PC not getting past startup screen

[markp_1998]

Hello, I have a HP Phoenix H9-1210t. It’s suddenly gone to a black screen and I can only use it in safe mode. I turned it on as usual, logged in, and left it sitting for a bit while doing some other things, when I came back the screen was black and I couldn’t get it to show my desktop. 

Since then I’ve got it working in safe mode, I’ve removed my graphics drivers and when I try to install new ones it goes back to a black screen. On the face of the PC it has the orange light showing the hard drive working, I’ve noticed when the screen goes black the orange light turns completely off. I used the command prompt and typed ‘wmic diskdrive get model,status’ and it said OK. 

I’m not sure if it’s the hard drive or motherboard going bad, I’ve seen people online say to try to reset the CMOS but I haven’t tried that yet. Also, for over a year now when I power it on, it turns on for about a second then turns off for about five seconds then turns back on and stays on. That’s never really affected anything but not sure if that could be related to what it’s doing now.

Is there anything I can do to help determine what’s going bad?

[markp_1998]

I also forgot to mention. When I turn it on it gets to the screen that shows the windows logo and the loading circle under it, then that’s when the screen goes black and the orange hard drive light turns off.

[Raj_05]

Hi @markp_1998,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like you're dealing with a combination of issues that could be hardware- or software-related. Since the PC works in Safe Mode and you're able to uninstall graphics drivers, this suggests that there may be an issue with the graphics card or its drivers, but there are also some other things to check.

Here’s a step-by-step approach to help narrow down the problem.

Test Graphics Card and Drivers:

• Since the issue happens when trying to install new graphics drivers, it's possible that the issue is related to your GPU or its driver installation.
• Try using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to completely remove any remnants of your graphics drivers in Safe Mode. After that, reboot normally and see if you can get a stable display without any drivers installed. If it works, try installing the driver again, but make sure to get the correct version for your GPU.

Reset CMOS:

• Resetting the CMOS is a good next step. This will clear any misconfigured settings in the BIOS, which could be causing the issue. To reset CMOS:
  • Power off the PC and unplug it.
  • Open the case, find the CMOS battery (a coin-shaped silver battery on the motherboard), and remove it for about 5 minutes before reinserting it.
  • Power on the PC and see if it makes a difference.

Check Hard Drive and System Boot:

• Even though the wmic command shows the drive is okay, it’s possible there are underlying issues with the hard drive or Windows installation.
• In Safe Mode, run CHKDSK to check for any disk errors:
  • Open Command Prompt as Administrator and type: chkdsk /f C: (replace C: with the appropriate drive letter if needed).
• Consider booting from a Windows recovery USB or using System Repair to check for any system file corruption.

Look for Power Supply Issues:

• The fact that your system shuts off briefly when turning on could point to a power supply issue or a motherboard problem, though the PC works in Safe Mode, which may rule out a major power issue.
• If possible, try testing the power supply with a PSU tester or try using a known working PSU from another system to see if it resolves the issue.

Check the Motherboard:

• The symptoms you describe (screen going black and the orange hard drive light turning off) might indicate an issue with the motherboard or a related component, such as the GPU slot.
• Inspect the motherboard for any visible signs of damage, such as burnt areas, bulging capacitors, or loose connections.

[Raj_05]

Test with Minimal Hardware:

• If possible, test with minimal hardware by disconnecting non-essential components (extra hard drives, USB devices, etc.), leaving only the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and GPU connected. This can help isolate the problem.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support 

[markp_1998]

Thank you for the reply and for the help.

I did uninstall my drivers with DDU, I downloaded new drivers from amd and while they were installing the screen turned black again and the orange hard drive light turned off. All of this was done in safe mode. 

I also did reset my CMOS by taking the battery out of the motherboard for about 5-10 minutes. It still goes black unless in safe mode. 

I did the test in the command prompt for the hard drive that you mentioned. It says 

“The type of file system is NTFS.

Cannot lock current drive.

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts?”

I’m not sure what any of this means so I opted for no, should I try that? I also did try the system repair, still nothing changed. 

I looked at the motherboard and couldn’t visibly see any damage or smell anything burnt. 

The only thing I haven’t tried is to test the power supply since I don’t have a tester or an extra one, and I haven’t unplugged everything internally leaving only the minimum. 

Is there a way I can test the motherboard or graphics card? And would it go into safe mode even if the motherboard is dying?

[Raj_05]

Hi @markp_1998,

Thank you for your response, 

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action.

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link.

I hope this helps! Keep me posted.

Alden4

HP Support