Help! My computer screen is blank

[snugglegirl05]

When my computer ( I have windows XP home edition), loads, there are no icons on the screen & the start menu does not load. The screen is completely blank.

How do I fix that problem?

[MadonnaC]

First thing to try would be to bring up task manager (ctrl+al+del, then select task manager)

goto file -> new task, and run explorer.exe

If nothing happens, or you get an error message, then explorer.exe needs to be restored from your original disks.
If your start menu and icons appear, then we would need to find out what is stopping explorer from loading

[Der Cute]

First thing to check:
is your monitor ON? (yes, that's happened before).
Is the monitor power plugged in correctly at both ends? Monitor end and plug end?

Second:
Is the monitor connected SOLIDLY to the computer? Is the cable between monitor and computer firmly connected at both ends? Monitor end and computer end?

Third:
How do you know your computer starts up? Does it beep?
Do you see ANYTHING on the screen at all before you think it's getting to the desktop?

Cutenoob

[EricKei]

Tell me this -- Do you get a totally black screen that has the mouse cursor on it, while allowing you to move the cursor, but nothing else?

I've had a couple of clients get this one lately. It MAY (or may not) be a virus that's been going around lately (usually spread by being hidden in emails). The only way I've seen to fix thqat is guaranteed to work is a total boot drive wipe; I'm sure there are better ways, but, in the ones I looked at, even SafeMode had the same issue. You could theoretically scan the drive by taking it to another system and hooking it up via USB, but that would depend on whether the other system's owner feels safe doing so. -- a wipe is a LAST RESORT if you cannot get it cleaned out any other way.

Check to make sure you don't have any USB drives/devices plugged in while booting, tho, it may just be that your BIOS is trying to load from a device that lacks a Windows-friendly boot sector.

[Chrismor]

First thing to check:
is your monitor ON? (yes, that's happened before).
Is the monitor power plugged in correctly at both ends? Monitor end and plug end?

My boss and I once managed something similar. We were setting up a computer onto the office network, and nothing we did could make it connect. Checked the settings, all fine. Disable and re-enable the NIC. Nothing.

After about 15 minutes it clicked with me.

We had NOT plugged in the ethernet cable

I have never been so embarrassed in all my life. I am the IT guy in the office and I missed it.

C.