anymore. After hardware reboot, it took some minutes - and again the system locked up completely, no HD activity, not even a small blinker of the Hd LED, no Keyboard or mouse (USB) recognised, no nothing.

The basic stuff installation and tweaking alone is worth one day's work , things like FSX (60GB of manually tuned addons) or simulations not even included.

Promises to become a really bad weekend over here.

And it has started raining outside. Great weekend.

I have a feeling that its actually your hardware failing, just a hunch.

Skybird · 09-21-13, 05:58 AM

I have ordered a new monitor, since the old one detoriates even further. It seems to be the most reasonable hardware component to check first, obviously. I hope it is like that indeed, and the money is not wasted (shop said for giving it a full diagnosis they would request 150 bucks, well that IS the money for a new monitor). If the problem remains with the new one, than I have wasted money, and the gfx board needs to follow. Hope it aint so.

Monitor is older than the system, btw, around 4-5 years.

Old CRT TV's used to hold 12-20 years, and more.

the_tyrant · 09-21-13, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

I have ordered a new monitor, since the old one detoriates even further. It seems to be the most reasonable hardware component to check first, obviously. I hope it is like that indeed, and the money is not wasted (shop said for giving it a full diagnosis they would request 150 bucks, well that IS the money for a new monitor). If the problem remains with the new one, than I have wasted money, and the gfx board needs to follow. Hope it aint so.

Monitor is older than the system, btw, around 4-5 years.

Old CRT TV's used to hold 12-20 years, and more.

Did the moniter ship yet? Make sure it is an IPS monitor. Trust me, your eyes will love you for it.

09-19-13, 05:42 AM	#1
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,553 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Monitor problem, screen blacking out Since two days, every couple of minutes my monitor goes black. The power LED indicates it still is working, it does not go into standby. I need to switch it off and on, and there it is again, until the next blackout. What could this be? The gfx board? The monitor? Or an infection? The mainboard? __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-19-13, 06:02 AM	#2
Herr-Berbunch Kaiser Bill's batman Join Date: May 2010 Location: AN72 Posts: 13,203 Downloads: 76 Uploads: 0	Roll back your graphics drivers, I've got (had) the same problem with the current round of nvidia drivers. __________________

09-19-13, 06:36 AM	#3
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,553 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Rolling back? I have had no new one since long! I sticked to an older driver, the new ones all gave me problems and artifacts with some games. It does all games that I have, flawlessly. More I cannot demand. Have not touched the graphics driver since long time! Anyhow, which version is recommended today, I mean: is said to be stable and not known for having many problems? I am on 275.33 currently. The later range from 28x.xx to - 302.xx all caused artifacts when I tried three or four from that range. Latest version I see is 326.xx. But a Beta. P.S. I have cleaned and removed dust just some weeks ago, just did it again the past hour. All wires disconnected and reconnected, case opened. I still hope that maybe a flock of dust was just shortcutting something, somehow. Had the same issue with a USB port some weeks ago, the whole system did not boot due to a shortcutted USB port. I thought I have a clean system usually. Clean it 2-3 times a year. Others let pass years, with no issues. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-19-13, 06:58 AM	#4
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,553 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Cleaning and maintenance did not help. It just blacked out again. Think it is not the monitor. And just again. Trying the driver via windows update now. Hope it does not break my games. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-19-13, 07:13 AM	#5
Herr-Berbunch Kaiser Bill's batman Join Date: May 2010 Location: AN72 Posts: 13,203 Downloads: 76 Uploads: 0	Yep, I had problems with the 326.xx, can't remember what I've gone back to at home as I'm at work. I had issues with a couple before that, 314.xx springs into my mind but I don't know for good or bad reason. It could just be a corrupt driver and you may find reinstalling 275.33 works fine again. When it was happening to me I checked the event logs and a nvlddmkm.sys issue was either causing it or being caused by it just as it happened. Lots on the interwebs about this but nothing concrete to do apart from try other drivers or reinstall current. Edit, the driver I had installed before the black screen issues used to freeze everything and turn the curser to 8-bit colour, with an obvious increase in size. It was hideous. __________________

09-19-13, 07:22 AM	#6
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,553 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	It seems I also cannot enter the BIOS anymore. Holding the key when booting, does nothing. Instead, since some days already, after the "press button to enter BIOS", I now have a long pause with a black screen and only the mouse cursor, before the screen for entering my PIN appears. That break is around 30-40 seconds, and was not there before. Just did a memory test as well, though accidentally. Google shows many people having this symptom. I still wait for someone having an answer. In other words: I think I'm in trouble. Checking the logs now, and then have another intense AV scan and malware scan. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-19-13, 08:55 AM	#7
the_tyrant Admiral Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 2,272 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	The NSA has caught on to you! Ok, so assuming you have tried to fix your drivers, have you tried looking at your motherboard? Try clearing your BIOS? __________________ My own open source project on Sourceforge OTP.net KGB grade encryption for the rest of us

09-19-13, 05:32 PM	#8
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,553 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	All things I tried did not work, including new driver 327.xx. So it ended with a reinstall via an externally stored backup from three months ago. Much time spend on copying, defragging , manually tuning to make up for changes over the past three months... I always fear that the HD spinning for six hours in a row will kill the HD next... So far, no more blackouts since then. The Klingon method still works well, it seems. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-19-13, 07:10 PM	#9
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,553 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Celebrated too early. Having played some rounds of Skyrim, I had the issue showing up again when entering or leaving buildings. Sometimes the newly loaded scenery is just a black screen. Switching off the monitor in game and switching it on again, brings up the scene, it also runs in the background of the black screen (you can hear action sounds if you hit keys and run into walls or tables, or jump). I have run out of ideas then. Its a new driver. GFX board? Possible, but how to test it. Monitor? Unlikely, it has run for hours inbetween. PSU? How to check that? __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-20-13, 04:39 AM	#11
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,553 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	No. It seems I am one of the very few desktop PC users anymore... The few people I know all have gone laptop or tablet/smartphone already. I wonder why, but that's just me. Considering a manual reinstallation by hand now. Damn, i hate this dance, costs you a day with all finetuning of options in sims and such. System is 2,5 years old. The PSU unlikely already has worn out, I think, it is a 750W unit for an Asus P8H67 B3, i2500@3.3, 8 GB, GTX460SE. The symptom seems to be not performance-dependent anyway, happening even in idle sometimes. This morning I had two blackouts quickly after booting, and since then nothing until now. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-20-13, 07:14 AM	#12
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,553 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	It spreads, and I will now embark on a fully manual reinstallation. The system just suffered a total system-wide lockup, and not even software reboot worked anymore. After hardware reboot, it took some minutes - and again the system locked up completely, no HD activity, not even a small blinker of the Hd LED, no Keyboard or mouse (USB) recognised, no nothing. The basic stuff installation and tweaking alone is worth one day's work , things like FSX (60GB of manually tuned addons) or simulations not even included. Promises to become a really bad weekend over here. And it has started raining outside. Great weekend. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-21-13, 05:58 AM	#14
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,553 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	I have ordered a new monitor, since the old one detoriates even further. It seems to be the most reasonable hardware component to check first, obviously. I hope it is like that indeed, and the money is not wasted (shop said for giving it a full diagnosis they would request 150 bucks, well that IS the money for a new monitor). If the problem remains with the new one, than I have wasted money, and the gfx board needs to follow. Hope it aint so. Monitor is older than the system, btw, around 4-5 years. Old CRT TV's used to hold 12-20 years, and more. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.