What to do when your computer screen does not display an image?

Your coffee is ready. Your mind is sharp. You go to turn on your computer, but nothing comes up – all you see is a black screen, with no explanation as to where all your precious memes of the day are hiding.

A blank screen is a bit difficult to diagnose, as many factors can cause it. the whole computer could malfunction, or it could just be the monitor. Maybe you get a message like “No Input” and “Cable Not Connected”, or maybe it's just a completely black screen. Let's walk through some troubleshooting steps so you can get back to working hard (or wasting time) on the internet.

Have you tried turning it off and on and turning it back on?

It may seem obvious, but make sure your computer and monitor are powered on. They should both have indicator lights that light up when they have power, and it's entirely possible that you pressed the power button on the display without realizing it.

If your computer is on, try restarting it, and see if the problem persists. Press the menu button on your screen to make sure it's on the correct entry. (Most should automatically detect the correct input, but it never hurts to double-check).

Also make sure the brightness is turned up. Many laptops let you dim the screen to nothing, so crank up the brightness and you might find your computer was working fine the whole time – it was just dimmed.

Similarly, try holding the function key and pressing any button that looks like a computer screen at the top of your keyboard - the screen may have turned off or got blurry after you been disconnected from an external monitor.

Finally, you can even try completely unplugging the monitor. I once owned a monitor that when stuck on an input with no connection refused to display an image until I unplugged it. If your display is stuck on an input with no connection, you may need to plug something into that port before you can switch inputs to the correct one. It's rare, but it does happen.

Check your connections

Then, check that no cables have come loose. In particular, make sure your monitor is plugged into the wall and powered on, and check that the cable going to your PC is securely plugged in at both ends.

If you have a graphics card, your monitor should be plugged into this port, not the HDMI port on your motherboard. If you have extra cables, try another: the cable you are using may be damaged or one of the ports may not be working properly. (If you have a cable of a different type, for example, an HDMI cable instead of a DisplayPort cable. - (try that too).

Also, make sure your cable has the right specs for the job: If you're using DisplayPort, make sure it's certified by VESA If you're using an HDMI cable, the packaging may have a certification label that you can scan with the HDMI cable certification application. iPhone or Android. Remember that not all cables are created equal: if you're trying to run a 4K display at a high refresh rate, for example, you'll need an Ultra High Speed ​​HDMI cable, rather than a old High Speed ​​model. You can read more about cable specs in our guide.

If you use adapters, they can also be the cause: either you have a faulty dongle or you are using it in a way that is not intended. HDMI to VGA adapters, for example, only work in this direction – if you're trying to connect a VGA computer to a DVI monitor, you'll need an HDMI adapter. different type of active converter.

While you fumble with cables, unplug anything non-essential (i.e. mouse, keyboard, and monitor) from your computer. I've experienced situations where a specific USB port would prevent the computer from booting if something was plugged into it - weird, but it does happen. (You can even try moving your mouse or keyboard to another port, just to be super-duper safe).

The Importance of Multi-Monitor

If you're trying to hook up a second monitor whether it's a laptop or desktop computer, you may run into issues when only one of the displays works properly. First, make sure your laptop or desktop is capable of running two or more screens at once – some machines may not support all the monitors you want to connect. (The latest M1 MacBooks, despite all their improvements, only support one external display at a time, for example).

Then, once you've plugged in your second monitor, go to Settings > System > Display. If your second screen is recognized by the system but shows a black screen, it may be due to the settings on this page. You might have it set to show just one image on the laptop screen, for example, and you can adjust it to mirror the desktop across both screens or extend the desktop across both screens.

Listen to the beep

When your computer starts up, you usually hear a small beep coming from a speaker inside the tower. This speaker exists to give you error codes when something is wrong. If you don't have one, you can order one from Amazon and plug it into your motherboard's speaker connector.

If your PC only beeps rapidly on startup, then it has no hardware issues. But if it emits a specific sequence of beeps — for example, one long beep, then two short ones — it's trying to tell you something. It could be faulty RAM, an overheating processor, or a video card that isn't properly installed. (Other machines may have a digital display that shows error codes instead of beeps, or a series of lights that come on in a specific order to indicate a problem).

There are web pages with information on these beep codes, but your best bet is to check the manual for your specific PC or motherboard, as it will be more specific. Once you find the problem, fixing it should be a breeze.

Fix your boot order

Sometimes your PC might try to boot from the wrong hard drive and when it can't find an operating system, it shows a black screen (sometimes with a blinking cursor in the corner). This problem is easy to solve.

Restart your computer and enter the code BIOS setup menu Usually just press a key like DEL or F2 during startup. In the BIOS menu, find the Boot Order option and make sure the correct hard drive is at the top of the list. Then save your settings and exit. If you're lucky, you'll reboot into Windows.

If that doesn't work, you can also try loading the optimized default settings from the BIOS. If you've misconfigured anything else in the past, this will bring you back to the default settings, which may get you started. (I recommend that you take a picture of your BIOS settings first, though, in case you need anything other than the default to boot properly. That way you can put everything back in place if resetting the default settings does not work).

Reset your graphics card, RAM or other hardware

If you recently built, upgraded, or moved your desktop computer, it's possible that a piece of hardware has come loose from the case and is preventing the computer from starting. Remove the side panel from your PC and look inside. If you have a graphics card, try removing it and reinserting it into its PCIe slot until it clicks into place, or try moving it to another slot. Also check that the power cables are firmly locked in place.

While you're inside, replace the RAM sticks as well, pressing the levers near the edges to pop the stick out of its slot, then pushing it back in place until you hear the latches to click. Make sure that all cables connected to the motherboard are securely plugged in and your hard drive is connected.

Buckle up in safe mode

If you still don't see an image when you start your computer, you may have a driver or software problem. You might be able to get a picture if you boot into safe mode, but that's a little tricky if you don't have a working screen to start with.

You have several choices: if you interrupt the boot process three times (by pressing the restart button when Windows starts to boot, for example), you will be redirected to the automatic repair menu, where you can go to the advanced options to find safe mode.

If you can't get it to work, you can also create a Windows 10 installation disc using another PC, boot from that flash drive, then go to the following address Repair your computer > Troubleshooting > Startup Settings to choose Safe Mode with Networking.

If your computer boots in safe mode, there is still a chance to fix things. Try uninstalling any new program that might be causing a problem. Make sure your resolution and refresh rate are set correctly (if you set them too high, your monitor might not be able to display a screen).

You can also try reinstalling your graphics card drivers by downloading them from the manufacturer's website. If you have leftover graphics drivers on your system, you can completely clean them up by running Display Driver Uninstaller. This tool is not for the faint-hearted, but it is the only way to truly erase all traces of a graphics driver from the system, which can sometimes cause problems.

You might even want to run a malware scan while you're there, use System Restore, or even a recovery drive (if you have one) to roll back to a known working configuration. Once you're done, see if your computer restarts normally.

If not, you can go back to the Troubleshoot menu and try the Startup Repair option. You can also go to command prompt and run sfc /scannow or chkdsk C: /r to check for disk errors. If you're lucky, Windows might repair the issues and allow you to reboot.

Try another video card or monitor

If none of the above fixes the problem, you may need to do some more extensive testing with alternate hardware, if you can get your hands on it. Find a cheap video card on Craig's List and see if it works in place of your current card. It's time to upgrade.

Check if your computer boots when plugged into another monitor or your TV. If you're using a laptop, plug in an external monitor to see if the problem is with your screen or the PC itself. If your screen is faulty, you may be able to replace the LCD screen on your monitor or laptop yourself (if you know how to handle a screwdriver). If not, it might be time to call in the professionals. a good backup in case they need to erase the disk.