If you go to power up your HP computer and the monitor is blank, there are a few steps you should take to first determine where the problem is and then how to fix it. There are several factors that can cause your monitor to be black at start-up, and the problem may have nothing to do with the monitor at all.
How To Troubleshoot If Your Monitor Is Blank
Does the Monitor Work on Another PC?
One of the first things to check is if the monitor works on another PC. Most newer monitors will have a self-diagnostic that will show a message if it is not receiving a signal from the computer. If you are seeing this message, then your monitor is probably fine. If the screen is black, try the monitor on another PC.
Do You Hear Any Beeps?
HP uses a Phoenix BIOS, so if you are hearing a code, check the codes here. A beep code is a way for the computer to tell you what is wrong. Often, these codes are produced because there is a hardware problem that is preventing Windows from booting. It is important to listen to the amount of beeps and compare them to the list.
Check The Cable
Seems obvious, but pets can chew or knock cables loose and leave leave the monitor with power but no physical connection to the computer. You should even check the cable for bent pins or damage to the external insulation.
Confirm The Settings
Check to make sure the monitor’s brightness settings are correct. A child or pet can sometimes accidentally change these setting and leave you in the dark.
Reset The BIOS
You can get into the BIOS without even being able to see the screen. But be careful. Press F10 when the keyboard light comes on, then wait a few seconds. Press F5 to restore default settings, then wait several seconds and hit ENTER to accept.
Monitor Is Blank Conclusion
As you can see, there are many factors that can cause a blank display. If your monitor is blank and none of these options have worked for you, please join our free forums and post your problem so our tech community can help. Or if your monitor is blank, feel free to read more on troubleshooting HP computers here.
Your article was very helpful, you need to expand it a bit though…
I have been having this problem repeatedly with machines at work, the issue I am running into is that there appears to be nothing coming to the keyboard either, no Numlock light, etc… What is interesting is that if memory is removed from the board and I try to boot, the front LED flashes red and it beeps indicating a memory error.
I will swap with another keyboard, if that doesn’t work, then I will replace memory modules. I will then swap power supplies of machine to see if that doesn’t work, if all this fails – then I will assume it is a faulty motherboard and replace that if possible.
I replaced my monitor. when i tried playing a game that I had already been playing b4, the machine sayss that it cant read my directx, so I went into the display really looking for anything, I messed up and the monitor went blank, so I went to disconnect the battery from the motherboard and short it like i was told, it did (the monitor) come back on, but with new info that has me stumpted, then the next day when I turned the comp and monitor bak on I got a b l a n k screen again. Please help me. I am comp illiterate. and a lot of abbreviations thats used I dont know what to do with that. Please treat this as if ur talking to a child or first grader. thank u.
The answer at the top of the page is ridiculous. That guy must be an HP employee. I have the same problem with my HP computer. The power comes on but the monitor is blank. No beeps, nothing. It was still under warranty so I sent it back to HP. They replaced the memory chips and sent it back to me without even testing it. It was still blank when I got it back. I sent it back to HP again, they did something to it and sent it back to me. I plugged it up and it worked but since I had already replaced it, I sat it in the corner. Today, eight months later, I am going on a trip and wanted to take the extra computer with me, I plugged in up and guess what, BLANK MONITOR! The monitor works with my every day computer, same cables etc so the problem is that HP is a piece of crap. I’ll never buy one again!
my monitor goes black after 1 second when i see it for a second it says
Monitor status
vga input-active
Current settings 1024×768-60hz
recommended settings 1280×1024-60hz
it took me numerous times opening it to get this .
So why is it going black on me.??
Could be a driver issue. Try tapping the F8 key when booting and, if possible, hit Safe Mode, if the option comes up. If you can boot to safe mode, this means there is something wrong within Windows. If you can’t, then it probably means there is a problem with your computer’s graphics adapter.
My HP1940 monitor is doing the same thing. Were you able to address your problem? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
My mx705 monitor powers up but all I see is the green light blinking below the screen. The screen does not come on and when I play with the monitor controls like menu, brighten, etc. NOTHING happens! Anybody ever have this problem?
I have a little older version of a hp computer. Everything seems to work fine and dandy after a 30 min wait for my screen to go to my home/icon screen. My screen in those 30 mins is completely white then turns black. I have VGI signal but, still it takes 30 mins to get to my home/iconscreen any pointers?
If you’re referring to it taking 30 minutes to boot to the desktop, then I think you may be experiencing problems with the hard drive. I would backup any data you want to save to be safe. Once you do that, go to Safe Mode by tapping F8 when you first boot. You should see a boot menu where Safe Mode is an option. Go to Start, then Run and type msconfig and hit OK. Under the startup tab, uncheck anything you recognize as a program that does not need to load when booting. Save and exit out of that. Next, go to Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools and run both a disk cleanup and then a disk defragmentor. See if that helps.
Can you answer a question for me about a computer problem that I am haveing with my computer. the Monitor goes to sleep when I turn it on. Why?? Thank you
Charles R Johnson
It might not be getting a signal from the computer. This could indicate a problem with the graphics card or motherboard. If you do not see the desktop on the computer, then the computer is not outputting a signal. If you DO see the Windows desktop and the monitor still goes to sleep, then I’m not sure what’s going on. You’ll need to post on the forums for a more detailed diagnosis.
I have a hp m9040n running vista home premium. The problem started when I started using my big screen for a monitor. I decided to do a factory restore and when I did pc crashed halfway through. now I get no display to monitor any monitor. I have upgraded the power and replaced graphics card with same kind still nothing. so I replaced motherboard and processor with same replacements still nothing. iv tried resetting cmos battery and using the jumpers. pc turns on but no display, monitor immediately goes to sleep. I have no idea why pc is not outputting to monitor. im no computer expert and don’t know anymore options please help. the fact that I was running my recovery discs when this happened may be contributing to the prob but i have no idea.
Did you try the system restore again? Sounds like it could be a driver issue. For more help, please post your question on our forums.
I have an hp pavillion 2009m. My comp. Will turn on but it either goes to the hp screen saying I need to push either esc. Or f10, f9 so forth. But it wont work. It also says windows encountered a problem comminicating wth a devise connected to ur comp. This error is caused by faulty hardware such as hard drive or cd rom. Drive that is failing. Make sure all is connected then restart comp. I’ve done all that and its still not working. Then it says reboot ur system but I don’t no how. Or it will say.. one of ur disks need to be checked for consistency an unexpected error has occured. Is there anythng I can do. It won’t let me type or push any buttons. Ty