Monitor entering power save model while starting a PC

[Stefan.K]

After two days with no success I decided to open up a thread here.

Two days ago my monitor(Dell) all of a sudden went sleep and I got the warning that it is entering power save model. I tried restarting my PC but it didn't helped. After restarting it again my PC started making noices(like beep, four, five times) and it won't start.
I tried removing RAM one by one, cleaned it but that didn't helped. I removed the battery from the Motherboard, cleaned it and put it back but that didn't helped either.
Last night the PC started after trying several times, but today I have the same problem.

I am aware my PC is old, but it did a great job for me, so I'm asking you for understanding regarding it.

Anyone had a similar problem and know how to fix it?

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

You mention that you cleaned the CMOS battery, but the symptoms you're describing seems more like the CMOS battery is dying. Try replacing it altogether.

To diagnose further you can check if other peripherals also aren't working, if time and date have been reset, if you're albe to connect to the internet and so on.

Either way, replace the CMOS battery just to make sure. It's not expensive, and could possibly be the solution.

 

[Stefan.K]

I will try that. Thanks for the tip.
The thing is I can't even open the bios ans try to reset the PC.

Edit: I just bought a new battery, replaced it and it still doesn't work.

 

[Retera]

Definitely sounds annoying. I know that on linux machines there is a system log, where you can sometimes get additional information about what went wrong with the PC while it was shutting off -- ONLY in the case of if the software code running on the machine knew about the problem while the machine was halting and shutting off. You could check Windows Event Viewer at the times when your monitor suddenly did the sleep mode to see if the event viewer had any notes -- things to look for might be information about:

• Did the system shut off instantly because it was aware of some problem, like overheating or a driver crash?
• Did the system event log end with nothing, like if the hardware itself just died off like you were thinking with Windows having no ability to respond (nor to log anything) at all?

I was having a problem with a linux computer just randomly shutting off and I looked in the linux system log and found that even after the machine shut off to my eyes, the system log recorded that this happened because the graphics display output panicked and hit an error message from the graphics drivers and so it stopped putting output to the monitor. Later I found out this was due to a loose cable between the monitor and the PC. I had kicked it or something, but it was attached in just enough to sometimes function.

If/when you further determine that the problem has no listed cause in any software and its just a hardware problem, at that point I wouldn't really know what else to suggest other than like you did trying to take out pieces and see if you could find the issue. I am more of a software guy than a hardware guy, and I do not generally have stuff set up to solder a wire to fix part of my PC or anything like that. So for me, if I can determine that part of the machine is broken, then I either would replace that part or replace the machine.

 

[Stefan.K]

Definitely sounds annoying. I know that on linux machines there is a system log, where you can sometimes get additional information about what went wrong with the PC while it was shutting off -- ONLY in the case of if the software code running on the machine knew about the problem while the machine was halting and shutting off. You could check Windows Event Viewer at the times when your monitor suddenly did the sleep mode to see if the event viewer had any notes -- things to look for might be information about:

• Did the system shut off instantly because it was aware of some problem, like overheating or a driver crash?
• Did the system event log end with nothing, like if the hardware itself just died off like you were thinking with Windows having no ability to respond (nor to log anything) at all?

I was having a problem with a linux computer just randomly shutting off and I looked in the linux system log and found that even after the machine shut off to my eyes, the system log recorded that this happened because the graphics display output panicked and hit an error message from the graphics drivers and so it stopped putting output to the monitor. Later I found out this was due to a loose cable between the monitor and the PC. I had kicked it or something, but it was attached in just enough to sometimes function.

If/when you further determine that the problem has no listed cause in any software and its just a hardware problem, at that point I wouldn't really know what else to suggest other than like you did trying to take out pieces and see if you could find the issue. I am more of a software guy than a hardware guy, and I do not generally have stuff set up to solder a wire to fix part of my PC or anything like that. So for me, if I can determine that part of the machine is broken, then I either would replace that part or replace the machine.

How do I actually open Windows Event Viewer when the monitor doesn't function at all? As soon as I start the PC first thing I see is "Monitor entering power save mode".
One time I managed to open the bios from F2+Delete on my keyboard but it passed after two seconds and I couldn't change anything...

 

[Retera]

Trying a different monitor with a different cable might be another good test to see if that would help, but that is harder if you do not have a second one.

 

[Stefan.K]

Trying a different monitor with a different cable might be another good test to see if that would help, but that is harder if you do not have a second one.

I borrowed a different one from a friend and it didn't work.

 

[Retera]

How do I actually open Windows Event Viewer when the monitor doesn't function at all?

There might be a tutorial for how to do this if you had a second computer and could mount the first computer's hard drive and then read through it, although I have not personally tried that. Maybe it's not worth it.

Have you tried looking online for the manual of your motherboard+CPU to see if the beeps that you heard have a special meaning in the original booklet that would come with the motherboard? When I was having a problem with my newer 2018 computer, I realized that the pamphlet that comes with it had a note about a set of error codes that appeared in a little light display on the board itself. It wasn't great, but it told me at the time that my computer thought it booted and was waiting for me even though I couldn't see anything on the monitor or something like that. So it was a little bit informative.

Maybe there's some info online from your manufacturer about what the error beeps in a certain order would mean?

 

[Stefan.K]

It looks like it has something to do with the graphic card. I hear 6 "beep" sounds on the startup and judging from the official HP site that sindicates a mulfunction of the graphic device.

 

[Retera]

Some PCs have a graphics output port on the motherboard itself separate from the graphics output port on the graphics card. Mine does not have that, but if yours does I would try carefully removing the graphics card and then seeing if you can boot without it.

One time when I was messing with that, I fried part of a PC motherboard by plugging/unplugging a graphics card while the PC was still plugged into the electricity in the wall socket. Rookie mistake. Be sure to totally unplug anything before removing the graphics card xD

 

[Stefan.K]

Some PCs have a graphics output port on the motherboard itself separate from the graphics output port on the graphics card.

Mine doesn't have it either.

I have nothing left but to take my PC to the people who fix them in the store.
Thanks for some of the advices, btw.

 

[Dr Super Good]

The symptoms are pretty much the standard for a failing/failed GPU. Had a Nvidia GTX 900 series GPU fail in pretty much the same way. One moment working, next moment no display output and rebooting just generates beeping.

Some PCs have a graphics output port on the motherboard itself separate from the graphics output port on the graphics card. Mine does not have that, but if yours does I would try carefully removing the graphics card and then seeing if you can boot without it.

This requires an integrated GPU be present on the motherboard (very old computers) or CPU (All non F variant intel core processors, all AMD APUs, only AMD Ryzen 7000 non APUs and later). Without a CPU with integrated graphics those outputs are non-functional.

One time when I was messing with that, I fried part of a PC motherboard by plugging/unplugging a graphics card while the PC was still plugged into the electricity in the wall socket. Rookie mistake. Be sure to totally unplug anything before removing the graphics card xD

This would point towards very bad earthing/grounding at the place you were working. I have plugged GPUs in and out of computers many times while they were still connected to the mains and never had that cause a failure. I do recommend turning the PSU off though (there is a switch at the back).

In theory you could even hot-swap GPUs, PCIe does support it, but I would not recommend doing that outside of server environments and especially not while the GPU is under high power load.