Black screen

[Oblivionzz]

I've had a few problems derived to a trojan which may or not be over. The keyboard issues are solved, and I've done advised security checks.

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?p=335292&posted=1#post335292

Now I still have one problem. The screen goes black when I turn on the computer for the first time, the Windows loads and after the desktop loads all the icons the screen turns black and I have to reset once or twice until it no longer happens. Also, when I leave the computer on with the monitor off for like an hour or so, when I turn it back on, I see image for like 1 second, then screen turns black and I have to reset once or twice until it no longer happens after desktop loads. Help please? I'm afraid it will get worse, because before it only took one reset to solve this, now it's 2 resets ... and I'm afraid one day it won't simply turn on.

[Sylvander]

1. You are running WinXP SP2 right?

2. Black Screen on Boot (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/155053/en-us).

3. The file system for the partition on which Windows is running...
Is it NTFS or FAT32?

4. You'll notice that the webpage linked in 2 above says:
CAUSE
The master boot record (MBR), partition tables, boot sector, or NTLDR file is corrupted.

5. The "Emergency Boot CD" [EBCD] includes useful utilities for scanning/fixing things like this.
e.g.
a. "Recover MBR" program. [Writes a generic MBR, worked for me]
b. "Create NT/2000/XP Boot Floppy" program.

c. "[B]Microsoft Scandisk" scans the file systems on all [NTFS,FAT32] partitions for errors, but can only write/fix errors on FAT32, not NTFS. [Use chkdsk for NTFS]

6. How to make a free “Smart Boot Manager” floppy
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41498
This makes it easier to boot a chosen drive [particularly the one holding the EBCD].

7. How to make a free EBCD bootable CD
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41485
This has a number of useful utilities included including "Image" [for DOS, by Terabyte] & "File Manager".

[Oblivionzz]

The black screen only appears after the desktop icons appear, it boots normally, but i can still try to do that. I ran diskcheck already and it didnt solve it. Im running SP2 and I think the files are NTFS (how can i check?) and what is EBCD?

[Sylvander]

"what is EBCD?"
EBCD = "Emergency Boot CD"
A bootable CD designed to be particularly useful in emergency situations.

"I think the files are NTFS (how can i check?)"
Run the Disk Management program.
Go to "Start->Run" and type dskmgmt.msc in the "Open:" box and click OK.
That will display the details of your partitions including the file systems used.

"The black screen only appears after the desktop icons appear"
The link may still be pertinant.
QUOTE
If you can start the computer without errors, the damage is limited to the master boot record (MBR), boot sector, or the NTLDR file. After Windows is running, immediately back up any data of value. Use Disk Administrator to verify that partitions on the boot drive are the correct size. If there are invalid partitions, the best solution is to re-create those partitions and reformat the affected drives, then restore the data from the most recent back up tape. If the system cannot be started from a Windows boot disk, you will most likely have to reinstall Windows and restore from tape.

[Oblivionzz]

When I asked what it was, I should have asked how do you get it?

[Sylvander]

"how do you get it?"
That is shown in the thread at the webpage linked in 7 above.

The one that is titled...
"How to make a free EBCD bootable CD"

Isn't that explicit enough? :D

[Oblivionzz]

Didnt read that for some stupid reason. Is it possible to emulate it, use a pen drive or I really have to burn a CD?

[Sylvander]

So far as I'm aware you must make a bootable CD.
Never heard of any other way of using it.

It is NAMED "Emergency BOOT CD" after all. :)

Burning a CD seems easy enough to me, but I'd be interested in hearing of an easier way to make use of it.

[Oblivionzz]

I haven't done the bootable CD yet, so it is still the same. But one thing that I have noticed is if I turn the monitor off when the screen goes black, then back on, i get image for a few seconds, then it goes black again, after a few tries it becomes normal. It is as if the monitor or the graphics card is failing until it heats up.

[Sylvander]

"Windows loads and after the desktop loads all the icons the screen turns black...if I turn the monitor off when the screen goes black, then back on, i get image for a few seconds, then it goes black again, after a few tries it becomes normal"
Ask yourself...
Is there a constant, dependable signal being sent from the video card to the monitor?
a. If there IS...
In that case the monitor is on the blink and switching it off and on gets it to work more reliably.
Can you try a known good monitor on this system?
And try this suspect monitor on a known reliable system.

b. If there is NOT...
And the monitor is good...
Switching it off and on should have no effect on the fact that the video card isn't sending reliably.
The signal output may be coming and going; now you see it, now you don't.
So when you switch off the monitor there may or may not be a signal output, but you don't see it even if it's there.
When you switch the monitor back on, there's a chance the signal output has become reliable.
It may indeed be like you say...
"It is as if...the graphics card is failing until it heats up"
Again...
Can you try a known good monitor on this system?

[Oblivionzz]

I am using a LCD monitor, but I still have my old CRT monitor. I'll try it tomorrow. Still it is a bit hard to believe the trojan I had in my PC was just a coincidence. Could it be a software issue? Or maybe the trojan affected the hardware somehow. Maybe tomorrow after the monitor test things will be clearer.

[Sylvander]

"Could it be a software issue?"
If you want to test that possibilty...
Load and run Knoppix from a Knoppix Linux Live CD (http://www.knoppix.net/get.php).
That will totally eliminate windows loaded from the HDD, and run instead an Operating System [Knoppix Linux], guaranteed uninfected, loaded from a totally different disk to the HDD.

[Oblivionzz]

Easier than that, i switched monitors and the CRT worked perfectly. I tried using its power cable on the LCD, but still the LCD has the usual problem. Guess I'll just take it to the store and hope the warranty is still on.

[Sylvander]

Aha, you found it! :)

[Oblivionzz]

Looks like it. Thanks for the time and help ;)