Black screen Presario R4000

The computer when I turn it on nothing happens the power light turns on fans kick on seems like fully powered but harddrive never boots I never get XP logo or anything at all just a black screen.I believe its the hard drive but previously when I have got the computer to run before I have ran diagnostic test and it tells me the hard drive is working fine. But when I take out hard drive my screen turns on and I can get into bios but that is as far as I can go since no hard drive.

 

Hi armando, welcome to majorgeeks....

Ill need a few more details to help..

What make and model?

Has this just suddenly happened?

Did XP used to run ok?

Have you tried any type of repair install?

Is ther data you need on the drive?

Q

 

Thanks for intro I like this forum

Compaq Presario R4000

No it happened to my sister a long time ago then she gave it to me cause she said it was broken wasnt turning on. But when I got it it work fully, then it just stopped working after like a year or so.

Yes xp used to work fine before.

any repair like what?

No I dont care whats on hard drive I just want a working computer.

But Im curious would BIOS still work if motherboard is broken? Cause BIOS shows up without any hard drive, as soon as i put hard drive theres like a short. Sometimes super rare it turns on.

 

Yeah the mobo will most likely be ok if it boots the bios....

your lookin at a problem with the HDD. [should be fixable though ]

Do you have the XP install disc?

 

Not sure I have a burned version dont really want to try it though. Why what would I do with it?

 

If you have the install disc, then you should run a repair install [as long as you dont need any of the data on the drive]

If that fails then i would wipe the HDD and try a fresh install.

If ther is no data you want and the PC wont boot from the HDD you have few options to choose from and even less to lose by doing so

Q

 

Hmm first how do I repair it using the install CD can you do a guide or something?

And how do I wipe everthing on it I was trying to do that but I dont know how especially since screen any turning on it made it harder on me.

But as long as I get a working laptop Id be more than happy.

Btw can we instant message or something faster than this? I tried sending you a message but the forum aint leting me.

 

Hey armando, i could jump on IM with ya if needed, but a repair install is really simple...


When you boot teh Xp cd you will eventually be greeted with a blue screen with a few options..

One of which will say "to repair windows press "R" .....

On the next screen you will have to press "F8" to agree to the Eula.

On the next screen it will ask you to press "R" again.....

After this it will go through a load of screens automatically, and should need no interaction until you you are confronted with a familiar desktop, where it will ask you to set the desired display settings

[this is a preference ,set it as you like, it will give you an option to undo any changes to the display after you make them so dont worry.]

One thing to note is, whilst it is in the process of loading it will reboot a few times by itself.
DO NOT PRESS ANY KEYS WHILE IT IS DOING THIS JUST LET IT REBOOT AND DO EVERYTHING ITSELF.
Once all that is done you will have a brand spanking new desktop, with virtually no icons present.

That is when you go download and install Firefox, Flash & Java in that order.

Q

 

hmm can you send me your email so we can chat on messanger id send you a message but forum dont let me.

umm hmm ill try this out when I get home though.

 

well Q I got home and my computer maintence teacher lend me a XP CD and yup that hard drive creates a short or something I dunno. I put CD in and nothing happened. I took out hard drive(no hard drives at all on laptop) then i turned it on and I got to BIOS and CD worked but I couldnt configure the hard drive since it wasnt in.

 

DL and burn the UBCD --> http://majorgeeks.com/Ultimate_Boot_CD_d4981.html

You have to burn it as an image file NOT just like a normal CD

And see if it will boot that, if it does use it to wipe the drive.

Q

 

Ive used that in passed but I dont recall it working hmm ill try it though. But its not really what I stick in there I think. For some reason when I have hard drive connected it cause a short and the screen doesnt load.

 

Hey armando, I just want to test something non-windows based that is made to boot in bad-times.

UBCD is just that, if you already have a copy that is great, just pop it in and see, try ubuntu if you have that aswell.

 

alrighty, I cant reply to via message for some reason I dunno, well I was going to tell you thanks I appreciate all the help your doing really means alot to me. O btw i sent ya a invite on msn ill be on all the time so whenever you can.

um alright I lost the CD but ill make one and do again

 

any thoughts

 

Yeah.. have you tried UBCD yet

Q

 

yea nothing happens black screen. I took out hard drive and ran the disk just to make sure it works and it works fine, put hard drive in turned it on with disk in nothign happened. Took disk out turn comp on while comp was on put disk in still nada black screen whole time. Now ima leave comp on with disk in it and black screen see if something happens ima give it like 10 mins or so but doubt anything will happen.

 

O crap I left it on for a while black screen turned it off and turned it back on and screen came on and CD loaded woot woot with drive in it. But um I wasnt to sure which utility to use XD I choose HDD salvation scan & repair hopefully I choose a good and right one :S was there one I should have used? I dont know if ima get another chance like this

 

Now it has loaded the UBCD, i think you should try to load the XP install disc, and run a "repair install" If you still cant get the XP disc to run you are gonna have to Wipe the HDD.

But do you know your windows key? cos you will need it to reinstall windows!

If you have the key! boot the UBCD again and go into the "hard disk tools" .....

find the "disk wiping" section, then look for an option called "active @ killdisk"

it will do a two-pass-zero-write to the whole disc, once that has finished The XP CD should boot no problem

Q

 

hmm well that salvation thing ran a scan but the scan didnt seem to do anything but then i used its restoration function and not sure what that did either. But now every time Ive turned it on, 4 times in row booted to disc, 1 time this morning, havnt tried to hard drive Im little scared cause I wanna take advantage of it working.

 

Sorry armando im not sure what you mean? which scan and restoration?

Just get that XP CD in and get the reapiar install going ASAP possible.

Q

 

What your describing is a classic case of a dying Harddrive which no amount of restore CD's will fix,if a computer fails to reach the bios screen sporadically as your describing with the harddrive connected you need to get the harddrive replaced.

If you have a working desktop computer you have access to you can connect the laptop harddrive and see if it posts and try to backup your data,if not your can be sure the harddrive needs replacing.

 

Hi Rikky, while that is a highly likely cause, i have seen many HDD's act this way and then get it together and run with no problems after a repair [or ideally a wipe and fresh install]

I just didn't want to write the drive off without trying to repair it first. :\


I do hope your wrong..... for armando's sake

Q

 

All due respect I don't see how,the boot sector of the harddrive is only accessed post bios screen there is no way what's on the harddrive can cause the computer not to show the bios screen but a defective harddrive can.

If I'm misunderstanding and the computer is posting every time and locking up after the bios then a recovery install may help but that doesn't seem to be what Armando is describing.

 

well I did try putting a new hard drive in before but when I tried that my bios wasnt detecting it so I sent it back :S and never bought a new one since. Um hmm well since I do have limited resources ill try with the repair and hope it works if nothing else then that path of new hard drive may happen

 

Hey Rikky - I can't explain it mate, but i've seen it with my own eyes, a few times, and it is always a laptop.

Each time it's been wiped using UBCD and reinstalled XP no problem.

Q

 

hey Q does it matter if the XP cd is for dell computers only??? does that really matter?

 

Boo Im afraid to say that this computer HDD is gone might even be its motherboard I dunno. I tried windows xp repair and that thing froze up on me once or twice and in end I got to part where it asked for a admin password and it doesnt have one atleast not that I can remember so yea didnt get that to work. Then I tried UBCD and tried to wipe HDD but it froze at 81% and I turned it off and back on and we back at square 1 nothing showing up on screen................... So what yall reccomend new HDD, if so can you all point me in direction to which one to buy? Last time I bought one the BIOS wasnt detecting it so yup...

 

Gutted

Does the current HDD have any spec's on it, or make/models numbers?


@Rikky - Good call mate