Dell T5400 Video problems

[bmurphy7337]

After boot up and XP starts to load the video goes out. The computer continues to boot up completly. You are not able to see any video, while the computer is running.

 

[rclarke250]

Did you try safe mode? or another monitor? Are you asking for help or just making a statement?

 

[bmurphy7337]

I am asking for help. Yes, I have tried different monitors. I can not get it to give me the option to boot to safe mode.

 

[goombawaho]

It HAS to give you the option for safe mode if you know how to invoke it. Press the power button to start the computer. Then start pressing the F8 button about every 8/10s of a second. Do NOT hold it down continuously and do not press it super fast like you're on speed.

This should produce the option screen with safe mode as one of the options.

When you get to safe mode, I would uninstall your video drivers and then reboot. If it still doesn't start up, you've got bigger problems - possibly a virus or windows corruption.

If it boots normally, you WILL need to reinstall your video drivers. If this is getting over your head, seek professional or semi-professional help (family member, friend).

 

[bmurphy7337]

Thanks! I got to the option screen to boot in safe mode. When i attempt to boot in safe mode, it stars to load file but than stops at \windows\system32\drivers\mup.sys, than it stops?? Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[goombawaho]

Two options:

1. If you wait long enough (maybe 10 minutes) it might actually boot up because it might be doing a chkdsk in the background and you wouldn't know it by anything on the screen. You COULD check the hard disk activity light and see if it's active, but I would just give it 20 minutes to see if it comes up.

2. Something else is wrong (duh). At that point, I would use a bootable CD to test the hard drive. Most are on the Ultimate Boot CD. Next, I would get a BartPE bootable CD or something similar where you can run a CHKDSK to see if the windows files are scrambled. A bootable virus scan CD might be the last item.

If you're in over your head, time to call a professional.

 

[FredWagner]

bmurphy - From Dell's web site, I note that the T5400 supports 4 monitors as its standard configuration. Have you tried connecting more than one monitor, in case the OS display is coming up on one of the ports you're not using ?

Fred Wagner

 

[JimInKS]

you could try the F8 key again and this time select LAST KNOWN GOOD configuration.

Dell should also have and option on boot up to run diagnostics. Have you tried that? If no boot option for diagnostics there should be a cd to do that.

 

[goombawaho]

Both good ideas (never thought of that FredWagner), though I'd try FredWagner's first, followed by my #1 suggestion and then JimInKS' and then my #2 suggestion.

The logic - in order of simplicity and least technical complexity.

 

[FredWagner]

Thanks Gooom! If bmurphy inherited this machine as a hand-me-down (my guess since Dell says it's an old model), he may have been connected to the video port the BIOS uses, but the person was the primary user may have selected one of the other ports to be the primary display for the OS. I'd love to have a fancy machine like this to play with!

Fred Wagner

 

[goombawaho]

If bmurphy inherited this machine as a hand-me-down

That's a huge inference, but the technical theory was good.