How To Fix a Computer That Turns On But Displays
The most common way that a computer "won't turn on" is when the PC actually does power on but doesn't display anything on the monitor.
You see lights on the computer case, probably hear fans running from inside, and may even hear sounds, but nothing at all shows up on your screen.
There
are several possible reasons why your monitor isn't displaying
information so it's very important that you step through an ordered
process like the one I've outlined here.
Important: If your computer is in fact showing information on the monitor, but is still not booting fully, see How to Fix a Computer That Won't Turn On for a better troubleshooting guide.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: From minutes to hours depending on why the computer isn't displaying anything on the monitor
How To Fix a Computer That Turns On But Displays Nothing
- Test your monitor.
Before you begin more complicated and time consuming troubleshooting
with the rest of your computer, make sure your monitor is working
properly.
It's very possible that your computer is working fine and your monitor is your only problem.
- Verify
that your PC has fully power cycled. In other words, make sure your
computer has completely reset - make sure that it's coming on from a
completely powered-off state.
Often times a computer will appear
to "not be on" when actually it's just having problems resuming from
either the Standby/Sleep or Hibernate power saving mode in Windows.
Note:
You can power off your computer completely while in a power saving mode
by holding the power button down for 3 to 5 seconds. After the power is
completely off, turn on your PC and test to see if it will boot
normally.
- Troubleshoot the cause of the beep code if you're lucky enough to get one. A beep code will give you a very good idea of exactly where to look for the cause of your computer turning off.
If
you don't resolve the problem by troubleshooting to the specific beep
code, you can always return here and continue with the steps below.
- Clear the CMOS. Clearing the BIOS memory on your motherboard
will return the BIOS settings to their factory default levels. A BIOS
misconfiguration could be why your PC won't startup all the way.
Important: If clearing the CMOS
does fix your problem, make sure any changes you make in BIOS are
completed one at a time so if the problem returns, you'll know which
change caused your issue.
- Verify that the power supply voltage switch is set correctly. If the input voltage for the power supply is not correct (based on your country) then your computer may not turn on completely.
There's
a good possibility that your PC wouldn't power on at all if this switch
is wrong but an incorrect power supply voltage might also prevent your
computer from starting properly in this way too.
- Reseat
everything possible inside your PC. Reseating will reestablish the
various connections inside your computer and is very often a "magic" fix
to problems like this one.
Try reseating the following and then see if your computer begins to display something on screen:
- Reseat all internal data and power cables
- Reseat the memory modules
- Reseat any expansion cards
Note: Unplug and reattach your keyboard and mouse
as well. There isn't a great possibility that the keyboard or mouse is
causing your computer to not turn on fully but we might as well
reconnect them while we're reseating everything else.
- Reseat the CPU only if you suspect that it might have come loose or might not have been installed properly.
Note: I call this out separately only because the chance of a CPU
coming loose is very slim and because installing one is a sensitive
task. This isn't a big concern if you're careful so don't worry!
- Check for causes of electrical shorts
inside your computer. This is often the cause of the problem when the
computer powers off by itself but certain shorts can also prevent your
computer from booting fully or showing anything on the monitor.
- Test your power supply.
Just because your computer's fans and lights are working does not mean
that the power supply is functioning properly. The PSU tends to cause
more problems than any other hardware and is often the cause of a
computer not coming on all the way.
Replace your power supply immediately if it fails any test you perform.
Important: I want to make this point very clear - do not skip a test of your power supply
thinking that your problem can't be the PSU because "things are getting
power." Power supplies can work in varying degrees and one that isn't
fully functional needs to be replaced.
Tip:
After replacing the power supply, assuming you do, keep your PC plugged
in for 5 to 10 minutes prior to turning it on. This gives time for some
recharging of the CMOS battery, which may have been drained.
- Start
your computer with essential hardware only. The purpose here is to
remove as much hardware as possible while still maintaining your PC's
ability to power on.
- If your computer starts normally with only essential hardware installed, proceed to Step 11.
- If your computer still isn't displaying anything on your monitor, proceed to Step 12.
Important:
This step is easy enough for a novice to complete, takes no special
tools, and could provide you with a lot of valuable information. This
isn't a step to skip if, after all the steps above, your computer is
still not turning on completely.
- Reinstall each piece of hardware that you removed in Step 10, one piece at a time, testing after each installation.
Since
your computer powered on with only the essential hardware installed,
those components must working properly. This means that one of the
hardware components you removed is causing your PC to not turn on
properly. By installing each device back into your PC and testing each
time, you'll eventually find the hardware that caused your problem.
Replace the nonworking hardware once you've identified it. These Hardware Installation Videos should come in handy as you're reinstalling your hardware.
- Test your computer's hardware
using a Power On Self Test card. If your PC still isn't displaying
information on your monitor with nothing but essential computer hardware
installed, a POST card will help identify which piece of remaining hardware is causing your computer to not come on completely.
If you don't have and are unwilling to purchase a POST card, skip to Step 13.
- Replace
each piece of essential hardware in your computer with an identical or
equivalent spare piece of hardware (that you know is working), one
component at a time, to determine which piece of hardware is causing
your computer to not come on all the way. Test after each hardware
replacement to determine which component is faulty.
Note:
The average computer user doesn't have a collection of working spare
computer parts at home or work. If you don't either, my advice is to
revisit Step 12. A POST card is inexpensive and is a more reasonable
approach than stocking spare computer parts.
- Finally, if all else fails, you'll probably need to seek professional help from a computer repair service or from your computer manufacturer's technical support.
Unfortunately,
if you don't have a POST card or spare parts to swap in and out, you're
left not knowing which piece of your essential PC hardware is faulty.
In these cases you have little option than to rely on the help of
individuals or companies that do have these resources.
Note: See the last tip below for information on getting more help.
Tips & More Information
- Are
you troubleshooting this issue on a computer that you've just built? If
so, triple check your configuration! There is a very, very good chance
that your computer is not booting up completely due to a
misconfiguration and not an actual hardware failure or other problem.
- Did
I miss a troubleshooting step that helped you (or might help someone
else) fix a computer that's not showing anything on screen? Let me know and I'd be happy to include the information here.
- Is your computer still not showing anything on the monitor? See Get More Help for information about contacting me on social networks or via email, posting on tech support forums, and more.
The most common way that a computer "won't turn on" is when the PC actually does power on but doesn't display anything on the monitor.
You see lights on the computer case, probably hear fans running from inside, and may even hear sounds, but nothing at all shows up on your screen.
There are several possible reasons why your monitor isn't displaying information so it's very important that you step through an ordered process like the one I've outlined here.
Important: If your computer is in fact showing information on the monitor, but is still not booting fully, see How to Fix a Computer That Won't Turn On for a better troubleshooting guide.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: From minutes to hours depending on why the computer isn't displaying anything on the monitor
You see lights on the computer case, probably hear fans running from inside, and may even hear sounds, but nothing at all shows up on your screen.
There are several possible reasons why your monitor isn't displaying information so it's very important that you step through an ordered process like the one I've outlined here.
Important: If your computer is in fact showing information on the monitor, but is still not booting fully, see How to Fix a Computer That Won't Turn On for a better troubleshooting guide.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: From minutes to hours depending on why the computer isn't displaying anything on the monitor
How To Fix a Computer That Turns On But Displays Nothing
- Test your monitor.
Before you begin more complicated and time consuming troubleshooting
with the rest of your computer, make sure your monitor is working
properly.
It's very possible that your computer is working fine and your monitor is your only problem.
- Verify
that your PC has fully power cycled. In other words, make sure your
computer has completely reset - make sure that it's coming on from a
completely powered-off state.
Often times a computer will appear to "not be on" when actually it's just having problems resuming from either the Standby/Sleep or Hibernate power saving mode in Windows.
Note: You can power off your computer completely while in a power saving mode by holding the power button down for 3 to 5 seconds. After the power is completely off, turn on your PC and test to see if it will boot normally.
- Troubleshoot the cause of the beep code if you're lucky enough to get one. A beep code will give you a very good idea of exactly where to look for the cause of your computer turning off.
If you don't resolve the problem by troubleshooting to the specific beep code, you can always return here and continue with the steps below.
- Clear the CMOS. Clearing the BIOS memory on your motherboard
will return the BIOS settings to their factory default levels. A BIOS
misconfiguration could be why your PC won't startup all the way.
Important: If clearing the CMOS does fix your problem, make sure any changes you make in BIOS are completed one at a time so if the problem returns, you'll know which change caused your issue.
- Verify that the power supply voltage switch is set correctly. If the input voltage for the power supply is not correct (based on your country) then your computer may not turn on completely.
There's a good possibility that your PC wouldn't power on at all if this switch is wrong but an incorrect power supply voltage might also prevent your computer from starting properly in this way too.
- Reseat
everything possible inside your PC. Reseating will reestablish the
various connections inside your computer and is very often a "magic" fix
to problems like this one.
Try reseating the following and then see if your computer begins to display something on screen:
- Reseat all internal data and power cables
- Reseat the memory modules
- Reseat any expansion cards
- Reseat the CPU only if you suspect that it might have come loose or might not have been installed properly.
Note: I call this out separately only because the chance of a CPU coming loose is very slim and because installing one is a sensitive task. This isn't a big concern if you're careful so don't worry!
- Check for causes of electrical shorts
inside your computer. This is often the cause of the problem when the
computer powers off by itself but certain shorts can also prevent your
computer from booting fully or showing anything on the monitor.
- Test your power supply.
Just because your computer's fans and lights are working does not mean
that the power supply is functioning properly. The PSU tends to cause
more problems than any other hardware and is often the cause of a
computer not coming on all the way.
Replace your power supply immediately if it fails any test you perform.
Important: I want to make this point very clear - do not skip a test of your power supply thinking that your problem can't be the PSU because "things are getting power." Power supplies can work in varying degrees and one that isn't fully functional needs to be replaced.
Tip: After replacing the power supply, assuming you do, keep your PC plugged in for 5 to 10 minutes prior to turning it on. This gives time for some recharging of the CMOS battery, which may have been drained.
- Start
your computer with essential hardware only. The purpose here is to
remove as much hardware as possible while still maintaining your PC's
ability to power on.
- If your computer starts normally with only essential hardware installed, proceed to Step 11.
- If your computer still isn't displaying anything on your monitor, proceed to Step 12.
- Reinstall each piece of hardware that you removed in Step 10, one piece at a time, testing after each installation.
Since your computer powered on with only the essential hardware installed, those components must working properly. This means that one of the hardware components you removed is causing your PC to not turn on properly. By installing each device back into your PC and testing each time, you'll eventually find the hardware that caused your problem.
Replace the nonworking hardware once you've identified it. These Hardware Installation Videos should come in handy as you're reinstalling your hardware.
- Test your computer's hardware
using a Power On Self Test card. If your PC still isn't displaying
information on your monitor with nothing but essential computer hardware
installed, a POST card will help identify which piece of remaining hardware is causing your computer to not come on completely.
If you don't have and are unwilling to purchase a POST card, skip to Step 13.
- Replace
each piece of essential hardware in your computer with an identical or
equivalent spare piece of hardware (that you know is working), one
component at a time, to determine which piece of hardware is causing
your computer to not come on all the way. Test after each hardware
replacement to determine which component is faulty.
Note: The average computer user doesn't have a collection of working spare computer parts at home or work. If you don't either, my advice is to revisit Step 12. A POST card is inexpensive and is a more reasonable approach than stocking spare computer parts.
- Finally, if all else fails, you'll probably need to seek professional help from a computer repair service or from your computer manufacturer's technical support.
Unfortunately, if you don't have a POST card or spare parts to swap in and out, you're left not knowing which piece of your essential PC hardware is faulty. In these cases you have little option than to rely on the help of individuals or companies that do have these resources.
Note: See the last tip below for information on getting more help.
Tips & More Information
- Are
you troubleshooting this issue on a computer that you've just built? If
so, triple check your configuration! There is a very, very good chance
that your computer is not booting up completely due to a
misconfiguration and not an actual hardware failure or other problem.
- Did
I miss a troubleshooting step that helped you (or might help someone
else) fix a computer that's not showing anything on screen? Let me know and I'd be happy to include the information here.
- Is your computer still not showing anything on the monitor? See Get More Help for information about contacting me on social networks or via email, posting on tech support forums, and more.
Hii guys, My name is Ganeshkumar and I’m a Computer Hardware Engineer and I proudly love to teach about computer software and hardware repairing stuffs. My hobby is blogging about computer problems solutions
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