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Black screen of death?

Hi,

You will need to enable IDE/Legacy mode in your BIOS for SeaTools to find the HDD.

Boot the computer into the BIOS. When you first turn the computer on, it will tell you to press a key to enter BIOS/Setup - normally F2, F10, F12, Escape or Delete. Press that key and then the BIOS should appear. You will then need to find the SATA settings and change the SATA mode to IDE/Legacy.

Then boot into SeaTools and perform the tests.

You MUST turn the setting back toits previous mode before booting into Windows again.

Wording may be different - I do not have an ASUS notebook to check, sorry!

Stephen
 
Yessir, that is absolutely a good thing!

2 more things to try that I will offer:

Test your memory

1. Download and run Memtest86+ (Download - Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO (.zip)) in the same manor that you downloaded and ran SeaTools using ImgBurn.

-Memtest must be run for 8-10 passes for accurate results with one RAM stick at a time


NOTE: You do NOT need to tweak any BIOS settings for this tool to run.

Clean the internals (Fans)

Dust build up is HUGE with laptops and can cause overheating (actually quite common) which causes components to fail/ shut down. Clean the internals of your PC (preferably) with an electrostatic vacuum.

-An air compressor will work but can cause moisture to be blown into the PC (water & electronics = maxresdefault.jpg)

:r1:
 
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Ok I ran it and it said passed. Not sure what you meant by 10 tests? It took an hour and it said test 10 but then it started to run again. So I'm not sure if you meant to let it run over and over 10x? That would mean it would take 10 hours to do? Also I'm not really good at opening up laptops but I guess I could figure it out if I need to because there are 4 sticks and you said to test them 1 at a time. The test also said it maxed out at 68 degrees Celsius. It did say passed though. I'm not an expert like you boys but it seems weird it ran fine until after the Windows Update. Should I try to do a system restore to before the update ran? Thanx for all your time and help I really do appreciate it gents. Randy
 
I will be out shoveling snow most of the afternoon EST but will check as soon as I get in later today for response. Thanx again, Randy
 
Its all good! I wouldn't roll back the PC just yet. If the Memtest passed 10 passes with all RAM sticks in the laptop your RAM is probably OK. Don't worry about opening up the laptop if you aren't comfortable (usually there is just a door latch on the underside with a single screw). Have you tried blowing/ vacuuming out any dust? (the primary fan on the underside/ vents on the side is where you want to target).
 
Not yet that's why I included the temp with my previous post. Do you want me to open it up to spray fans? Won't spraying into vents just push dirt in further? I don't have an electrostatic vacuum.Let me know and I will spray it with compressed air. Randy
 
Hi randy,

Personally, I do not feel temperature is the cause, or an issue. Looking at logs you have given me in the past, your temperatures have seemed fine.

You said you had an external monitor? Could you please connect it to your laptop and try rebooting a few times. If the screen goes black, does it also go black on the external monitor?

Stephen
 
OK I will try that. Just a bit of info though, I only get the Black Screen after a Shut down. It doesn't happen during a reboot. I will try it though with the external monitor.
 
The other thing I think I noticed is it doesn't happen after a Power down if I power it back up immediately or soon thereafter. It only happens when I power down then power up the next morning. Weird.
 
Hmm... This makes it sound more and more like hardware.

Let me know how the external monitor goes. :)
 
Ok. Let it sit off for an hour and hooked up monitor with same result on power up....BLACK SCREEN!!!!! Argh! Randy
 
WOW that was fast....yes on both. I used to be able to hit the arrow over x2 and up arrow x2 and it would reboot windows and would work fine. That was back during the first time it happened months ago, now it wont reboot doing it that way so I have to hard power it down by holding the power button.
 
Hi Randy,

Yes, I'm currently working out the best way to proceed from here. The information you are giving me is very helpful, so keep letting me know if anything interesting occurs (like the fact you have to hard reboot nowadays)

How old is this laptop?

Stephen
 
Hi,

Ahh, OK. That means the warranty would have expired.

Unfortunately, I feel that the only thing to do now is to send it off to ASUS and have them repair it. Despite going over all the logs you've given me with a fine toothed comb so to speak, I cannot find anything software related that would be causing this. We have 3 options here:

1) Perform a repair install of Windows. This will preserve all your documents and reinstall Windows. You will have to reinstall your programs though, but it won't touch your pictures, documents etc. https://www.sysnative.com/forums/wi...-install-windows-windows-7-windows-vista.html

2) Perfom a full, clean install. This will wipe everything and reinstall Windows. https://www.sysnative.com/forums/wi...-install-windows-windows-7-windows-vista.html

3) Send it off to ASUS and get them to repair it. This is looking like to GPU (Graphics card) or a Motherboard issue. If you send it off, be sure to back up all your data, because they may wipe the HDD and reinstall Windows themselves. If you can, send them a copy of this thread to tell them what is happening, and what troubleshooting steps we have tried. My expectation would be for ASUS to replace the GPU, Motherboard or perhaps the screen. These are all things that you cannot do yourself unfortunately.

Sorry I cannot be more help Randy. I have sent a request to the other staff members here, and will let you know if anyone suggests anything.

Kind regards,
Stephen
 
Tekno Venus said:
Hi,

Ahh, OK. That means the warranty would have expired.

Unfortunately, I feel that the only thing to do now is to send it off to ASUS and have them repair it. Despite going over all the logs you've given me with a fine toothed comb so to speak, I cannot find anything software related that would be causing this. We have 3 options here:

1) Perform a repair install of Windows. This will preserve all your documents and reinstall Windows. You will have to reinstall your programs though, but it won't touch your pictures, documents etc. https://www.sysnative.com/forums/wi...-install-windows-windows-7-windows-vista.html

2) Perfom a full, clean install. This will wipe everything and reinstall Windows. https://www.sysnative.com/forums/wi...-install-windows-windows-7-windows-vista.html

3) Send it off to ASUS and get them to repair it. This is looking like to GPU (Graphics card) or a Motherboard issue. If you send it off, be sure to back up all your data, because they may wipe the HDD and reinstall Windows themselves. If you can, send them a copy of this thread to tell them what is happening, and what troubleshooting steps we have tried. My expectation would be for ASUS to replace the GPU, Motherboard or perhaps the screen. These are all things that you cannot do yourself unfortunately.

Sorry I cannot be more help Randy. I have sent a request to the other staff members here, and will let you know if anyone suggests anything.

Kind regards,
Stephen
Click to expand...

Well Stephen I somewhat took your advice and called ASUS tech support. This is what they said to do:
Power it down
Unplug power source
Remove Battery
HOLD power button down for 1 minute
Reconnect all power sources
Let it sit for an hour (I told them it took that long for it to Black Screen)
Fire it back up
Should be fixed
(Said a prayer)
Guess what.......it worked!!!
They said by disconnecting the power sources and holding the power button down for 1 minute it removes some sort of software memory or something like that. Hope this works for the long haul. Also hope this may help you out for future reference. I didn't think it was a hardware issue because you had got it working for me and it lasted over a month. You and your crew are awesome with all you do for people. I will recommend you guys to my friends if that's ok.
Thanx again, Randy
 
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