I bought an used PC, and it only gives black screen

[Rykzeon]

Few days ago I bought a used PC and used monitor. I tested the monitor with my old PC (I use it to type this post) and it works, but the PC I bought only showed black screen when turned on. The motherboard is "ASUS P8H61-M LX R2.0^{REV. 1.02}". I noticed some things:

1. When I first tested it, it only shows black screen, so I checked the VGA card and left fan (near HDMI slot) not spinning. I tried to lift the right area a little bit and the left fan worked once but then it stopped again and I never able to reproduce this. I also bought HDMI to VGA converter and connect both motherboard's VGA slot and dedicated GPU's HDMI slot, each with separate monitor. No result, both just gives black screen;
2. The CPU casing has shocks when connected. I checked the PSU fan and it is spinning when the PC turned on. The motherboard LED also lit when it connected to a power source;
3. This PC has 2 RAM slots, and I checked each of them by removing one of them and re-install one for each slot. No beeps. I once did not fully inserted RAM into its slot, as I'm new to repairing PC and I didn't know how to insert RAM stick properly, and the CPU beeps;
4. There is clanking noise and sometimes "whoosh" noise, either from DVD (empty) or HDD (pre-installed 2 HDDs). I did unplug all SATA connectors, 2 SATA connectors leading to HDD, and 1 SATA connector leading to DVD. Its still clanking. The topmost HDD is WD Caviar Blue, and I haven't check the bottom (second) HDD yet;
5. I did remove CMOS battery, waited for 1 hour, and no result. It's still black screen when turned on.

With all said, I stopped diagnose the problem by myself, as I might do damage to the PC I just bought. I never get into BIOS or booting up into OS so far, so I may think this not a simple problem that can be self-repaired by myself. I did clean all dust from VGA card, RAM, and motherboard, and its still only give me a black screen when turned on.

[dasho]

Did you not test the used PC before buying it?

[Rykzeon]

25 minutes ago, dasho said:

Did you not test the used PC before buying it?

It came from used flea market and there is no power source there, but I heard it came from spoiled kid who begged to their family for laptop ASAP so they sold their monitor and CPU to flea market for quick cash (they sold monitor first then after 1-2 days they sold the CPU). The only thing that came with the CPU is a note that written:

Quote

not backup yet
backuped

64 win, photoshop
W7, 64-bit, unity

 

Then I bring the CPU to home and tested it, and it doesn't give BIOS screen. I checked the motherboard throughly, I checked the processor and its Intel i series without F (I checked it means it has integrated graphics), and it has dedicated GPU too, so I think black screen may be unlikely because of graphics problem, as it can be powered on and it did beeping when no RAM memory inserted. I haven't checked HDD and DVD, but it's clanking everytime it powered and whooshing sometimes, even SATA connectors are disconnected from motherboard. So I think it's actually may be working previously, but something happened somewhere I don't know so it not work. I can provide photos and videos if needed.

[LegendaryEevee]

@Rykzeon "One of the most common causes of this issue is a corrupted or incompatible driver. Sometimes, Windows updates or other software changes can interfere with the drivers and prevent your computer from booting normally. To fix this, you can try to disable the display drivers in Safe Mode and see if that helps"

 

1.  Verify if you can get it into Safe Mode to make sure there's not an update causing this issue or a Driver causing this issue.

2.  The clanking noise on startup could be the fans just need blown out with Compressed Air

Edited May 17 by LegendaryEevee

[dasho]

5 minutes ago, LegendaryEevee said:

@Rykzeon "One of the most common causes of this issue is a corrupted or incompatible driver. Sometimes, Windows updates or other software changes can interfere with the drivers and prevent your computer from booting normally. To fix this, you can try to disable the display drivers in Safe Mode and see if that helps"

 

1.  Verify if you can get it into Safe Mode to make sure there's not an update causing this issue or a Driver causing this issue.

2.  The clanking noise on startup could be the fans just need blown out with Compressed Air

 

What? I don't think this machine is even getting past POST, much less to the OS

[LegendaryEevee]

8 minutes ago, dasho said:

 

What? I don't think this machine is even getting past POST, much less to the OS

hmm.  Here's another article I found when dealing with a Black Screen prior to bootup. @Rykzeon

 

Here are some things you can try if your computer won't start when you turn it on:

 

Check the power supply

Make sure the power switch on the back of the power supply is flipped on, and that the outlet is connected to a light switch that's turned on. You can also try plugging the computer into a different outlet.

 

Hard reboot

Hold down the power button for about 10 seconds.

 

Check hardware

If you've recently installed hardware like a new RAM kit, that could be the cause of your boot issues. Remove and reinstall your new hardware and try to boot again.

 

Check your bios settings

Secure Boot on the wrong setting can cause your computer not to start. You can disable Secure Boot in the BIOS.

 

Clear CMOS

Locate the CMOS battery on the motherboard and remove it for a few minutes. Then, reinsert the battery and try starting the computer again.

 

Unplug USB devices

Disconnect everything from your PC that isn't essential, then try to restart it. 

 

Maybe one of these can at least make the cpu do something different to get us closer?

Edited May 17 by LegendaryEevee

[Rykzeon]

So a few moments ago I detached the GPU card and one of the RAM (right RAM to be exact). Then I turned it on and still black screen, but it just turned off by itself. I re-did it and it gives same result.

Edit: I inserted both RAM back into the slots and turned the PC on without GPU card, and few minutes later it just turned off by itself.

Edit 2: I inserted GPU card back, and turned the PC on, and few minutes later it just turned off by itself. It wasn't like that yesterday, as I remember right after I unplugged the power, I touched the VGA card and its quite warm.

Edit 3: I forget to plug PCI-E into GPU card. Now its warm after powered on and leave it for awhile.

1 hour ago, LegendaryEevee said:

hmm.  Here's another article I found when dealing with a Black Screen prior to bootup. @Rykzeon

 

Here are some things you can try if your computer won't start when you turn it on:

 

Check the power supply

Make sure the power switch on the back of the power supply is flipped on, and that the outlet is connected to a light switch that's turned on. You can also try plugging the computer into a different outlet.

 

Hard reboot

Hold down the power button for about 10 seconds.

 

Check hardware

If you've recently installed hardware like a new RAM kit, that could be the cause of your boot issues. Remove and reinstall your new hardware and try to boot again.

 

Check your bios settings

Secure Boot on the wrong setting can cause your computer not to start. You can disable Secure Boot in the BIOS.

 

Clear CMOS

Locate the CMOS battery on the motherboard and remove it for a few minutes. Then, reinsert the battery and try starting the computer again.

 

Unplug USB devices

Disconnect everything from your PC that isn't essential, then try to restart it. 

 

Maybe one of these can at least make the cpu do something different to get us closer?

I actually think there is electric problem or the BIOS already corrupted when I bought them, or something else. Not sure which one because I never seen corrupted BIOS or even flash-able BIOS before in my life.

Edited May 17 by Rykzeon

[LegendaryEevee]

24 minutes ago, Rykzeon said:

I never seen corrupted BIOS or even flash-able BIOS before in my life.

 

A corrupted BIOS can cause a number of problems, including:

Boot failure: The BIOS program may be corrupted, resulting in permanent boot failure.

Hardware drivers have disappeared: This may indicate a hardware issue, such as a missing or poor power supply, or data cable connection.

Constant beeping noise: The BIOS reviews your PC and scans for hardware issues. For example, five or seven beeps may indicate a bad CPU.

Frequent error messages: This may be due to a stuck spindle motor, which prevents the hard drive from spinning.

Hardware is not recognized: This could be a sign of a faulty motherboard.

Overheating: The computer BIOS may be out-of-date, which can cause overheating.

Power outage: A sudden power outage or power surge while the BIOS is being updated or accessed can lead to corruption.

Sound: BIOS recognizes internal errors and sends signals in the form of beep sounds, indicating the location of the problem in the hardware. 

 

Other signs of a corrupted BIOS include:

 

The laptop stops working after the BIOS was updated

The laptop just dies

No lights and no signs of life

Laptop turns on and then off

Computer thinks its temperature is too high

Laptop turns on but the screen remains black

One internal accessory of the computer stops working

 

Sounds like we may be onto it.  It looks like the most common way it can be corrupted is A Virus.  A computer virus that is on your system re-flashes the BIOS in order to destroy it. Since these are generally motherboard specific.

 

Edited May 17 by LegendaryEevee

[Kinsie]

LegendaryEevee, are you just copy-pasting random Google results?

[Rykzeon]

I just noticed that everytime I turned on the CPU, both GPU fans are spinning, but then after few moments the left fan stop spinning.

[maxmanium]

It sounds like you've done a pretty good job ruling out common culprits. Now I could be mistaken, but I believe this:

 

6 hours ago, Rykzeon said:

 I once did not fully inserted RAM into its slot, as I'm new to repairing PC and I didn't know how to insert RAM stick properly, and the CPU beeps;

 

Is actually coming from the motherboard. I don't think CPUs have any beeping functionality. So I'm guessing either the CPU is dead, or something is wrong with the BIOS. Have you taken the CPU out to look at the pins and the LGA?

[Rykzeon]

9 minutes ago, maxmanium said:

It sounds like you've done a pretty good job ruling out common culprits. Now I could be mistaken, but I believe this:

 

 

Is actually coming from the motherboard. I don't think CPUs have any beeping functionality. So I'm guessing either the CPU is dead, or something is wrong with the BIOS. Have you taken the CPU out to look at the pins and the LGA?

I haven't checked the pins, but I remember I took the processor out because I wanna to check what kind of PC I actually bought from flea market because it was kinda blind buy and I wanna know if the processor has integrated graphics or not, because at first I thought the problem was the dedicated GPU card. I'm not sure if I had tried to turn on the PC without processor, my memory kinda hazy. Lemme check.

[maxmanium]

Well it definitely won't work without the CPU. I'm just saying to check if there's any bent pins or damage to the array.

[Rykzeon]

18 minutes ago, maxmanium said:

Well it definitely won't work without the CPU. I'm just saying to check if there's any bent pins or damage to the array.

I think nope. I think its better to provide photos, just to be sure

Spoiler

I also get a little shock from the casing when trying to unscrew the motherboard. Not sure if the casing comes contact into my old pc or nope.

Edited May 17 by Rykzeon

[ALilGrayBoi]

Put it in a bag of rice

[Amaruψ]

4 hours ago, LegendaryEevee said:

Spoiler

 

hmm.  Here's another article I found when dealing with a Black Screen prior to bootup. @Rykzeon

 

Here are some things you can try if your computer won't start when you turn it on:

 

Check the power supply

Make sure the power switch on the back of the power supply is flipped on, and that the outlet is connected to a light switch that's turned on. You can also try plugging the computer into a different outlet.

 

Hard reboot

Hold down the power button for about 10 seconds.

 

Check hardware

If you've recently installed hardware like a new RAM kit, that could be the cause of your boot issues. Remove and reinstall your new hardware and try to boot again.

 

Check your bios settings

Secure Boot on the wrong setting can cause your computer not to start. You can disable Secure Boot in the BIOS.

 

Clear CMOS

Locate the CMOS battery on the motherboard and remove it for a few minutes. Then, reinsert the battery and try starting the computer again.

 

Unplug USB devices

Disconnect everything from your PC that isn't essential, then try to restart it. 

 

Maybe one of these can at least make the cpu do something different to get us closer?

 

 

 

Pretty sure @Rykzeon already mentioned that it doesn't go beyond a black screen, much less get any access to the BIOS. 

 

Plus, no offense but this is a Microsoft Answers level of a response. 

[dasho]

Besides the fact that it sounds like there may be a grounding issue, if you can at least get to where it beeps again you can typically look up the beep codes for the motherboard in question to maybe have a clue as to a potential problem. The "beep code" refers to the number and length of beeps you are hearing.

Edited May 17 by dasho

[eanasir]

Did you try beating it yet? Sometimes a good hit on the top of the desktop works

[LegendaryEevee]

2 hours ago, Amaruψ said:

Plus, no offense but this is a Microsoft Answers level of a response. 

 

Offense 100% taken, we are trying to help someone with their problem insulting people who are trying to help is absolutely offensive and should not happen when WE are a community.  We don't need that crap in here let's work together and help someone with their issue thank you.

[Major Arlene]

this may sound a bit obvious but is there at least some kind of cooler overtop the CPU? is it connected? when my air cooler broke on my PC during my move, it would turn on for a couple seconds and then shut right back off to prevent overheating. also try applying thermal paste to the top of the CPU.

also try reseating your GPU & RAM. make sure all case fans are connected as well. modern motherboards are pretty sensitive to temps in my experience.

 

13 minutes ago, LegendaryEevee said:

 

Offense 100% taken, we are trying to help someone with their problem insulting people who are trying to help is absolutely offensive and should not happen when WE are a community.  We don't need that crap in here let's work together and help someone with their issue thank you.

I'm sorry but the "help" you are giving is not useful. if the computer doesn't turn on, as mentioned by others, you're not even getting to the BIOS screen. please re-read what the actual issue is before putting in random Google results.

Edited May 17 by Major Arlene

[boris]

7 hours ago, Rykzeon said:

but I heard it came from spoiled kid

 

That PC must be 11-13 years old, doesn't sound like something a spoiled kid would have :P

 

7 hours ago, Rykzeon said:

I checked the processor and its Intel i series without F (I checked it means it has integrated graphics)

 

F means no integrated graphics. What CPU is in there, exactly? I can't see any F CPUs for the LGA 1155 socket.

[LegendaryEevee]

16 minutes ago, Major Arlene said:

I'm sorry but the "help" you are giving is not useful. if the computer doesn't turn on, as mentioned by others, you're not even getting to the BIOS screen. please re-read what the actual issue is before putting in random Google results.

You people need to read what all is actually said before you spout this nonsense.  I am sick to death of people being jerks in this community.  DO NOT INSULT ONE ANOTHER IF YOU CAN'T CONTROL WHAT YOU SAY GET LOST.  We are a community and it is our job to support one another and be helpful to one another.  I gave suggestions based on what I could find while at work.  I am too old for this nonsense of people insulting one another if you can't control what you say to people than just say nothing.  I worked in a computer lab for many years.  I am a freaking Engineer and I don't have hours to sit and research this while I'm sitting at work.  So plain and simple WE ALL need to be supportive and help people when they ask for it.  IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH PEOPLES HELP then keep it to yourself insults ARE NOT okay. thank you.  Back to trying to get this person help for their computer.  If you have a problem message me directly and let's keep this on topic

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

15 minutes ago, LegendaryEevee said:

I am sick to death of people being jerks in this community.  DO NOT INSULT ONE ANOTHER

Look mom I found an ironic sentence on Doomworld🤓☝️

 

Have you tried booting with a single RAM slot and then moving it to another slot? I had a strange issue where one of my RAM slots went bad and my PC wouldn't reach POST with anything in that slot. Is your heatsink secured properly?

 

Edited May 17 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[VICE]

45 minutes ago, LegendaryEevee said:

I am a freaking Engineer

Cool. I have an honorary Master's Degree in Freaking (my thesis was on O dynamics).

But how does that relate to computers?

 

Also, does my degree entitle me to tell people who have been on these forums considerably longer than I have, how they should conduct themselves? Can I use it to present myself as an authority and speak for an entire group of people?

Tell us more about your vision for this community.

Edited May 17 by VICE

[Caffeine Freak]

@Rykzeon Have you tried to make sure the wire connecting the power button to the motherboard is securely connected at both ends? I had a similar issue with a PC over 10 years ago where, after I had disassembled it for an upgrade, it would consistently turn off/restart before it got to any of the boot-up screens. Turned out that the problem was the wire connecting the power button to the motherboard had been jostled loose very slightly; as soon I made sure it was snugly connected, the problem went away. 

Edited May 17 by Caffeine Freak

[vanilla_d00m]

Mine with Windows XP won’t turn on, it had a magnet sitting on top for weeks.  The motherboard tower or whatever.. I push power and the light goes on but no fans or sounds of it running.  Nothing on screen.

 

Happened to my other desktop PCs too.  Maybe take it to Best Buy geek squad?

[Jello]

I'm decent at troubleshooting PC's if they're right in front of me. I was having an issue with my current desktop last year, where it wouldn't turn on. Long story short, after checking everything I could possibly think of, I just located the pins on the connector that connect the power button to the motherboard, put a precision screwdriver in there to complete the circuit between the pins, and it turned on. Turned out it was a bad power switch, replaced that and it's been running fine.

 

But what I'm most concerned about is that that you're repeatedly mentioning getting shocks from the case:

 

"I also get a little shock from the casing when trying to unscrew the motherboard. Not sure if the casing comes contact into my old pc or nope."

"The CPU casing has shocks when connected. I checked the PSU fan and it is spinning when the PC turned on. The motherboard LED also lit when it connected to a power source"

 

Is this just a language barrier where "shock" means that the components are trying to start when you connect them to an electric receptacle, or are you literally feeling electricity discharge from the case into your body when you touch the case? Because you should never be getting shocked by the case of your PC, and if you are, there's a severe grounding issue, and it should probably be chalked up as a lost cause. It's possible it's an issue with the PSU, possibly a faulty capacitor, but don't dink around inside the PSU.

 

So, have you tried replacing the PSU? Because that's where I would look first based on what you've said, but if it's having noticeable electric discharges just by touching the case, it's probably fried multiple components everywhere, and it's beyond repair.

 

I mean, people are providing suggestions about issues with the CPU, RAM, GPU, BIOS, but if this device is literally discharging enough current just by being plugged in that a person notices being shocked by it, then it doesn't need any further work. The only further discussion should be how to best dispose of it.

Edited May 18 by Jello

[Dark Pulse]

14 hours ago, Rykzeon said:

Few days ago I bought a used PC and used monitor. I tested the monitor with my old PC (I use it to type this post) and it works, but the PC I bought only showed black screen when turned on. The motherboard is "ASUS P8H61-M LX R2.0^{REV. 1.02}". I noticed some things:

1. When I first tested it, it only shows black screen, so I checked the VGA card and left fan (near HDMI slot) not spinning. I tried to lift the right area a little bit and the left fan worked once but then it stopped again and I never able to reproduce this. I also bought HDMI to VGA converter and connect both motherboard's VGA slot and dedicated GPU's HDMI slot, each with separate monitor. No result, both just gives black screen;
2. The CPU casing has shocks when connected. I checked the PSU fan and it is spinning when the PC turned on. The motherboard LED also lit when it connected to a power source;
3. This PC has 2 RAM slots, and I checked each of them by removing one of them and re-install one for each slot. No beeps. I once did not fully inserted RAM into its slot, as I'm new to repairing PC and I didn't know how to insert RAM stick properly, and the CPU beeps;
4. There is clanking noise and sometimes "whoosh" noise, either from DVD (empty) or HDD (pre-installed 2 HDDs). I did unplug all SATA connectors, 2 SATA connectors leading to HDD, and 1 SATA connector leading to DVD. Its still clanking. The topmost HDD is WD Caviar Blue, and I haven't check the bottom (second) HDD yet;
5. I did remove CMOS battery, waited for 1 hour, and no result. It's still black screen when turned on.

With all said, I stopped diagnose the problem by myself, as I might do damage to the PC I just bought. I never get into BIOS or booting up into OS so far, so I may think this not a simple problem that can be self-repaired by myself. I did clean all dust from VGA card, RAM, and motherboard, and its still only give me a black screen when turned on.

1. GPU might be dead, in which case the motherboard's VGA slot isn't a bad idea (assuming the CPU has a built-in GPU - not all do), but the fact neither worked means the bigger problem likely is...
2. A PC case shocking you when connected means something is shorting on the power supply directly to the metal of the case. The PSU probably needs to be replaced; otherwise, some sort of current-conducting thing is going from the PSU to the casing. This should never happen. A case shocking you means something is very wrong - a wire is touching the case, or there is a direct short somehow.
3. Hard to tell if the RAM is dead without at least a POST, but I'd still bet on the PSU being the problem. I'm gonna bet the RAM is good until proven otherwise, though.
4. That sounds slightly worrying, but it could be related to the PSU issue. Hard drives are extremely easy to replace, though, and depending on the size, cheap - given the relative vintage of the system (Core 2000-3000 era-chips), you could get a hard drive that's as big or bigger than those for $100-200, easy.
5. It's not lupus CMOS. While that's a good thought, there's just way too many other things throwing up red flags here.

My first bet would be to replace the power supply - the case shocking you means something is definitely, absolutely, positively shorted between the power supply and the case itself. That's not a good thing, for the components inside or for you. A system of this vintage, especially if it was the original power supply that was with the system when it was built by whoever built it, is very likely failing or dead by now. Most PSUs last 5-10 years, depending on the maker and quality; this system (or at least its motherboard) is for CPUs from 2011-2012, so the PSU could easily be well out of useful service.

 

Assuming you replace the power supply (try to get one of similar wattage to whatever is in there or larger), and it's still not getting anywhere the next thing I'd likely check would be the GPU. If that's replaced with a known good working one too, then about the only other thing I can think of is that the motherboard is somehow shot - but the fact the CPU did beep when you were messing with RAM does mean that it's likely not that (a shot motherboard wouldn't show a sign of life like that).

 

Best of luck.

Edited May 18 by Dark Pulse

[Murdoch]

As jello said shocking isn't good and earthing problems, while rare, can cause issues. Worst case scenario its fried the board. I've seen that happen. It's a pretty old machine so don't spend too much money on it trying to get it working. Find a known working secondhand psu if possible,  and if it still doesn't work try the following. Diagnosing blind is basically impossible and all anyone can offer is educated guesses. It could be the CPU, RAM, motherboard or video card.

 

If it does have integrated graphics, take the card out. Simplify and eliminate as many variables as possible. You've already tried alternating the RAM. Both could be bad but that's statistically improbable. Take the battery, RAM and Cpu out. Might as well clean the thermal grease off the CPU and heatsink and put fresh grease on. Reseat the CPU, heatsink, battery, and one stick of RAM. If it doesn't work try the other. If that doesn't work, try each piece of RAM again but in the other slot as slot failure isn't uncommon on older boards. If it still fails, the board or CPU is probably gone and given the age, repair is likely not going to practical and/or cost effective 

Edited May 18 by Murdoch

[bonkmaykr]

5 hours ago, LegendaryEevee said:

 

Offense 100% taken, we are trying to help someone with their problem insulting people who are trying to help is absolutely offensive and should not happen when WE are a community.  We don't need that crap in here let's work together and help someone with their issue thank you.

My dude... Giving random nothing answers and/or copying stuff off the internet regardless of the clues you've been given is not trying to help someone.

 

15 hours ago, Rykzeon said:

There is clanking noise and sometimes "whoosh" noise, either from DVD (empty) or HDD (pre-installed 2 HDDs). I did unplug all SATA connectors, 2 SATA connectors leading to HDD, and 1 SATA connector leading to DVD. Its still clanking. The topmost HDD is WD Caviar Blue, and I haven't check the bottom (second) HDD yet;

15 hours ago, Rykzeon said:

This PC has 2 RAM slots, and I checked each of them by removing one of them and re-install one for each slot. No beeps. I once did not fully inserted RAM into its slot, as I'm new to repairing PC and I didn't know how to insert RAM stick properly, and the CPU beeps;

Chances are that you've made it at least part-way through POST if your SATA devices are being initialized. The fact the motherboard's buzzer goes off only when RAM is missing tells me the BIOS is at least functional enough that POST is passing conventional memory tests. Optical drives are pretty noisy at bootup, even brand new ones, so unless the sound you're hearing is really freaky (would you mind recording it?) then this is expected. Knowing all of this, I don't seriously believe your BIOS is corrupted or not flashed correctly, it is more likely that either A. some component is not turning on due to a power issue or B. your PC is booting fine but the video card is fucked.

 

If your CPU is an F-suffix model (Intel's way of saying your CPU has had it's GPU removed, idk the AMD equivalent), that would explain why the motherboard rear I/O produces no video output, but on some boards a BIOS setting may also be responsible.

 

If you happen to have a spare PCI-E video card on hand that you are not using you could try plugging that in and seeing what happens perhaps?

I would also try moving the video card to another PCI-E slot if you have one.

 

And yes, like Dark Pulse has said, electrical shocks from the metal frame of your case are not normal. Find a spare ATX power supply and try it. And try to discharge the case and any electrical current off your body if you can. My hope is that the previous owner didn't ESD-slaughter the thing.

Edited May 18 by bonkmaykr
I should really just finish typing before i click reply.