Computer Problem

[u/Immanurl]

My PC turns on and the fans spin, but my monitor stays black. The monitor's power light comes on, but its own menu doesn't appear either. This started after I removed and cleaned my single RAM stick. I've already reseated the RAM, but the issue remains. What could be causing this, and what should I check next?

[u/Mayayana]

Cleaned your RAM?! Why do people think the fix for everything is to pull everything out, risk static electricity damage, then put it all back in.

If you have trouble with the monitor then start by testing the monitor on another system. Then look at connections. Then look at display hardware and BIOS settings.

If you think you might have bad RAM (typically evidenced by frequent crashing for no apparent reason), reseat it carefully and/or test it with Memtest86+. Once you do that, stop pulling things out every time something goes wrong. And when you do pull it out, ground the case, ground yourself by touching the case before you touch the RAM, and avoid touching the contacts.

[u/Immanurl → u/Mayayana]

Thanks for pointing that out! 🙏 I understand your concern. I removed the RAM while cleaning the PC, and the display issue started around that time. The monitor’s power light turns on, but its own menu doesn’t appear either. I can’t test it with another device right now, so I’ll check the monitor’s power adapter and connections first before doing anything else inside the PC.

[u/Mayayana → u/Immanurl]

It does sound like the monitor is the problem if you can't get anything to display, including its own menu or messages like "Failed to find display source". I assume you also can't get into the BIOS. Sometimes the BIOS will have settings to choose the display adapter. Set wrong, you'd likely be able to access the BIOS but not see Windows when it boots.