"Monitor is in power save mode. Activate using PC"

[OgieOgalthorpe]

I need some help..

On one of my computers, got this message about 10 seconds after I turned on the monitor, it was inside a black box in the center on the screen, with nothing else around the box except for black:
"Monitor is in power save mode. Activate using PC"

The power went out last night and the computer wasn't on a surge protector(it was turned on when the power went out and came back on.) I have other things plugged into the power strip and outlets that the computer is on and nothing seems to be damaged or anything.

The computer seems to be turning on normally just the monitor gives this message right away, I have two video cards and tried the monitor on both cards and get the same message, I even took out the cards and refit them to make sure they were in right. No luck.

I've turned off the computer, pressed and held down keyboard/mouse buttons for hours, unplugged everything, refit the video cards, triple checked all the wires , etc.

Has anyone ever seen this message before or have any ideas on things I could try. It seems like everything is getting sufficient power, the monitor turns on it just seems to be stuck in this mode (most likely because the power went out and it was shut off incorrectly.)

Let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts about this!!

Thanks

 

[Domagon]

When you were checking wiring, etc (you checked the video connector on *both* ends ... right?) ... anyways, did you try unplugging the power cord from the monitor for a few minutes - perhaps the monitor's internal memory is corrupt - cycling the power should clear that.

Also, when turning things back on, have you tried turning on the monitor first before computer, and also vice-versa ...?

If after trying all those things, no good ... then try starting the computer in safe mode - difficult to do "blind" (see google for info on how), but that might work if Windows somehow lost your video settings; sending an incorrect signal. Alternatively, an easier way to check if it's the monitor or computer (ie. Windows being confused) would be to try the monitor on a different computer.

Ron

 

[OgieOgalthorpe]

Ok, Well the first thing I tried was plugging the monitor into my laptop and seeing if it would work. It does work, so that means it's not the monitor and it is the computer..

When I turn the computer on "blind" the keyboard lights don't turn on like normal, just the big green light on the case showing that the power is on. I'll try going in blind and see if that is it.

If the computer is just flat out not turning on, any ideas on things on the computer that may need to be reset or something?

Thanks!

When you were checking wiring, etc (you checked the video connector on *both* ends ... right?) ... anyways, did you try unplugging the power cord from the monitor for a few minutes - perhaps the monitor's internal memory is corrupt - cycling the power should clear that.

Also, when turning things back on, have you tried turning on the monitor first before computer, and also vice-versa ...?

If after trying all those things, no good ... then try starting the computer in safe mode - difficult to do "blind" (see google for info on how), but that might work if Windows somehow lost your video settings; sending an incorrect signal. Alternatively, an easier way to check if it's the monitor or computer (ie. Windows being confused) would be to try the monitor on a different computer.

Ron

 

[ToastyX]

If you can hear the computer turning on, then the power supply is working, but if you don't hear the usual beep when it boots and your keyboard lights don't work, then your computer is not booting. If that's the case, the CMOS could have gotten corrupted if the power fluctuated as it was going out. Try resetting the CMOS. You may have to try this several times before it works. If that doesn't work, the power outage may have caused a power surge that damaged something.

 

[OgieOgalthorpe]

Yah, I tried just about everything. I checked the error code "c1" , on my epox motherboard.. I came to the conclusion after trying various motherboard tests that it killed my motherboard and who knows what else.

 

[Domagon]

Could be bad caps (capacitors) on the motherboard. Look at them ... if you see bulging/oozing, then that's definitely the problem.

Either way, you should contact Epox anyways to see if your motherboard is one of those containing "bad caps" and ask for replacement - from my understanding they will replace boards affected by the problem, even those out of warranty, free of charge.

Other things to try/check ... 1. ensure all connectors to the CPU fan are secure and it's actually running ... 2. take out all the RAM and reseat it. That has solved the C1 error problem, at least for awhile, for some folks according to some searches I did.

Ron

 

[OgieOgalthorpe]

Thanks Ron and everyone else,

I did the reseating (actually switched it with some other higher end ram we had laying around) , we checked the fan connections(even replaced the wires), the fan itself is running fine, I think I'll look into getting a new motherboard or trying to get it replaced like you said.