PC Help

[distortiondave]

Computer crashed, as they do, but when I've restarted it there's no picture.
I've powered down by disconnecting it from the mains, tried a different monitor and hdmi lead, and everything looks like its working - the fans running, the graphics card is all colourful, num and caps lock lights up on the keyboard, the mouse is all lit up, but no picture.


Any advice?

[Rileybobs]

It's PC gone bad.

Sorry, that's all I've got.

[Clovius Boofus]

Maybe turn off and unplug everything, including your monitor for 10 minutes or so.

[Rick_Muller]

Do you have the option of a good old VGA cable (blue connector) you may have a display driver issue which won’t use HDMI connectivity.

[brunlea99]

You could try to restart you PC into safe mode:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 1af602b617

Just realised that is an old page, try this:

https://support.lenovo.com/gb/en/soluti ... -81-and-10

[Vegas Claret]

do you have an option to use a different port for the monitor ? HDMI, Display Port etc ? if you try try that and see if it works

[distortiondave]

It came back on by itself. I don't know how long it took, I'd been out from 4.30 until 8pm and when I got back it was all working again as though it had just shut down normally. I'd left some papers obstructing the fan prior to the crash, so it was probably a overheating safety shutdown thing?

Anyway, all your advice was useless but I appreciate the effort. X.

[IanMcL]

This is currently happening to me. I fire it up and no connection to monitor. Several tries. No go. Turn off completely. Go away. Come back. All OK....until the next time. Frustrating.

The last time it happened I found a screwed in connection lead was not totally tight. It started OK after that. Away since then, so not re-tested.

[Awayfromburnley]

Key point here, what happened when it crashed? Any blue screens or messages?

If not, it might be your monitor.

[tarkys_ears]

Sounds like when my (nearly) brand new CPU died.

If it won't show anything including the BIOS but everything else seems to be running OK then this could be the cause.

Keep an eye on the cooling as you said, check/reapply the thermal paste if its not been done for a few years and just give it as much air as possible.

Might help to download some software to check your idle/load temps and see if they're beyond the norm.

[Hipper]

Sounds like when my (nearly) brand new CPU died.

If it won't show anything including the BIOS but everything else seems to be running OK then this could be the cause.

Keep an eye on the cooling as you said, check/reapply the thermal paste if its not been done for a few years and just give it as much air as possible.

Might help to download some software to check your idle/load temps and see if they're beyond the norm.

Cooling is a good point. My desktop PC has fans and grills and every couple of months I remove these grills and blast the dust out of them. Desktops on the floor are surely particularly prone to accumulating dust.

[Clovius Boofus]

Same here - with a can of compressed air.

[Hipper]

Same here - with a can of compressed air.

I got fed up with those cans and bought myself this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dusters-CompuC ... 073F9NY1X/

It may be a touch too powerful. I also use it to clean a fan heater.

[Clovius Boofus]

I got fed up with those cans and bought myself this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dusters-CompuC ... 073F9NY1X/

It may be a touch too powerful. I also use it to clean a fan heater.

Cheers. I'll check that out.