Resolved Windows loads but image flashes on monitor and dissapear

There is a strange thing happening recently when I started my pc the image only flash for a second and then goes black on the monitor. I turn the monitor OFF and then ON and I can see for a flash that the windows Logo is loading but the image abruptly dissapear. I again turn OFF and ON the monitor and I can see for a second the log in screen and inmediately the image dissapears on the monitor.

At first I suspected that the monitor was bad, I checked the connection and I even bought new monitor cable and did not solve the issue . Then I went to walmart and bought a new monitor and connected it with its own new cable and power cord and it did not solve anything, so it was not the monitor.

The problem only shows when the PC has been OFF for a while, I mean when you start it for the first time on the day, I turn it off and on manually, even try to press F8 to bring the boot choices but it also flash on the screen and image dissapear. I then try several times with my Acronis True Image Boot CD
and it also loads but the image only flashes on the monitor. After several attempts at last I get the Acronis interface loaded and I choose to continue opening windows and then it open normally on monitor and everything works fine even after I restart or turn OFF the pc the monitor will show windows booting and everything as usual.

So the problem seemed to happen only on the first start, maybe because the PC is cold and when it warms after repeatedly turning it ON and OFF to try to get the image on monitor. Maybe this is a hardware problem or for some unknow reason the image signal to the monitor is interrupted.

A year ago I purchaed and installed (at CompUSA) a new 550 watts power supply, new motherboard and new 500 GB Hard drive and it has been working fine till now.

I took the pc to CompUSA and they could not recreate the problem the pc started well all the time when they repeatedly turned it OFF and ON either from dektop or manually it did not fail a single attempt so they could not tell me what was going on. When I got back home connected the pc back (without any peripherals plugged in just the power cord, monitor cable, keyboard and mouse) the PC acted again (despite it was warm from CompUSA) and again the image flashes in monitor and dissapear. I even tried plugging the pc to a different outlet to no avail.

I don't know what is the reason for this to happen, I ran checkdisk and id not find any errors, ran 3 different antispywares (Malwarebytes, Norton, Spybot, Superantispyware ) and they did not find any viruses nor troyans etc.

Maybe it could be a matter of voltage (a faulty voltage regulator) but I don't know if the power supply has it or if it can be checked.

I would appreciate your input.

 

I took the monitor to CompUSA and they told me if was the cable so I bought a new cable but did not solve the problem then i went to walmart bought a new monitor for $100 and connected it to my pc using the new cables from the new monitor and it was the same.

Yesterday it was working fine (even after restarts and turning ON and OFF and I left it on for 2 hours while I watched a movie on my tv (the computer went to screensaver and later to standby, I never use hibernation) and when I tried to "wake up" the pc from standby I got the same problem the image flashed for a couple seconds and the screen went black.

This morning I turned ON the pc and only showed flashes while loading and i had to repeatedly manually restart it several times while prressing F8 to bring up the boot screen until I got a steady image on the monitor and the I either let windows start normally or press last good known settings (any of them will sufice because once I get a steady full image on monitor everything from then on will work fine. If the issue were with the moniotor the pc would never show image but right now I am using the pc and the monitor displays full image without any interruptions.

 

Is the monitor cable completely secured? I "wiggly" it as I connect it, before checking that the bolts are wound in well.

A power supply will have 230 - 100 switch (on the back of the computer, near the power connector), try switching it to the other setting, then back again (obviously, not while it is powered up).

Did you leave out all the peripherals? Try using a different keyboard (and a different mouse, although the mouse should not have any effect).

Matt

 

Hi this morning again I had to do like 10 repeated manual attempts to turn On and restarts until I got image on the monitor and then windows opened and it is working fine now, so the problem arises only after the pc have been left OFF for a while but once the monitor receives the full signal all works fine even after restarts.

I have been googling this issue and I have foundmany other people that have experienced this issue of image flickering on monitor with some differences in behavior, some say upon start the monitor goes blank after the windows logo loads so they don't reach the login window, others say they get no image at all, monitor is blank from the start, others say something like my issue that image flickers or flashes for one second while windows is loading normally.

I am waiting for a Windows XP SP3 installer CD that Microsoft support sent me to do a system file checker but I doubt that the issue originates on the windows system it seems more of a hardware problem with intermitent issue with video chip on motherboard (like you said) or something related to motherboard.

The problem is that I am waiting to get several options or suggestions from you to try to make an educated guess about the culprit before I take the PC to compusa to diagnose because they will charge me $70 to check the PC and if they say I have to reinstall Windows (the easy way out) and later after reinstalling windows the issue is still there they will have to keep checking but I will be left with a fresh installed windows and I will have to spemnd days updating everythiong reinstalling my printer and 100+ softwares etc and I don't want to go thru it if it did not solve the issue so I want to have some pretty idea of what to check to pinpoint the fault.

I just received the windows Xp Professional CD and I am going to sfc/scannow
to see if it solveds anything then I will have to wait till tomorrow to start the pc and see what happens (once I get the PC to run in the morning I leave it ON all day on screen saver and standby until I go to bed) and I will tell you the result.

 

I have an update and it is bad news, I tried to run sfc/scannow and it asked me for the Windows XP Professional CD with SP3 and I insterted the CD that I received and I got error message saying that the Windows installation on my pc was NEWER than the one on the CD and the scan could not proceed and I keep being asked to insert the correct CD.

I called Microsoft support to explai n that I received the CD with the wrong SP2 and that I need the one with SP3 and they told me that that don't have it only with Sp2.

Now I will need to find someone who has the correct CD and by chance if any of you have the Windows XP Professional SP3 CD could you pls create an ISO image of it and send it to me so I can burn it on a CD and use it?

 

Hi PeteC thanks for the working solution I went to the link you provided and followed the steps and all went well regarding integrating the SP3 files to the files on the Windows CD and I got the message "Integrated Install was completed successfully" and I went and could see inside the XP-CD folder that the SP3 was there.

Then I proceeded to extract the Microsoft Copr image from the windows CD and also I was able to integrate it.

The only problem now is to create the Boot CD. I followed your link to Nero Burning ROM website and it cost $70. You said I can use my own CD burning software and I have Copy to DVD, DVDFab, Deep Burner, IsoDisk, IsoBuster but none of them shows the option to create a bootable cd.

Can you recommend a free boot CD creator or at least one that i can download and install as a functional trial so I can create the bootable CD?

 

Hi PeteC I downloaded a free trial of Nero Burning ROM yesterday night but I had to go out and turned the PC OFF for the day.

Today" morning I tried to turn ON the PC to continue installing Nero and create the Boot CD but the PC have been acting all day showing only the booting image for 2 or 3 seconds (at half brightness or opaque) and then dissapears. I repeatedly turned it ON and OFF manually to no avail , I even used my Acronis True Image Boot CD and I can see it loading in flashes but the image don't get steady.

Even if I create the windows XP boot CD I doubt that it will solve the problem because everything points to a hardware issue with the motherboard or video chip or whatever part responsible for sending the image signal to the monitor
so this friday that I don't work I wil take the pc to CompUSA to check the
motherboard and the video chip. I am using my laptop to send this message.

 

Hi you all, I had an idea of taking a video with my digital camera so you can better appreciate the issue and I took them:

Video 1(5944 - 23.6MB).- On this first video I tried to boot from the Acronis True Image Boot CD and upon booting the monitor shows the interface of ATI after loading but the image (opaque not at full brightness) only appears for 2 or 3 seconds and then dissapears. I then repeatedly turned the monitor OFF and ON and the same image of the ATI interface flashes on the screen but it does not get steady just a flash and then black screen.

Video 2 (5945 - 10.3 MB).- On this second video I removed the ATI Boot CD and tried to boot normally from Windows. The monitor clearly shows a flash of the Windows Logo (while it is loading) and then I repeatedly turn the monitor OFF and ON (in order to see if there is a progress on the windows loading) and then the monitor flashes the image of the windows Log in Screen, meaning that windows loaded normally but the signal of the image is interrupted.

I am trrying to upload the videos but there is no option to do it. It seems that you can only upload pictures. I am asking Ari if there’s is a way to upload the videos, otherwise you could provide me with your personal email address so I can send them attached to an email so you can fully apprecia-te the issue and be able to give me a more educated opinion.

Thanks

 

tomorrow I will take the pc to compusa and the flash drive with the 2 videos and will ask the tech to watch the videos before doing anything to prepare him mentally and have some idea of what to look for when he turns on my pc

 

I uploaded the two videos and you can watch them at

YOUTUBE.COM:

VIDEO 1= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeZBDj2SxbM

VIDEO 2= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf6lbzwKPZE

Please, watch the two videos and then you give your opinion as to this issue being a windows or a hardware issue (motherboard, video chip, graphics card, etc or whatever is the part associated or responsible for sending the image signal to the monitor.

 

Hi , I went to Compusa they checked and told me the motherboard was defective there was 3 pieces (condenser or shapped like AAA batteries or whatever they call it) that were defective.

So I googled the same motherboard model (because I don't want to reinstall Windows and reinstall more than 120 softwares that I have) so I was told that with exactly the same motherboard model it will not be neccessary to reinstall windows (and I also have several Image backups created with Acronis True Image just in case).

I use ATI 2009 it has saved me on many ocassions because I do a full system backup to en external HD every week (incremental backups are a waste of time) and I have restored my system using these backups in less than 15 minutes and I know that the newest version of ATI 2012 has a new feature that you can restore an image to a different hardware configuration (for example, different motherboard) and I considered upgrading to that version in case I did not find the same motherboard model that I have now but since I found it I will keep my 2009 version for a while. with that version 2012 I could buy the latest model motherboard put it on my pc and restore an image created on my old motherboard on this new one (I still have to ask some technical questions becauase i don't know if an image created with ATI 2009 will be compatible with version 2012 or if i have to create the image with version 2012 in order to restore it to a new harware configuration).

It was very difficult to find this specific motherboard, could not find it in Ebay and it was out of stock on many other sites but i found one that has it and I emailed them for more specifications to make sure it is exactly the same model and specs like mine and they confirmed it and I bought it for $75 plus $5 shipping and it will come via UPS withing 3-5 days.

When I receive it I will take it to Compusa and they will install it for $30. So now we will have to wait till next week and see what happens ( I am thinking about downloading and installing a trial with full features version of 2012 and take advantage of it to create a full system image and save it just in case the new motherboard despite being same model will not work n and they would have to reinstall windows but then I will restore the image created with version 2012 to that different hardware configuration. I forgot to mention that I am writing this on my computer because despite having the issue it sometimes open windows when I rattle a little the tower and do restarts until somehow the image will show steady on the monitor and windows will open .

 

Hi sorry for the delay, I am updating you on the situation.

I bought a new motherboard online same model same chipset but there have been delays because they have to ship it from Canada to their U.S. warehouse and ship it from there to my home, so I expect to receive it sometime this week and then I will take it to CompUSA for installation of MOBO and reinstallation of the operating system and then willtry a Acronis
universal restore (to dissimilar hardware) using my last backup.

I will keep you posted.