Upgraded to windows 8, got black screen after restart.

Upgraded to windows 8 pro, got black screen after restart.

The laptop I have is an ASUS g74, I purchased the copy of windows 8 from microsoft's site, upgrading from windows 7 pro. I opted to keep all my personal files/apps because the programs it warned me as being incompatible were random games and such.

I googled this problem, and it seemed fairly common months ago when windows 8 first came out on dell/HP laptops. It worked flawlessly when I first upgraded and booted up fine but once I restarted I couldn't see anything other than the screen occasionally flickering brighter and darker.

However, if I plug my laptop up to a TV with an HDMI cable I can see everything on the TV. It's just the laptop screen that is blank. I'm not sure where to go from here, thanks in advance for any help!

Shade9623 said:

The laptop I have is an ASUS g74, I purchased the copy of windows 8 from microsoft's site, upgrading from windows 7 pro. I opted to keep all my personal files/apps because the programs it warned me as being incompatible were random games and such.

It's just the laptop screen that is blank. I'm not sure where to go from here, thanks in advance for any help!

Click to expand...

Maybe refresh rate needs changing if safe to do so

Picture--

http://i45.tinypic.com/2lnh36s.png

medab1 said:

Shade9623 said:

The laptop I have is an ASUS g74, I purchased the copy of windows 8 from microsoft's site, upgrading from windows 7 pro. I opted to keep all my personal files/apps because the programs it warned me as being incompatible were random games and such.

It's just the laptop screen that is blank. I'm not sure where to go from here, thanks in advance for any help!

Click to expand...

Maybe refresh rate needs changing if safe to do so

Picture--

http://i45.tinypic.com/2lnh36s.png

Click to expand...

I'll give that a shot but I don't understand why it would be fine after first installing, but start having this problem after I rebooted.

I left it to format the hard drive overnight, came back to the same problem. I guess I need to try to a fresh re-install at this point.

EDIT: Refresh rate didn't effect anything.

Shade9623 said:

I'll give that a shot but I don't understand why it would be fine after first installing, but start having this problem after I rebooted.

I left it to format the hard drive overnight, came back to the same problem. I guess I need to try to a fresh re-install at this point.

Click to expand...

My monitor's refresh rate can't be changed from 60Hrz. (flat screen-- Cheap one)
I should have gotten a better one.
I usually like refresh rate of 80 or 85. (on CRT monitor)
No screen flicker that way.

Laptop's screen is still black, but at least I can see the screen on my TV with the HDMI out. Running a system "refresh" while waiting for technical support to pick up.

Lol I don't think I've ever been this frustrated with a PC issue. Microsoft really let me down on this, blows my mind how an OS upgrade on a fully up to date windows 7 PC with good hardware could have such a nonsensical issue like this. I hope their technical support can work some voodoo cause if not...IDK. Re-installing windows 7 seems like a major pain.

You'll need to try to update some drivers, beginning with the graphics when you're on hdmi if that way you'll see on screen.

Note what you got: 64bit or 32bit Windows.

Get most of the updated drivers from your manufacturer's recommended website.
If applicable, I recommend the latest BIOS + intel chipset:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download G74Sx
All win7 drivers should work on Win8 but for graphics go to nVidia to get one for Win8.

Then the latest nVidia (select your gfx model... 560M) from here:
Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers
Now should be version 310.

If nothing helps: refresh pc. Your personal files will be kept but programs not:
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2293-refresh-windows-8-a.html?ltr=R

Hopachi said:

You'll need to try to update some drivers, beginning with the graphics when you're on hdmi if that way you'll see on screen.

Note what you got: 64bit or 32bit Windows.

Get most of the updated drivers from your manufacturer's recommended website.
If applicable, I recommend the latest BIOS + intel chipset:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download G74Sx
All win7 drivers should work on Win8 but for graphics go to nVidia to get one for Win8.

Then the latest nVidia (select your gfx model... 560M) from here:
Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers
Now should be version 310.

If nothing helps: refresh pc. Your personal files will be kept but programs not:
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2293-refresh-windows-8-a.html?ltr=R

Click to expand...

I upgraded the drivers previously, but not since doing a complete computer reset + a system refresh. I'll try that again and see if it does the trick lol.

No luck, even did a system reset and a system refresh.

What's odd though is that the fn key to turn my laptop's display on and off still works, as well as the brightness adjusters. Obviously I can't see anything on the screen itself but I have the choice between completely black(off) and various dark shades of gray as I adjust the brightness lol.

Shade9623 said:

No luck, even did a system reset and a system refresh.

What's odd though is that the fn key to turn my laptop's display on and off still works, as well as the brightness adjusters. Obviously I can't see anything on the screen itself but I have the choice between completely black(off) and various dark shades of gray as I adjust the brightness lol.

Click to expand...

There's a chance that hdmi external monitor mode is still enabled even when you do't use the external monitor.

Fn key still works: good at least something's normal.
HDMI monitor works: hmmm, laptops should know to switch back automatically...

Try and see if it looks normal (without external monitor) in Safe Mode:
1. connect to your monitor where you have image.
2. run msconfig.exe
3. in boot tab check the "safe boot" box left under
4. reboot

You disable Safe Mode when you uncheck the "safe boot" and reboot.

It sounds remakably like the problem I have had with my desktop system with a nVidia card. If so It's likely to be an issue with the nVidia video driver. The reason it worked ok until the restart is probably because up to that point it was using the MS supplied driver, but an update to an Asus or nVidia driver takes place at the restart. Now no matter what it is picking up that driver. I had to remove the nVidia supplied driver and revert to the out of the box Microsoft one.

If you can get a display by HDMI then goto control panel program's and uninstall anything by nVidia. Then goto device manager and for video card properties, driver, update driver, select driver from list, use the Microsoft one.

Hopachi said:

Shade9623 said:

No luck, even did a system reset and a system refresh.

What's odd though is that the fn key to turn my laptop's display on and off still works, as well as the brightness adjusters. Obviously I can't see anything on the screen itself but I have the choice between completely black(off) and various dark shades of gray as I adjust the brightness lol.

Click to expand...

There's a chance that hdmi external monitor mode is still enabled even when you do't use the external monitor.

Fn key still works: good at least something's normal.
HDMI monitor works: hmmm, laptops should know to switch back automatically...

Try and see if it looks normal (without external monitor) in Safe Mode:
1. connect to your monitor where you have image.
2. run msconfig.exe
3. in boot tab check the "safe boot" box left under
4. reboot

You disable Safe Mode when you uncheck the "safe boot" and reboot.

Click to expand...

No luck .

EDIT: Honestly, using it on my TV isn't so bad lol.

I think I'll hang onto 8 and just try to get this resolved. Perhaps I'm experiencing a bit of stockholm syndrome with Microsoft but..whatever haha .

Anything worth trying next? For now I'm going back to fully updated drivers and everything.

When you think the computer is fully loaded win8 software you do the following
Press CTRL + ALT + DELETE once
Click SWITCH USER
When you come back to the log on page
Press the windows key + P
Make sure that the screen you choose is the first one ie laptop screen only.
Logon and you should be fine from here on................

This will solve the blank screen problem

I had the same issue. I tried to reinstall several times; all goes well until the personalization part during Windows 8 install and the same problem came up every time. I searched the internet, etc, but nothing seemed to help. It took me more than one day to find out that it was the HDMI to DVI convertor plug that was not well connected.

The strange thing is that everything is visible (including BIOS messages, graphical BIOS environment and, after installation, even the first Windows 8 logo with the 'wait wheel'), until you get to the lock screen. At that moment the screen goes black and the monitor goes to sleep. It seems somehow at that moment Windows 8 switches to another mode and pins on the connector that were not well connected before are needed only then. (Yes, this sounds weird but I cannot explain it differently). The plug really needs to be inserted with quite some force but even then the slightest contact with the computer case makes the screen go black again.

For me it's just a temporary problem, as I am now using the internal graphics HDMI on the motherboard and my Sapphire card with two proper DVI connectors will arrive soon.

Guiri said:

For me it's just a temporary problem

Click to expand...

I should have been a bit more cautious and less optimistic.

After installing the card and rebooting I got the exact same problem: a black screen at the moment the lock screen should have appeared (the Windows 8 logo with the wait circles showed just fine). (And this time the display connectors were properly seated into the graphics card.) After waiting a while, the only thing I could do is holding down the power button to switch off the pc. After restarting the same problem came up so I rebooted again. Now a Repair window came up saying the pc had problems. Two buttons: repair and cancel. When you cancel(!) the pc continues doing all things on the harddisk.

Finally it said the pc could not repaired. Via option 4) safe boot I tried to install the AMD software and drivers. Catalyst could not install and ended with an error. Updating the drivers from the AMD folder went fine. But after reboot all the things from the first paragraph happened again. I was all finally solved when I disabled the on-board graphics card in Device Manager.

Now I am happy, multi-monitor support works excellent in Windows 8. The only strange thing is: after logging in the Start Metro interface comes up on the 1st monitor, then the desktop on the 2nd and then the desktop on the 1st. I no longer need to click the Desktop tile and all works almost like Windows 7! Whoohoo.

Is it supposed to behave like that? I thought you always needed to click the Desktop tile, two monitors or not.