New PC, windows 7 won't start - black screen

A

alljam

Active member
Having connected up my new PC (base unit only), the bios screen appeared ok then a 'starting windows' message with the 4 colour logo, then nothing. I could move the cursor around the screen but it stayed black. I checked the monitor connections on the graphics card port (ok) and all other connections (ok). There's no HDMI port on the monitor, just DVI and VGA. my old PC has been gubbed for a while so i am gutted about this. Will phone technical support tomorrow but wondered if anyone had an idea of what could be wrong in the meantime. Also, tried safe mode but it came back with the message that windows 7 could not be installed, start PC normally. I'd thought that the OS had been pre-installed.
 
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PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Try turning your computer back on and giving it time to load on the black screen, as sometimes on first use it has to load the "out of box experience". Let us know how you get on.
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Black screen with just a cursor? What resolution is your monitor set at?
 
A

alljam

Active member
I hadn't checked the monitor resolution today; it had been set to something like 1280x1024 when I used the previous PC.
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Check it's not set too low, or that it can support at least 1024 x 768. I don't think this is the problem anyway, because you wouldn't be able to see the mouse cursor if this was the case.

I can't see your order on our system because you've registered on the forums using a different email address, but please try to ensure you've not got two monitors connected, and have connected the monitor cable to the dedicated graphics card and not the onboard port. Also try connecting to an alternative port on the graphics card, as you usually have at least two ports.
 
A

alljam

Active member
My order number is 362192 (had used my office email when buying). There's only one monitor which is connected to the DVI & VGA ports of the graphics card; I've checked the diagrams in the manuals. The monitor worked fine with the old machine; it's a viewsonic 19" VX912.
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Which port is it connected to? The DVI or the VGA? Or have you tried both with the same result?
 
A

alljam

Active member
The monitor has cables for DVI and VGA so I've connected to both on the graphics card (same as for the old PC). It's an almost 6 years old monitor; should I only be using the DVI cable for a newer machine?
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Hmm - disconnect the VGA connection (while the PC is turned off) and try with only the DVI connection. This could be the problem. Let us know how you get on.
 
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