SOLVED Monitor permanently asleep

[bon.john]

Monitor was fine at first, in fact w10 seemed to have made it remember to time-out, which it hadn't been doing for some time. Now, however, there's no display at all - screen will not even show its own menu, all I get is the "going to sleep" message, then zilch. Please note that advice involving downloading anything will be futile, since with no display, I can't commu nicate.

 

[Digerati]

Now, however, there's no display at all - screen will not even show its own menu,

That then suggests the monitor is bad. You should be able to see the OSD (on-screen display), the monitor's own menu even if the monitor is not connected to a computer. Start by checking to make sure the power cable is securely connected to the monitor and the wall.

 

[bon.john]

That then suggests the monitor is bad. You should be able to see the OSD (on-screen display), the monitor's own menu even if the monitor is not connected to a computer. Start by checking to make sure the power cable is securely connected to the monitor and the wall.

 

[bon.john]

Thanks, Digerati - done that: the lights are on, but no-body's at home.

 

[Digerati]

The to verify, put another monitor on your computer and see what happens. If no spare monitor, most modern TVs support computer input.

 

[bon.john]

The to verify, put another monitor on your computer and see what happens. If no spare monitor, most modern TVs support computer input.

 

[bon.john]

Thanks again, I'll try that, but this may take some time as I need to lasso a grand-child for the attempt. Will report outcome here.

 

[bon.john]

Now tried that but get nothing on the alternative screen. Does this mean W10 has killed my computer?

 

[Digerati]

Sorry, but I am not convinced the second monitor was connected properly and I say that because you said your monitor's own internal menu system was not being displayed either.

This cannot point to W10 if it worked for awhile with W10. And the operating system really has nothing to do with what you see on the monitor until after POST (power on self test) - the initial stages of the boot process when the BIOS data is read in and the hardware "initializes". All this should be seen on your monitor. It is only after POST that the boot process then seeks the boot drive. And only then does the operating system start to come into play.

 

[Saltgrass]

Recycling the monitor power, whether connected to a source or not should have some effect. Making sure the correct source is being used might make a difference. The monitor may be set to find the source or set to a specific input.

If it is not working at all, try removing power and input and set it sit at least overnight. When you reconnect it tomorrow, make sure the display cables have a secure connection and the power plug isn't loose.

Is this an older monitor?

 

[bon.john]

Okay, I'll find someone with a monitor (not a TV) known to work, and try that. This won't be till tomorrow, so meanwhile I'll try the overnight suggestion from Saltgrass. (To answer his/her question, the monitor is the same few years old as the PC it came with).
Though no solution or explanation yet, I find the responses very supportive - thanks.

 

[bon.john]

I know just enough about electronics to be mystified: connected up and powered on this morning - and it works! However, start-up was hesitant, with several blank-screen interludes, which makes me fear that all is not 100% OK. Also, this seems to me to indicate logically that my monitor is functional and the mischief lives in the PC with W10. So I won't sign this off as "solved" till I've achieved some more start-ups over the coming week. Meanwhile, thanks for support.

 

[Digerati]

Leaving it off overnight suggests that something had got hot and being off for the extended period of time allowed it to cool down completely. That again points to hardware and not the operating system. Normally, I would suggest the graphics card or PSU, but again, you said the monitor was not able to display its own OSD menu. So that points to the monitor.

Note a TV with a computer input should still work, but for testing, it should be using the same interface/connector (D-Sub, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort) as the monitor.

 

[bon.john]

Now that monitor is again in the land of the living, it shows its menu when I press that button. I just don't think that it's statistically likely that the monitor should have chosen to overheat or otherwise malfunction, after some 4 years of satisfactory performance, just a few days after I imported W10. OK, so I'm Watson to your Holmes, but still....

 

[Digerati]

I would suspect a loose connection or failing solder joint, or something else in the monitor somewhere first. I cannot say it enough, Windows 10 (or any OS) has absolutely nothing to do with the monitor's own OSD menu.

And note too, as I said above the operating system does not come into play until WAY into the boot process after the motherboard, RAM, basic VGA graphics solution and the CPU have all passed POST. Only after the boot drive is touched does Windows even begin to load.

Also, if it was Windows 10, it makes no sense the monitor worked for a bit after you first installed Windows 10.

And for that matter, operating systems don't communicate with monitors anyway. Operating systems communicate with graphics cards and the cards then communicate with the monitor. So called monitor "drivers" are not really drivers. They simply provide the OS information about the monitor - specifically the brand, model number, resolutions it supports (so Windows can gray out the others). Even the EDID data stored in the monitor's firmware is exchanged with the card, not the OS. Typical drivers insert code in Windows kernel to enable the advanced features of the device. These monitor "drivers" files don't do that.

And while the Windows 10 graphics card drivers do come into play when communicating with the monitor, they do not explain why the monitor could not even display its own OSD menu.

So while I cannot explain what happened, I do truly believe the timing with your upgrading to Windows 10 is purely coincidental.

 

[bon.john]

Sorry, Digerati, I don't follow some of your logic. And as for "failing solder joint", that took me back to 1954, when I was an air wireless fitter, and we actually had this phenomenon, along with loose thermionic valves, as reasons why things didn't work - surely manufacturing methods have improved since then?
Anyway, all still well here, so I'm going to sign this off as "solved", if I can find the right button. With thanks again.

 

[Digerati]

surely manufacturing methods have improved since then?

Sure they have. But there are 1000s of solder joints on large circuit boards and perfect solder joints rely on perfect mechanical connections, temperatures as well as zero contamination of the joint or the solder and flux used - not to mention perfect application of the soldering technique. While modern robotics and the purist of raw materials help ensure perfect joints every time, until Man can create perfection 100% of the time, there will always be products that are less than perfect resulting in premature failures.

Not to mention the possibility of physical damage after production.

Also, not all connections are permanent/soldered. There could be several connectors that were not securely fastened during assembly and came loose during transport or rough handling.

And heat can also play a role. As matter heats and cools, it expands and contracts. If there is a microfracture in a solder joint, it may make solid contact when cool, but break continuity when heated.