Computer won't shut down & weird display

[Guest]

My uncles computer is not shutting down. They have to unplug it to turn it
off, and the monitor only displays the screen adjustment controls and nothing
else- ever! Is it completely fried or salvagable? Thanks in advance for any
help!
Linda

 

[Guest]

The obvious question is have you properly exited from the monitor adjustment
screen. (Sorry, I had to ask.) It may be the monitor. Can you borrow one
and swap monitors to see if the problem goes away?

Check these sites:
http://www.theeldergeek.com/shutdown_issues_in_xp.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308029&sd=RMVP

You might try a repair installation:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

Paul Shafer, MCDST

 

[Guest]

I wish we could exit from that screen- but it's completely unresponsive. If
it's the monitor would it really make it so we can't shut down the computer?
Anyway, I'll go get it all tomorrow and bring it here to check it with our
monitors and such. Thanks- I'll be back with more after a day or so probably!

 

[Guest]

Monitors typically have buttons on them that will bring a menu to adjust
screen characteristics. Within this process, there is a way to exit the
menu. It is not on the keyboard . It sounds like this menu is on the
monitor screen. Nothing on the keyboard will close the menu.

If this is not the case, malfunctioning hardware can cause the computer to
hang during shutdown. That's why I'm hoping you can swap monitors to isolate
the problem.

Paul Shafer, MCDST

 

[Guest]

Thank you Paul. Yes, I tried the buttons on the monitor and it was
unresponsive. I will get the whole system here this weekend so I should know
a lot more. Thanks again! Linda

 

[Guest]

Hi - I have the system here, well the monitor and computer at least. I hooked
the monitor up to my computer and it worked just fine so we can rule out the
monitor being the problem. Before I even plugged my uncle's computer in to a
power source, I hooked the monitor up to it and it showed the same weird
display. Well not weird- it's the display that you call up to adjust the
monitor settings- but it was still unresponsive. I Plugged the computer in
and it started right up- I could hear the fan running anyway- but that's all.
I can't use the key board or mouse- it just shows that settings display all
the time. I can open the cd tray so I tried putting the system restore cd in,
but it wouldn't load. Any ideas?

 

[Guest]

Hi - I have the system here, well the monitor and computer at least. I hooked
the monitor up to my computer and it worked just fine so we can rule out the
monitor being the problem. Before I even plugged my uncle's computer in to a
power source, I hooked the monitor up to it and it showed the same weird
display. Well not weird- it's the display that you call up to adjust the
monitor settings- but it was still unresponsive. I Plugged the computer in
and it started right up- I could hear the fan running anyway- but that's all.
I can't use the key board or mouse- it just shows that settings display all
the time. I can open the cd tray so I tried putting the system restore cd in,
but it wouldn't load. Any ideas?

 

[Guest]

Hi - I have the system here, well the monitor and computer at least. I hooked
the monitor up to my computer and it worked just fine so we can rule out the
monitor being the problem. Before I even plugged my uncle's computer in to a
power source, I hooked the monitor up to it and it showed the same weird
display. Well not weird- it's the display that you call up to adjust the
monitor settings- but it was still unresponsive. I Plugged the computer in
and it started right up- I could hear the fan running anyway- but that's all.
I can't use the key board or mouse- it just shows that settings display all
the time. I can open the cd tray so I tried putting the system restore cd in,
but it wouldn't load. Any ideas?

 

[Joe Wright]

Hi - I have the system here, well the monitor and computer at least. I hooked
the monitor up to my computer and it worked just fine so we can rule out the
monitor being the problem. Before I even plugged my uncle's computer in to a
power source, I hooked the monitor up to it and it showed the same weird
display. Well not weird- it's the display that you call up to adjust the
monitor settings- but it was still unresponsive. I Plugged the computer in
and it started right up- I could hear the fan running anyway- but that's all.
I can't use the key board or mouse- it just shows that settings display all
the time. I can open the cd tray so I tried putting the system restore cd in,
but it wouldn't load. Any ideas?

Well, it appears that there's no signal from the graphics card. But
open the tower, remove the card, then reinstall it, and try again. If
still no signal to the monitor, try a different graphics card, IF the
system is worth the money.

You can also look at the plug from the monitor to see if any of the pins
are bent over.

 

[Guest]

Uncle's monitor & Linda's PC work OK. Before you try anything else, swap
cables as Joe suggested. Then pull the video card out and use a pencil
eraser to clean the contacts. Replace the card and try again. It's most
likely the card. At this point, you can try swapping cards between the 2
pc's to be sure, or just installing a new video card.

Paul