Having your computer turn on but display a black screen can be frustrating. However, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to try and fix the issue.
Quick Overview of Common Causes
Here are some common causes for a computer powering on but having a black screen:
- Display settings/connection issues – This could include the monitor not being plugged in correctly, brightness/contrast settings, or incorrect display mode.
- Hardware issues – Problems with the graphics card, motherboard, RAM, or other hardware components can result in a black screen.
- Driver issues – Outdated, corrupt, or missing drivers, especially display drivers, can prevent the screen from displaying properly.
- Power supply issues – If the power supply is damaged or not providing consistent power, it may cause a black screen.
- Operating system issues – Startup issues, corrupted system files, or incomplete OS updates can cause the display to not work properly.
Step 1: Check Your Display and Display Connections
The first thing to check with a black screen is your actual display and the connections. Here are some things to verify:
- Make sure your monitor is turned on and the power light is lit.
- Check that the monitor’s power cable is firmly plugged into the outlet and monitor.
- Verify the video connection from the computer to the monitor is securely plugged in on both ends.
- Try connecting your monitor to another computer or device to test the display.
- Test your computer with a different monitor using the same video cable.
- Try using another video cable if possible in case the cable is faulty.
- Reseat the video connections at both ends by unplugging and plugging them back in.
If another monitor works on your computer, or your monitor works fine connected to another system, then there is likely an issue with the monitor or video connection itself. Checking these basics first can help identify display problems quickly.
Step 2: Check if Computer is Loading to Desktop
After verifying the display and connections, the next thing to check is whether your computer is actually loading the operating system and desktop. Here are some ways to check:
- Listen for any startup sounds from your computer after turning it on.
- Look for disk drive or LED activity lights flashing showing activity.
- Try pressing the CAPS LOCK key after startup – the CAPS light will toggle if the OS is loaded.
- Connect the computer to another monitor if available to check for video.
If you do not get any lights, sounds, or video when connecting to another display, then your computer likely has a serious hardware or software failure preventing startup. This could indicate an issue with the CPU, RAM, motherboard, or drive failure.
However, if you see indications that the operating system is loading, then the problem may be limited to just the display or display drivers.
Step 3: Boot Into Safe Mode
If your computer is loading the operating system but just not displaying, booting into Safe Mode can help isolate the problem.
To boot into Safe Mode on Windows:
- Restart your computer and press F8 before the Windows logo appears.
- Select “Safe Mode” from the Advanced Boot Options screen.
- Log in with your account when prompted.
Safe Mode loads Windows using only the bare essential drivers and settings. If the black screen disappears in Safe Mode, then the issue is likely a third-party driver or application conflicting with the normal boot process. Checking event logs can help determine the conflicting driver.
You can also try resetting your display settings while in Safe Mode to see if that fixes the problem when booting normally again.
If the black screen remains even in Safe Mode, the problem may be a deeper hardware, driver or system file issue.
Step 4: Check Display and Graphic Drivers
Issues with display or graphics drivers are one of the most common causes for a black screen on computer startup. Here are some steps for checking drivers:
- Make sure you have the latest drivers from the GPU/display manufacturer’s website installed.
- Reinstall or update the GPU/display drivers in Safe Mode if needed.
- Try rolling back GPU drivers to a previous version if a recent update caused issues.
- Uninstall and reinstall GPU drivers using a utility like DDU if corrupted.
- For laptops, make sure integrated and discrete GPU drivers play nice.
- Check Device Manager for any error codes or issues with display adapters.
Updating, reinstalling, or rolling back display and GPU drivers will resolve many black screen problems on startup. Be sure to get drivers directly from your hardware manufacturer.
Step 5: Run Startup Repair
If you’re running Windows, using the Startup Repair tool may help identify and fix issues causing a black screen.
To run Startup Repair:
- Boot from your Windows install media or recovery drive.
- Click “Repair your computer” at the first screen.
- Select “Troubleshoot” from the recovery options.
- Choose “Advanced options” and then “Startup Repair.”
- Allow Startup Repair to run and restart your PC.
Startup Repair will diagnose several common boot issues and attempt to automatically repair them so your PC can boot properly again. This can fix boot sector problems, system file corruption, or other damage that might cause a black screen.
Step 6: Check Hardware Issues
If you’ve tried the above steps and are still facing a black screen on computer start up, it’s possible you have a hardware failure:
- GPU – Try another graphics card or onboard video output if available. Black screen video is a common GPU failure.
- RAM – Test sticks individually in each slot to isolate bad memory.
- Power Supply – Confirm consistent voltages from supply using a multimeter.
- Motherboard – Listen for beep codes on startup that can indicate motherboard issues.
- CPU – Reseat CPU and check for bent pins. Test with another working CPU if possible.
Any of those critical components failing or dislodged can cause a sudden black screen on boot. You’ll need to swap in known working parts to fully test and isolate the problem hardware.
Step 7: Reset Display Settings in BIOS
Resetting your motherboard firmware settings may fix boot time display issues. Here are the steps:
- Enter BIOS setup using F2 or Del key during startup.
- Load factory defaults or optimized defaults.
- Save changes and exit BIOS.
- Computer will restart into Windows with fresh graphics settings.
Resetting BIOS often resolves problems that followed incorrect or buggy boot settings changes. Be sure to save any customized BIOS changes you need before resetting.
Step 8: Perform a Clean Install
If all else fails, performing a completely clean OS install can eliminate software issues causing a black screen on startup.
Follow these steps for a clean install:
- Backup personal data and files.
- Boot from OS install media and select custom install.
- Delete all existing partitions to erase previous OS install.
- Install the OS to the now unallocated disk space.
- Install motherboard/GPU drivers after OS installation.
- Restore personal files and data.
This clean OS install erases any corrupted system files or driver issues. Be sure to backup important data first before wiping the PC.
Conclusion
Troubleshooting a black screen on computer startup requires methodically checking display connections, drivers, hardware issues, and trying repairs like Safe Mode. Reinstalling graphics drivers, running Startup Repair, checking hardware, and resetting BIOS can all help resolve many causes for a PC booting to a black screen.
In most cases, the problem is related to display settings or drivers rather than serious hardware failure. However, GPU, RAM, motherboard, CPU and connection problems can also lead to a black screen on startup.
Following the organized troubleshooting steps above will help identify the cause and get your computer booting properly again with video output restored.