Black Screen with error message instead of sleep mode

Mike99 · Jul 9, 2012

I recently built an HTPC and it was working OK until last night. I’ve been using it mainly as an OTA DVR and it does wake up, record, etc.

I went to program a recording & it was already awake & the HDD indicator LED was on. However the HDTV had a black screen with a message to select boot device & press any key. This was not a BSOD but a black screen. There was no way to select anything as every time I pressed a key the same message displayed another time. I finally powered off.

Another program was scheduled to record at this time but it should not have. It was a series schedule set for new but this episode was not. That’s one strike against the EPG. Anyway it started recording after I booted back up but it was missing the first 40 minutes because I booted up 40 minutes into the program.

I don’t think the program was the problem but maybe there was a glitch at the start of the recording which caused the problem, I don’t know. Unfortunately I have no idea how long the HTPC had been sitting in the “select boot” state. It could have been that way for hours.

I looked at the PC’s event logs to see if anything was obvious. But there were so many logs I had no idea what I was looking at.

Any ideas what would cause a PC to display the message or where to look? Could this be a motherboard problem?

writhziden · Jul 9, 2012

What type of hard disk do you have installed?

If you need help, please fill in your system specs in your profile and not in a post in this thread: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/180324-system-info-see-your-system-specs.html

Mike99 · Jul 10, 2012

I have a 1.5 TB Seagate Green HDD.

I'll have to re-read the link you mentioned. It looks like I'll have to manually enter the data because the PC in question is not the same one I'm using for the forum.

writhziden · Jul 10, 2012

The error you get may mean your system lost track of the hard disk. I would recommend checking all hard disk connections. Avoid Static Damage to Your PC as you check.

Mike99 · Jul 11, 2012

The HDD connections all appear to be locked in & solid.

I looked at the event logs but was completely lost. There are several categories & hundreds of events. And sometimes there are events every few minutes with things going to sleep, waking up, etc. Is there a way to look at the event logs in order to find out what happened?

writhziden · Jul 11, 2012

The best place to look for errors and warnings (which are the significant entries) is the Administrative Logs:

Click Start Menu
Type eventvwr into Search programs and files (do not hit enter)
Right click eventvwr.exe and click Run as administrator
Expand Custom Views
Click Administrative Events

Mike99 · Jul 11, 2012

Thank you for the directions. Here’s what I found.

At 7:50:00 PM on 7/8/2012 there was a Critical message: “The system was rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.” This makes sense because this is when I had to power off the PC.

The previous entry was time stamped 7:50:19 pm which is actually slightly later than one above it. Maybe it could not enter an event log until the system was rebooted a few seconds earlier? Anyway it was an Error message: “The previous system shutdown at 9:42:40 AM on 7/8/12 was unexpected.”

That would indicate the system was shutdown earlier the same day. I’m presuming it was displaying the black screen with the boot message all day.

I guess I’ll never know, but I sure would like to know what caused the system to shutdown in the first place.

writhziden · Jul 12, 2012

Please follow the http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html to provide us with your event viewer logs (yes, those instructions help with more than just blue screens). Maybe we can spot something you missed.

Mike99 · Jul 14, 2012

I followed the instructions & have the 2 files. Looking over the report it looks like some events are missing. Attached are the 2 zip files. Please let me know if need these re-done or if you need more information.

Thank you for all your help.

writhziden · Jul 14, 2012

Your system does not have too many errors showing up, and none around the times of critical shut downs that were not expected...

I would suggest some general troubleshooting:

Download and install Malwarebytes, update it, do not start the free trial, and then run a full scan. Also run a full scan with your antivirus software installed on your system. If you do not have antivirus software installed, see the http://www.sevenforums.com/system-s...-system-security-combination.html#post1732627 for better security steps and scanning tools. Make sure to update the security software before running the full scan.
Check Windows for corruption. Run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html up to three times to fix all errors with a restart in between each. Post back if it continues to show errors after a fourth run or if the first run comes back with no integrity violations. Use OPTION THREE of http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html to provide us with the sfcdetails.txt file if errors occur.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...ation-conflicts-performing-clean-startup.html

Mike99 · Jul 15, 2012

OK, will do.

Is there anything to be concerned about where the report says events are missing, or words to that effect?

I also noticed in the Administrative Events is a lot of Warnings "resolution for the name ..... timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded." What does this mean?

I am using Norton Internet Security for antivirus & malware. I have used Malwarebytes before & will put a copy on the HTPC.

I'll let you know the result of your troubleshooting suggestions.

FWIW, everything has been running smoothly since I first posted the problem. IOW it's only happened that one time. Of course I don't want it happen a second time.

Thanks again.

writhziden · Jul 15, 2012

You're welcome.

Mike99 said:
Is there anything to be concerned about where the report says events are missing, or words to that effect?

I find no clear cut answer to this problem. Buffersize and ETW - Microsoft Answers may work? It is difficult to say whether that was actually the answer since Microsoft Answers tends to mark a response as the answer after so many days.

Mike99 said:
I also noticed in the Administrative Events is a lot of Warnings "resolution for the name ..... timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded." What does this mean?

The best information I found for the error you describe is: Name resolution for the name timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded.

Mike99 · Jul 16, 2012

writhziden said:
Your system does not have too many errors showing up, and none around the times of critical shut downs that were not expected...

I would suggest some general troubleshooting:

Download and install Malwarebytes, update it, do not start the free trial, and then run a full scan. Also run a full scan with your antivirus software installed on your system. If you do not have antivirus software installed, see the http://www.sevenforums.com/system-s...-system-security-combination.html#post1732627 for better security steps and scanning tools. Make sure to update the security software before running the full scan.

Your link to Malwarebytes mentions the Pro version. My other PC has the free version so I looked & this link mentions the free version and a 14 day trial of the PRO version.
Malwarebytes : Malwarebytes Anti-Malware PRO removes malware including viruses, spyware, worms and trojans, plus it protects your computer

You said do not start the free trial, does that mean I should get the PRO version? But if I don't start the trial how can I run a full scan?

writhziden · Jul 16, 2012

Click the Download Now button.
Download Malwarebytes.
Install Malwarebytes.
Agree to the terms.
Leave it checked to update Malwarebytes and Start Malwarebytes when installation finishes.
After it updates, click OK.
Let Malwarebytes Start.
When asked if you would like to start the free trial, click No.
Run a full scan of your system (you do not need to start the free trial to run a scan).
The free version Malwarebytes can be used to run scans for an unlimited period.
The differences between the free and full versions may be seen here:
View attachment 221830

Mike99 · Jul 16, 2012

1. No maleware detected.
2. The scfdetails.txt does not show any problems. The results are attached.
3. I did not have to turn off anything in the startup menu because everything works OK, at least for now.

Any other suggestion?

I was looking & saw this WhoCrashed program mentioned somewhere else. Then searched & noticed it is also mentioned on this forum. Do you recommend trying it?
http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed/

writhziden · Jul 19, 2012

I do not recommend 3rd party debugging tools unless they use WinDbg as a reference. WinDbg is what we use. 3rd party programs like WhoCrashed and BlueScreenView will often just tell you there is something wrong with the system without actually saying what that something is. They typically blame Windows processes for the crashes when the true culprit is something else.

Mike99 · Jul 20, 2012

In a moment of desperation I tried WhoCrashed the other day & it did not report any problems.

The HTPC has been working OK for the last week or so. The problem may have been a one time glitch, but problems usually don’t heal themselves. I feel like I’m living with a time bomb.

It looks like I’ll never know what caused the PC to reboot, let alone hang up when doing so. I‘ll just have to hope it never happens again.

I thank you for all your time, effort & information.

Mike99 · Aug 4, 2012

I just used HWMonitor to check temperatures & noticed the +3.3V rail was only 1.92V. Would it be safe to presume that this low voltage might have caused my problem?

Mike99 · Dec 19, 2012

It’s been several months since this happened before. I was hoping it was a one time fluke but I guess not.

I turned on the TV the other evening & was greeted by a black screen with the message from my HTPC:
“Reboot & select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device & press a key”.

There was no way to select anything. Pressing most keys just repeated the same message. Other keys did nothing. I have no ides how long it was in this state

I looked at Event Logs & there were a few entries like this but the name was different.
Warning: Name resolution for the name isatap.domain_notset,invalid timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded (2:55 AM).

There was also an Error at 3:23 AM:
The previous system shutdown at 3:23 AM on 12-17-2012 was unexpected.

Norton Internet Security’s history listed this. However these messages seem to happen on a regular basis.
LiveUpdate Session Completed at 3:07 AM.

I had to power off the PC & startup again.

Could NIS be casing a problem for some reason? I have it on my desktop & it works just fine.

FWIW the Event Logs have quite a few Warning messages regarding IP issues, however this is only the second time I've this reboot problem.

Mike99 · Dec 21, 2012

Just thinking about this -

When I power off the PC & startup again I get the usual BIOS screen asking to select Safe Mode, Normal Mode & a couple others. Normal Mode is the default & there is a count down timer that if nothing is selected the PC will start in normal mode, which it does.

So if there was an unexpected shutdown the PC should have restated in Normal Mode, but it did not.

Under what circumstance does that black screen & Reboot message usually appear?

Black Screen with error message instead of sleep mode

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