Laptop black screen after XP install - help!

My son loaded XP on his Gateway solo 9500 laptop w/ Windows ME. Now the computer will just turn on and nothing comes on the screen - completly black - not even a blinking curser! Of course, he didn't create a boot disk first. What can I do?! Thanks in advance...

 

What you describe is a hardware failure. Almost sounds like the power plug may not be fastened into the laptop rear. My Dell Latitudes do this all the time. Make sure the AC adapter is plugged in the wall, and the unit itself is lit (mine is a green light) that show it is getting power from the wall. If the computer is giving you nothing, it's probably power. Do you hear anything? Does it sound like it's running, but you just can't see it on the monitor? Maybe the monitor needs a soft smack, as some do? I am assuming the laptop case has not been physically opened, and that the CPU and stuff have not been touched.

Otherwise provide more details about the boot process. Do you see anything after you hit the power button. Does it turn black after something?

 

Thanks for the info. To answer your question, I can hear the unit power up and the fan(s) running. Nothing comes on the screen at all. I had the a/c plug in so getting power wasn't a problem - does that help? I don't know what else to say at this point...

 

If you boot to the Windows CD, does anything appear on the screen?

 

Also, any changes made to the RAM?

 

Or connect the laptop to an external CRT.

 

No changes to RAM, and no, I couldn't get it to boot from the XP CD. I'll try and hook it up to another monitor when I get home and see if that works - I appreciate the help...

 

I just hooked the laptop up to my monitor at home with the same results - @$%#!

 

Try pulling/removing the battery and rebooting, with just the AC power. I know this sounds crazy, but I've seen it fix several laptops with symptoms like those you described.

 

I have read about a similar problem - it had to do with the video card having it's refresh rate set too low by Windows...

 

Well, I took out the battery and tried it with just a/c power - no luck. I read the video card refresh rate suggestion too but I don't know how I can check that without a screen display. Thanks to all - I'm still trying!

 

Maybe a possiblity is to:

1) Remove the laptop hard drive (not as hard as it sounds, if you have not done so before, get a schrewdriver takes five minutes).

2) Buy a 2.5 inch to 3.5 inch adapter. Slave the laptop hard drive in a desktop hard drive cage.

3) Save important data from the 2.5 inch drive.

4) Format the 2.5 inch drive.

5) Insert hard drive into the laptop again

6) Re-install Windows. This would ultimately determine if it was a display mechanical problem, or a software configuration problem.

7) Hopefully, you would undo the software configuration problem. If so, then transfer all your files, apps, etc to the new formatted laptop hard drive.

(And hey, if you do, and up for it, it would be a great chance to make a streamlined Windows CD for step 6.)

There are many ways to handle your situation. My suggestion is one of many.

You know what? Another option is to load a Knoppix CD? Wouldn't that determine if it was Windows display settings?

 

I haven't had a chance to try your suggestions but I called my son and grilled him again about what happened. He said he installed XP, the laptop rebooted and started up without a hitch, then he got the blue screen of death (he couldn't read the message), it shut down, and entered its current state. I don't know if that helps...

 

Boot to any bootable CD or floppy disc. Windows, UBCD, Knoppix, whatever. To test if the display issue is Windows or mechanical.

If a bootable CD works, as in the display works, you're in luck, and it's just a Windows video setting issue. Which it is sounding more and more like.

 

I tried booting from a floppy and from a CD - no luck. I also put KNOPPIX on a CD and tried that without success. I removed both the RAM and the hard drive and reseated them. I haven't made it to the store to get a 2.5 to 3.5 adapter yet, but I guess I'll make the trip soon because I'm running out of ideas. If it was a Windows setting I should still be able to boot from a floppy/CD shouldn't I? Is it possible the hard drive died - would it respond like this? And if the display somehow died shouldn't I have been able to see a response when I had my other monitor plugged in? I'm stretching here...

 

I don't think it's a Windows setting problem. It's possible Windows caused something to be fried I guess. Got any other laptop hard drives with Windows on it (or bootable)? I suppose you can subsitute another bootable 2.5 inch hard drive as a test. Know anybody else with a laptop? I suppose you can take out the laptop hard drive and try putting it somebody elses laptop case. I forgot you tried an external monitor. But it sounds like some component in the laptop is fried. That would be why the external monitor did not work. It does not sound like the hard drive died from what you said earlier it sounded like the hard drive is churning good. At least that's what it sounds like.

These suggestions are just what I'd do. Buying an enclosure case I suppose is a fast was to identify the problem. It isolates the hard drive as a cause. I may also try one the first two tests if possible before buying an enclosure case.

Maybe I'm off. If anybody reading detects errors in my line of thinking, please correct me, and help Dpalmer128.

 

The only other thing I could think off is if somehow the BIOS plays, or played, a part in this.

 

Thanks for all your efforts. I don't know how, but I agree I think something happened with the motherboard or something. I don't know how installing XP could have done it so maybe they were just 2 events close in time which I thought were related and in fact weren't. I did the chat thing with a tech support guy from Gateway this a.m. and that was his thinking, too. I really appreciate all the advice - I'll definitely post the fix when this is all resolved. Take care!

 

You thought Gateway would give you better advice? Gateway calls Major Geeks for advice you know

Sounds like you are doing all you could. Hope it works out.

 

This thread raises a question for me, and below I cite a couple examples (which is why I didn't start a new thread)

What are the differences between a laptop BIOS and a desktop BIOS? I know with laptops inner components are built differently. They are integrated mostly. So I guess this has to do with it. What I am looking for is real-world differences between laptop and desktop BIOSes. (nothing theoretical, just info I need to know about BIOSes for fixing computers)

Like if his laptop's motherboard is fried, why doesn't the BIOS beep at boot?

Or if his laptop's onboard video is fried, would the BIOS indicate so?

I know about desktop BIOSes very well. But not laptop BIOSes. Please distinguish. Thanks.

 

To the best of my knowledge, a BIOS is a BIOS. This is just a bootstrap loading system for the OS, telling it what features are supported on the motherboard. Laptops and desktops differ in configurations, supported features, and motherboards, hence the different BIOS's. If I'm wrong in my explanation, I'm sure that someone will correct me!

 

Just out of curiousity, did he format the hard drive before installing XP? Could he have wiped out the hardware-specific drivers that came on the laptop? Usually in addition to a restore disk that reinstalls the OS and programs that were originally included on the laptop, there is a driver disk, which often contains drivers that control temperature management,among other things. Does your son have a driver disk, or can you download those for your specific model from the manufacturer?

 

Well, I figured out my problem - at least most of the way. I found a thread on another message board that suggested removing the hard drive and seeing if the computer would post. Sure enough, the computer came alive! I'm getting a 2.5 to 3.5 adapter cable and hooking it to my home PC to troubleshoot. I'm not all the way home but there's a light up ahead...

 

I should note that Farbib mentioned I should consider doing something similar days ago, just not trying to start it without the hard drive, but in my supreme foolishness I didn't think it was worth the trip to the computer store. I didn't think to just remove the hard drive and start it up without it. I humbly submit to a public flogging...