Notebook turns on but monitor would not show any image
I have a Toshiba Satellite notebook. Recently, and for no apparent reason, when I pushed the power button to turn on my notebook, the computer would turn on, but the monitor would not show any image or even any sign of light (doesn’t even light up). Is this possibly a driver issue, or will I have to get a new monitor.
No, it’s not a driver issue because this problem occurs as soon as you start the notebook, even before Windows (and drivers) start loading.
First, you’ll have to test your notebook with an external monitor attached to the VGA port on the side of your notebook. If both internal and external monitors have no image, this problem is not related to the notebook screen.
That could be memory related problem. Try reconnecting the memory module. If you have two modules installed, remove them one by one and test the laptop with each module separately. It’s possible that one of the memory modules is bad and your notebook will start as soon as you remove bad RAM.
March 24th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Hi, i have a new toshiba satalite a200 core 2 duo / 3 gig ram, my problem is that i am getting a random black screen from time to time, this happens while using various apps from internet explorer to my dj software. When this happens the backlight is still on (clearly visable in a dark room. I thought i would try hooking it up to my desktop monitor when this happened the last time, to my suprise it worked fine, it had not crashed, clear image on the external monitor, black screen on the laptop display (but the back light was on). Any ideas as to what could be causing this?
Many thanks in advance. Doug.
March 14th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Dear Laptop Freak
I have a problem with my laptop (Acer Aspire 8930g) not showing an image but it usually happens when I restart the computer or comes back from sleep mode the only way to fix the problem seems to be to shut down the computer unplug the A/C adapter and plug it back in and then it seems to work fine I’m really not sure what the problem could be. any advice?
March 14th, 2009 at 8:48 am
I have Toshiba Satellite A100-110. Screen started flickering, mainly while playing games. Next day the screen wouldn’t show any image. Backlight works fine, as well as inverter. Tried to connect another LCD screen – the problem remained. Changed screen video cable – didn’t help. All the wires seem to be fine – reseated them all twice. External screen works perfectly. The OS and BIOS detects laptop display, I can change all the settings on it, but it still doesn’t show anything. All the pins, both on motherboard output and screen input seem to be straight. What could be the problem???
March 13th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Pls my compaq screen just went blank a view sec after booting but and d booting process continue but screen blank so I left it for a while then it work fine later when I switch it on back&it work for the whole day but this morning the same problem started again pls what do I do
March 13th, 2009 at 11:23 am
I am so glad I ran across this site. I purchased a used Presario V2000 which stopped working. I made sure everything was seated properly, however it still would not boot. I had no display at all with no ability to go into the BIOS. Once I took one of the two memory modules out, it booted right up.
Thanks to the author whom suggested to remove the memory modules!
February 12th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Hey
ok, i have a toshiba a200 with ati videocard
original problem was that there was a massive chunk of dust in the fan so i pulled the laptop apart to remove it.
PROBLEM SOLVED
NEW PROBLEM………..
put it all back together, everything is plugged in, all screws are where they should be but when i started it up
1.there is no response from the lcd not even a flicker of light on start up
2.the keyboard light flash as they would normally but it like the bios is hanging or posting a no display msg
3.there is nothing in the way of beeps or led errors(ive read about these)
4.ive tried connecting an external display via the hdmi,s-video and vga connections to no avail
5.i thought if it was a bios post that f1 would bypass it and i could switch to ext display via windows but it just hangs for some reason
PLEASE throw me ur ideas as i have tried EVERYTHING i can think of other than replacing the lcd
is it the lcd or the videocard???
plz help me
tyvm
February 8th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Robert,
Here’s how you can narrow down the problem. Remove the hard drive, DVD drive and other components you can access. Leave only main parts: motherboard, CPU with heat sink, known good memory module. Try turning it on this way. If the laptop still starts and shuts off/reboots on its own, there could be a problem with the motherboard.
You’ll find more info in this article:
Laptop is dead. How to troubleshoot the problem.
February 7th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
yes i recently purchased a Toshiba A215 on e-bay it was advertised as no vidieo hard drive or memory so i asked why no vidieo was it due to broken screen posible inverter or motherboard reply was screen was craked i asked if i installed hard drive memory and screen that it should be operable since i had those items when i recieved i installed hard drive and memory and hooked up external monitor. It appeared to begine boot process then fan shuts off after a 20-30 second period process repeats but fan will only run 10-15 seconds should that be enough time to use Fn f5 to toggle to external monitor? i also turned off reseated memory. removed hard drive and installed xp cd to see if i could get instalation screen but fan still cycles 10-15 second intervals.i am going to dissassemble clean and install a new coat of compound to fransfer heat to heatsink from cpu. I read an article that stated that laptops will not boot of heat was not transfered properly from cpu. The hard drive i attempting to use has vista installed but came out of a compaq f700 will that be an issue? any suggestions welcomed thanks Robert
February 5th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Ilia Gur,
I have it’s bad video card. I posted your question with some suggestions here: Laptop screen went black. Picture on external screen has pixelation.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Hello, I have a Tosiba P100 17 inch laptop. It has Nvidia Geforce 7600 Go Videocard. The LCD screen went black few days ago, but the laptop is in working condition, LCD are working , ect. Was able to connect to external monitor via VGA port, got the picture, but it’s somewat corrupted, picture has a lot of pixellation. This is also repeated with another external LCD. I dissasembled it to chek connections, the video cable connection seems to be tight… What seems to be the problem? If this is screen , why I have pixellation on external monitor? Is it a videocard? Is it a motherboard?
Thanks
February 1st, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Hey i have a compac laptop, and when i turn it on theres no image on my monitor. All other buttons ligth up and evrythin. When i press Ctrl Alt Delete, it wont restart. Any Help is Appreciated!!!
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I own a Toshiba Satellite A100 and have problems with the display. While using the laptop, the screen will go blank – I cannot see any display but there is light in the screen. If I shut the lid it will go hibernate at which I open the lid again and all is back to normal. It happens randomly, some days more often than others. Any help is appreciated!
January 12th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I inherited a Dell Inspiron 8600 with a display problem. When I turn it on the LCD disply remains black. It sounds like it may be trying to a POST, but is unable to complete it (not sure though because I cannot see anything on the screen). I noticed a region on the display like a spot, about 1/4 the screen size, that is darker than the rest. When I gently touch an area near the spot, it expands to include the touched area.
I do not get an image when I attach an external monitor to the laptop (cycled through Fn-F8 a number of times). I also tried swapping the RAM sticks in and out to see if that did anything – does not appear to have any influence.
A computer consultant said it needed a new LCD screen, but since no image appears on an external monitor, perhaps there are some additional problems (video card)?
Any recommendations on what to do next to identify the problem would be most appreciated?
Tony
January 5th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
If i connect to external monitor i can see the display on external monitor
January 4th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I have dell inspiron 6000 PC, i recently upgraded the RAM from 512 MB to 2 GB. it was working fine for about 3 days but after that i faced a problem that when i power on the laptop, there is no display but i could hear the boot up sound. I shutdown and started my laptop many times manually still no display but after keeping PC turned on for 20 mins, display came and it worked fine until i shut down the PC.
When i again started it in the morning, same problem occured. I tried replacing the old RAM also, still the same problem. Could anyone help me on this.
December 30th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I presume you have MS Vista installed. I have seen a couple of instances of this occurring with Vista, which has meant one of two things, either the the Vista installation was from a pirated disc (true in on case) or the Vista installation had not been activated within the first 30 days (true in another case).
In the case of the pirated installation, that was an easy fix, I told the owner to buy a legit copy and reinstall.
In the case of the legit installation that timed out, that was fixed with a repair installation.
This has become known as the “Vista black screen of death”. Google it and you will find others have suffered the same fate.
With laptops that come with OEM Vista installations, it is unlikely that the install is pirated, so it may be one of the many other options.
If you have the original install disc, or a repair option from recovery partition, that may be the way to go.
Best of luck
December 30th, 2008 at 9:38 am
I have a Toshiba Satellite P205D-S8802 that powers up fine. I get to the log on screen and after I’ve logged on the only thing that shows up is the mouse pointer. I can move the mouse but the background is completely black. All this happened after my daugther used the installed webcam for the first time. I removed the battery and tried rebooting but get the same thing. Any suggestions?
December 19th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
A friend has asked me to look at her Toshiba PSL10A laptop which she uses in conjunction with a VGA projector.
This machine had worked fine with the projector until recently. When a projector or external monitor is connected, they will not display.
I have updated to latest Intel driver and software, still no luck. However, if I check the properties with no external monitor connected, the software only shows information regarding laptop screen. If I connect an external monitor (LCD or CRT) the Intel software detects the external monitor and then shows the properties tabs for the external device, but no matter what I try, Hotkeys or property settings, I cannot get external monitor to display desktop.
This would suggest that external monitor is detected.
Have you any ideas please?
December 17th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I have the same problem. It started when I opened my Toshiba laptop from hibernation mode like I always do. Then after a few seconds from opening it, I inserted my USB flash drive when suddenly it hanged (my USB flash drive had no virus), it was frozen for a couple of minutes, even the mouse pointer won’t move, so I pressed the power button to reset it but still, nothing happened. And so i removed the plug and the battery and placed it back and turned it on, and that’s when the problem started. The power lights are on, the fan is running, the DVD drive is spinning when i inserted a cd, the HDD, numlock, and capslock indicator lighted when i pressed the power switch, but the screen is blank – no lights, no faint image. Also, when I tried to turn on the WiFi switch, the wifi light indicator won’t turn on. Even the inserted USB optical mouse won’t light up. I tried waiting for a couple of minutes but nothing happens, even the sound during Windows login won’t come up. What could be the problem? Is it the LCD screen? A hard drive error? Or what? Please help me. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
December 17th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I have a Toshiba L20/25 and I left it running on my bed for about 2 hours. When i returned the screen was black and I had to power it back on. After powering it on, windows xp started but it would display my back screen with icons…it shows a dark blue screen with the pointer on it, but nothing else. I have removed the battery and also connected it to another monitor…however, it still does not show my screen from my laptop. Also, my fan is not turning. What could be the issue? My computer is about 3 years old.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
LaptopFreak,
I have an older model Sony Vaio laptop. Ive gotten the blue screen of death about once a day for the last 3 weeks, the technician i took it to has no idea how to fix it. Well last night i tried to turn my laptop back on after a blue fatal screen and it started the bootup like normal but after the windows xp loading screen the blue scrren never appears. the arrow for the mouse shows on a completely black screen. I tried to reboot my laptop in safemode but it only shows a black screen with the white lettering along the tops and bottom like in safemode. I dont understand why i cannot see my desktop or even the blue windows startup screens. Please help!!!!
November 26th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Hello LaptopFreak:
I am having a similar problem as all fo the people above, with a few differences. I am running Win XP on an HP Pavilion zv5000 notebook. I have hooked the laptop to my TV on many occassions to watch videos that are store on the laptop. This has never been a problem. A week or so ago my boyfriend picked up the Micro AV virus onto the laptop. At one point Mozilla crashed and he went to reboot the laptop. The laptop didn’t shut down right away, there was some hung process. When the laptop did shut down (it wasn’t connected to the TV at this point, but had been earlier in the week) we rebooted it and the internal LCD screen was completely black during boot up. All buttons light up, hard drive is spinning, Windows music plays, but no image on the monitor. We hooked it to the TV, and there was my desktop. Since then I have cleaned the virus, however, I still cannot view my desktop without hooking my laptop to an external monitor. We have tried shining a flashlight onto the black LCD laptop monitor, but we cannot see any faint images or anything that would give us the indication that the backlight is bad.
Also…when I go into Display Properties and click on the settings tab, there are two monitors that appear. Monitor 1 (the external) is set to primary (both boxes “use this device as the primary monitor” and Extend my Windows desktop on this monitor” are checked and greyed out. When I click on the second monitor (2), which is my internal laptop monitor, “use this device as my primary monitor” is greyed out and unchecked. The other box is unchecked but checkable. When I try to make the internal monitor “attached” and extend it to my windows desktop, it acts like it’s trying to do this, but nothing happens, nothing appears on the laptop screen. I’ve also tried switching the posistions of the 1 and 2 monitors, and it tells me that the internal monitor is not enabled. I click yes to enable it, again teh external monitor flashes like it’s trying to do something, but nothing shows up on the laptop screen.
I don’t know if something possibly got set by the virus that is causing this. Or…if the LCD is bad? ANY help would be GREATLY appreciated. I’ve reinstalled the ATI driver (my video driver is ATI radeon 90001GP), I’ve tried many times to switch the primary monitor, but I cannot get the “us this device as the primary display” to become “ungrey”. Is there anything I can try? Is there some setting that got set in my registry possibly that is causing this? PLEASE HELP!!
Thanks in advance!
Megan
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I have an HP Pavilion zt3000. Recently out of the blue i’ve begun having problems.
When booting my computer my screen no longer powers up. All the lights work but the screen is just black.
Funciton F4 works ONLY sometimes. I can’t figure out why. Also, when I shut the computer down, only my screen goes off and all the lights stay on, I have to hold the power button for 10 seconds so that the do go off. I have recently installed the graphics driver but it hasn’t helped..
Any ideas ? Thanks
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:37 am
Hello, I have a Sony vaio VGN FE770G. yesterday i pluged in s-video from my laptop to TV and the display on my laptop went blank..and nothin appeared on the Tv as well…i restarted the laptop after removing the s-video. The laptop starts and teh screen displays till the windows loading screen and then the display goes blank again. the HDD is working becasuse i can hear the soud of my screen saver after 5 min. please help.
November 16th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I have a Dell inspiron 6400 Laptop. One day I turned it on and the screen is black. If I hook it up to an external monitor I am able to use my computer as usual.
Any ideas as to what the problem could be. I would appreciate any advice.
Thanks Susan
November 5th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
T.J. Says
“Fn+F4 doesn’t work because until I go into “display settings” the computer doesn’t recognize that the internal laptop monitor is even there. This is apparently the base of the problem: the internal monitor is never autodetected at any point from the time i turn on the computer, to when Windows boots…not until i plug in the external monitor and manually change it to “extend my desktop” and “primary monitor” under Display settings.
Bios also does not have any options dealing with monitors. So far, I’ve disabled the driver, I’ve booted in Safe Mode with Windows’ own standard driver, I’ve reverted back to the original version of the driver, I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled the current/latest driver…nothing has solved the problem of the display not being autodected”
I am have the same problem! Though I have a Toshiba Satellite A100-St1042, Windows XP Pro Sp2, and nVidia Geforce Go 7300. Only the external monitor will show the boot-up, but once I get into Windows I can turn on the LCD display. Sometimes I have to restart a few times before it detects the LCD. When I get the LCD on, it will work fine (even restarting) until I turn off the laptop for a short period of time.
Could this be a memory problem? Or BIOS or even the screen itself?
Thanks =)
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:49 am
Hiii i have the same problem ¬¬
I have hp pavilion dv5000
And my screen is just blank and the power button does not light up
I really need some help asap!
Ive tried re-seating the ram
Switching around the memory modules and taking one out and leaving the other in and vice versa
I reallly need some help :/
thanks
October 24th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I have a similar conundrum. The Toshiba Satellite A105 started with a white screen now – nothing at all. I read to try pressing on the outer edges of the LCD screen – no change. I connected it to an external monitor and it worked great. When I unplugged the monitor and tried to go back to just the lcd screen, now I have nothing – black screen. I tried removing the battery and ac power and pressing the power button for a minute. After I put everything back, I turned it back on – still black. I removed the screws that held the top half of the laptop (kb, screen, touchpad, etc…) to the bottom to try to see where the screen connected to the main board. I removed and reseated the cable, verifying that there were no bent pins and everything lined up. When I put everything back together and tried turining it on – nothing – still black. I checked the cable again – no bent pins and everything was aligned – still black.
I know the problem could be the screen, the inverter, the cable or the mobo. Since I have a limited income and if I tried all 4, I would be at the cost of a new laptop. Can anyone help?
Any and all suggestions are welcomed!
Thanks in advance.
October 11th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Hi, I have a Toshiba Satellite A15-S157 laptop. I recently (3 months ago) replaced the memory (1 gig), hard drive (80 gig), fan. All was working well until last week when my daughter said the screen was flickering for awhile and then went dark. You can still see the screen faintly. I can plug into an external monitor fine. I’m thinking the back lite is burt out. Another post suggested that I replace the LCD Harness. Do you have any suggestions of stuff for me to try without replacing the entire LCD? Would like to keep it for a spare if it’s not to expensive to fix.
Thanks, Jon
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:54 am
i have a hp pavilion ze2000. i recently just had to wipe it and re format it. meaning i had to put windows xp back on. but i had my laptop sitting on my bed all day, it was on and it was closed. when i went to use it later that night. my laptop was really hot cause it was sittin on my bed and i think the fan was blocked up so it couldnt cool its self down… but the screen was really dark. lookd like it had a screen saver up it was so dark. so i moved my touchpad.. nothing happened. so i turned it off and back on.. still nothing well later i noticed in certain light i can see the screen and my background all that like my computer is running smoothly i just can barly see anything. its very dark.. so what could it be?