After "Starting Windows", Computer Unresponsive, Monitor Shuts Down

[MA347612890GT40]

After "Starting Windows", Computer Unresponsive, Monitor Shuts Down

Apologies if there is another section better suited towards this but as I'm not really sure what the issue is, I couldn't really think of a specific category to put it in. And as I'm not really sure what the issue is, I hope the story of what I was doing when this happened and what I've done to my computer since then is helpful. So yesterday I sat down at my computer after watching a live stream on Twitch from bed, checked some Steam messages and attempted to message someone on Skype when my display randomly entered sleep mode. As I was actively using my computer, my display auto shutoff couldn't have been what was happening, and nothing I did would make my display re-enable. I wasn't really sure what to do at that point so I clicked the power button on my computer, and after a while nothing happened, so I held the power button down to force it off. I started my computer again, and it seemed fine until it got to where the log-in screen should be. After the "Starting Windows" screen, my display entered sleep mode again, as if it was receiving nothing from my computer anymore. I let it sit for a bit thinking maybe it would clear itself up but nothing happened, so I restarted my computer again, at which point it said windows had shut down improperly due to some error, and asked if I wanted to boot in safe mode, which I did. Safe mode made my computer work just fine, it would boot up reliably every time I booted into safe mode, but booting up normally would always result in my display just entering sleep mode as if my computer wasn't on anymore. A blue screen error box did pop up once, though I never actually saw any blue screen, I didn't write down the code and it hasn't brought that up again. I don't have automatic Windows updates enabled, so nothing I know of would have just up and installed, aside from my antivirus but it would have given me some sort of notice had it done so. I attempted to uninstall a few things, even doing a system restore. The system restore kind of worked once, but after restarting my computer, again the blank screen where log-in should be came back, and future restores, either to the same or earlier point wouldn't even let me boot up successfully once. Thinking this had to be a software issue, and being impatient, I decided to format and do a fresh Windows install. The first time seemed like it was going fine until I attempted to install Skype, at which point the blank screen came back. I did a fresh install again, and blank screened this time after installing only a few windows updates and my display drivers. Then again a fresh install and blank screen after only windows updates. Attempting to install anything causes the blank screens to come back. I tried on this install only installing display drivers, and during boot up I saw some messages about updates to the registry being made on the "Starting Windows" screen, though I hadn't installed any windows updates yet. And that's where I'm at now. Launching safe mode will always get my computer to boot up properly, but a normal boot always has my computer just blank screen. I had my speakers turn on and no sound is made that is usually made on the log-in screen, so it seems to me that Windows just breaks at that point. But I don't really know much about the technical side of computers. I'll be here for hours so if there are any questions any of you have I'll do my best to try and answer them. I really would like to be able to use my desktop again. ):

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hello and welcome MA mate try to find the blue screen report use the event viewer to do this - Start > type in event and it will pop up a small blue window with Event Viewer in it > Run as Admin > scroll down to find it see this How To Use Event Viewer - Microsoft Windows Mini-Guides

 

[MA347612890GT40]

Would a blue screen event be easily identifiable? I don't remember the approximate time this happened at and my event viewer has a handful of errors listed in it. EDIT: I think I found it. Is "0x00000116 (0xfffffa800993f4e0, 0xfffff88004992bfc, 0x0000000000000000, 0x000000000000000d)" what you need? I also have repeated reports of my graphics drivers crashing and restarting during the few times where the log-in screen would briefly flash up, my monitor go into sleep mode, and the log-in screen flash up again repeating the process until I just didn't have any display at all.

 

[MA347612890GT40]

So seeing all those display driver issues in the event logs gave me an idea. I uninstalled the drivers and now my computer is booting fine in normal mode. Unsure why they would have suddenly started acting up yesterday, since I made no changes to them. Or why a fresh install with newer drivers would be causing problems. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[mindinka]

Hi MA347612890GT40

Sometimes issues like yours do happen. Drivers got corrupted and they cause various issues with system. If Operating System goes in to Black/Blue Screen of Death it should create dump file in %SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP if it's configured to do Small Memory dump. To read it you might need application called Bluescreenview from here Blue screen of death (STOP error) information in dump files. Application would let you know what caused the BSOD (black/blue screen of death) Fresh install with latest drivers usually solves the problem, we are happy to hear that it helped you to fix the problem. Well done

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Sorry late reply mate like mindlinka says these things happen it only takes say removing a USB stick the wrong way or a bad shut down to throw the filing system out.

Might be an idea to run these only you probably don't need the /f and /r switches in the chkdsk

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html < if necessary include the /f and /r in the command line as per Option2 (only if necessary)

 

[MA347612890GT40]

Well I wouldn't say it's 100% fixed. As I did a clean Windows instal, and fresh graphics drivers along with it, and still I had issues every time I installed drivers, it sounds strange to think that it would be an entirely software based problem. Since this is an entirely fresh install, it doesn't make sense to me as to why these issues would crop up again once I reinstalled fresh drivers. Going to try plugging in another card, and installing new drivers for that to see what happens, though. I really hope that it's not my card going bad, my other one is significantly less powerful.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok mate just make sure the card is seated well and you might try cleaning the slot as well to ensure good contact. See my ditty on it
SLOT CLEANING
Now as for the slots to clean them use a strip of old credit card about 1/2 inch wide nip the corners off one end - preferably round them off hold a piece of thin lint free cloth over the end dab on some form of alcohol - isopropyl alcohol (what we swab the skin with before an injection) is good and GENTLY swipe along the slots.
This can also be done for the GPU slot/s and also the contacts of the sticks or cards - not the stick but some lint free cloth of course. See my pic for the sick but please be very gentle doing it if you are in any doubt - please ask before doing it but I use this all the time and have yet to damage anything.