Intermittent Black screen on Windows boot-up

[daedal]

I've been having this problem with both my 9800Pro and X850XT card. Basically, the PC POSTs and then I get the "Windows Loading" screen. Once the loading reaches the end, the screen goes blank. It doesn't turn off though, just stays empty and black. Now I have to hard reset (w/ the button) and Windows loads up fine on the second boot but it does give me the "Windows has detected blahblahblah" menu.

Like I said, I had the same problem before I upgraded my video card and after too. I've made a clean format a few weeks ago when I got my X850XT so that's not the issue. Anyone aware of some compability thing with my setup? This is a weird problem and only seems to happen intermittently and the problem just seemed to appear recently again after a long period without any problems. Any clues? I've read alot of posts with people having similar issues but never actually seen anyone fixing it, or posting his resolution.

Here's the setup. Same as my sig, in case you have them turned off:

P4 Prescott (s478) 3.0 @ 3.6Ghz
1024 3200 Corsair Twinx Value RAM (2x512)
ATI X850XT @ stock w/ Catalyst 5.6
P4P800E-DX Motherboard
Sound Blaster Live! 5.1

 

[Mr. Stryker]

What PSU do you have? Have you tried going to safe mode and did it work? I really have no idea how to figure out your problem... Sometimes a crazy overclocked computer can cause unstability sometimes

 

[Skrying]

What HD are you using? This sounds more like the HD having a hard time loading up on a cold boot. Also, what PSU do you have?

 

[daedal]

PSU is a 520w OCZ Modstream.
Hard-drive is an 80gig IDE Western Digital Diamond (I think it's Diamond, or something similar)

 

[Skrying]

PSU is a 520w OCZ Modstream.
Hard-drive is an 80gig IDE Western Digital Diamond (I think it's Diamond, or something similar)

If you can try the HD in another computer and see what it does. Also, unplug the HD, both power and IDE, and boot up to BIOS, then shut the computer down replug the HD in and boot up and see what it does.

 

[daedal]

If you can try the HD in another computer and see what it does. Also, unplug the HD, both power and IDE, and boot up to BIOS, then shut the computer down replug the HD in and boot up and see what it does.

Guess I could theoretically (sp?) try the Hard Drive in another PC but chances are, I'd screw up Windows more than anything; the hardware change would be pretty drastic. Here's my secondary PC's specs. I did run into the same problem with the 9800Pro in the other PC though so it's deifinitly not a Video Card issue.

Celeron D @ 2.4Ghz
ASUS P4R800-VM Motherboard
512 Crucial 3200 (2x256)
Sapphire 9800Pro
80gig Western Digital Diamond

What would unplugging and booting into BIOS achieve? Or what am I supposed to accomplish by doing that?

 

[Skrying]

Guess I could theoretically (sp?) try the Hard Drive in another PC but chances are, I'd screw up Windows more than anything; the hardware change would be pretty drastic. Here's my secondary PC's specs. I did run into the same problem with the 9800Pro in the other PC though so it's deifinitly not a Video Card issue.

Celeron D @ 2.4Ghz
ASUS P4R800-VM Motherboard
512 Crucial 3200 (2x256)
Sapphire 9800Pro
80gig Western Digital Diamond

What would unplugging and booting into BIOS achieve? Or what am I supposed to accomplish by doing that?

Ahh, then dont do the swapping

Just try the unplugging, PC problems always seemed to be solved by the weirdest fixes.

 

[daedal]

Just sending this post back up. Still having the problem.

 

[Badger_sly]

I've just recently got the same problem as the OP. When starting up, and right when XP finishes loading, my screen goes black. I can boot into XP in safe mode, and, in VGA mode, so it is driver related. Removing/purging the drivers, then reinstalling the video drivers does not fix it.

It this info helps you at all, daedal, or if you've figured out the problem, let us know.

Oh, one difference, I'm running an nVidia 5900 card.