[Solved] XP black screen on start up

[Gotalife]

Sorry for repeating this question, first one I think was in wrong post. (I'm new to this site)

 

I have a Ei-system Desktop with windows xp media centre version 2002 and service pack 3,

also have Buffalo DriveStation external USB 2.0 Hard Drive with Memeo.

Have seen your threads on Buffalo and black screen when booting up, I have had no problems over the past few years untill last week when I back up my daughters lap top and then connected Buffalo back to my desk top, now I get the Black screen an wait for 5-6 minutes before I can log on, but if I re start the system straight away it will boot in as normal.

 

Should the superboot and superbios be disabled? this is what is showing in setup.

 

1: on “Hard Disk Boot Priority” 1/ Ch0 M. :WDC WD800BB-00JHC0 2/ USB-HDD0 : BUFFALO EXTERNAL HDD / BOOTABLE ADD-IN CARDS.

2: ON “Phoenix Bios Feature” 1/ Super Boot = Disabled 2/ SuperBios-Protext =Disabled

3/ Super Recovery Hotkey = Lshift+F12 4/ CPU Clock = 200MHz.

Any help will be much appreciated :confused:

Edited December 10, 2011 by Gotalife

[KenB]

Hi and welcome to ExTS

 

I will delete your other post.

 

Should the superboot and superbios be disabled?

I had to look this up - but these are disabled by default.

 

SuperBoot: SuperBoot allows system-relevant information to be stored in CMOS upon the first normal startup of your PC, and the relevant parameters will be restored to help the system start up more quickly on each subsequent startup.

• SuperBIOS-Protect: SuperBIOS-Protect function protects your PC from being affected by viruses, e.g. CIH.
  

It would do no harm to try them enabled.

 

Have you tried booting up without the external drive in - and then add it afterwards ?

[Gotalife]

Hi KenB, thanks for getting back.

Yes have disconnected the Ex drive along with Ex floppy and printer, did not make any difference

apart from the Memeo icon at the bottom right hand of the screen was missing, this is now back after reconnecting the Buffalo and re booting again. I will give this another go and make notes to what happens ( the short term memory is not what it use to be! Me not the computer). Any advice as to what to do before I try this again. Thanks to all in anticipation. ;)

[KenB]

Have you tried enabling "Superboot"?

[Gotalife]

Not yet, was waiting for anymore advice before trying.

[Gotalife]

Sequence so far:

1/ disconnect Buffalo, floppy, printer, internet.

2/ re boot, del, changed “super boot” to Enabled, boots up normal, shut down.

3/ wait a few minutes then boot up.

4/ Back screen for a few seconds, then windows logo, then log on (total time about one minute).

5/ shut down, re connect floppy, printer, internet.

6/ boot up, black screen (10 sec), windows logo, log on (total time minute or so)

7/ shutdown, connect Buffalo and wait about ten minutes to re boot.

8/ boot up, black screen (about one minute), (no windows logo this time) log on.

This is much faster than before, have not changed back the “super boot” to disabled?,

and how it will start up tomorrow morning, will have to wait and see!.

Any other advice still welcome and thanks for your help so far.

Just re read your last message before adding this reply, ref: “SuperBios-Protect”, should I have Enabled this as well as “SuperBoot”!.

[KenB]

“SuperBios-Protect” should I have Enabled this as well

No - it will have no effect on the boot time.

 

Your boot time is affected ONLY when the external drive is plugged in.

 

Take a look in the BIOS for Boot Order or Boot Sequence or similar and make sure that the Boot Order is:

 

1st - CDROM Drive

2nd - Primary Hard Drive ( the one that has Windows on )

 

If it is set up this way already move the Hard Drive to 1st in the Boot Order.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, do you know what the boot sequence is in the BIOS? ideally it should be hard drive first, as it looks like it is looking at the external hard drive as a source to boot from. The fact the external drive now has your daughters machine backed up on it, may be confusing the BIOS as a source to be looked at perhaps.

Even if the main hard drive is selected as the first boot device, it may still be looking at the external drive as this also is a hard drive.

It may come down to the only way for a quick boot up, is disconnect the external drive when shut down.

 

Nev.

 

Edit, woops cross posted with you Ken, similar thoughts though.

[Gotalife]

This morning Boot up, black screen for 8 minutes before I could log on. I have now changed the SuperBoot back to Disabled.

The Hard Disc Boot Priority is:

1/ Ch0 M. : WDC WD800BB-00JHC0

2/ USB-HDD0 : Buffalo External HDD

3/ Bootable Add-IN Cards

then I have

First Boot Device = Floppy

Second Boot Device = Hard Disc

Third Boot Device = LS120

Boot up other Device = Enabled

Boot up Floppy Seek = Disabled

[KenB]

I suggested earlier that you change the Boot Order.

Do you have a floppy drive?

 

Does the system boot up normally without the external drive connected?

[Gotalife]

Hi KenB,

Sorry misunderstood boot order, I thought the “The hard disk priority” was the boot order.

I have now changed the order to:

1/ Hard Drive (was Floppy)

2/ CD Rom (was Hard Disc)

3/ LS120 ( LS120 what ever this is?)

The Desktop did not come with a built in Floppy drive, I added an external floppy drive.

The boot up with the above settings still started with a black screen (about 4 minutes) before I could log on. I switched off the system and then disconnected the Buffalo and restarted, this time black screen for 15 seconds, then Windows logo, then log on.

[KenB]

The problem seems to be the external Buffalo drive.

 

Is this set to backup / scan using Memeo on each boot?

I am not familiar with this software but that seems to me, to be the likely cause.

 

Alternatively your AV may be scanning the external drive - which would obviously add to the boot time.

[Gotalife]

I have now un-installed Buffalo and Memeo. It was ment to back up as you worked, not at any given time.

Re booting from log on, it will boot up as normal but after switching off and booting from cold I still get a black screen, be it only for about a minute before it will go to log on.

I will switching off after this message and will log on later this evening for any updates from you, in the meantime thank for all your advice.

[KenB]

Does the black screen show after the Windows screen ?

 

Which Anti-Virus are you using ?

[Gotalife]

Black screen first, then Windows Logo (sometimes) then log on.

Just booted up after being switched off for a few hours, I got the Black screen for about 5 minutes then log on, no windows logo after the black screen. I’m using BT with McAfee antivirus. Buffalo and Memeo still not connected, I checked Add and Remove in Control Panel to make sure.

[KenB]

Black screen for about 5 minutes

Sorry to have to ask this again ......is this delay with the external hard drive connected?

 

no windows logo after the black screen.

Does it just go directly to the desktop ?

[Gotalife]

my last reply says that the external hard drive is disconnected (and removed from the system) and that I’m still getting the black screen on booting from cold for about five minutes.

 

after the black screen, it goes to my log on password, (user account computer administrator password protected) then on to desktop.

[KenB]

my last reply says that the external hard drive is disconnected

Sorry - I don't know how I missed that.

 

Does the system hang when booting in Safe Mode?

Switch on and constantly tap F8 about once per second.

You will get a list of options. Select Safe Mode from the list.

 

Graphics will look odd.

[Gotalife]

As suggested on another post, I switched off the monitor rather than put in standby, when I came to switch back on, I got a black screen again and had to wait 4 or 5 minutes to come back on.

I have now swapped the monitor from my other desktop computer and low and behold it work fine, even from cold.

So it looks like it has been the monitor giving the problem all along, which does not make sense as it works perfect once the screen is on. Will keep you updated on this.

All I can say is Thanks KenB for all your time and advice on this, and to others that are having the same problem with Black Screen on boot up, check your monitor first.

[KenB]

Thanks for the feedback on this - we could have taken a long time to find that one :)

[Plastic Nev]

To add to this, it could be the backlight in the monitor either the backlight tube nearly ready to go altogether, or the backlight power module. To get a clue about that, plug in the monitor and before it actually does light up and come on, view it from one side, do you see a faint outline of what should be on screen?

If it is a good make of monitor and expensive to replace, it may be worth while replacing both the lamp and/or the power module board.

 

Nev.

[Gotalife]

Update, Bought a new monitor today, and all is working how it should be when booting up.

Once again my thanks to kenB.

He's not paying me to say that.:o

[KenB]

Once again my thanks to kenB.

Thank you - you are welcome.

 

Cheque in the post .....................OOPS !!