#Computer screen black and white drivers#
#Computer screen black and white software#

But if youвЂ™re not comfortable diagnosing system crashes or hardware problems like potential overheating, it might be time to take the computer to a local technician for a hands-on diagnosis. Some steps, like trying another monitor or cable, are pretty easy to take yourself. Usually, thereвЂ™s a message that tells you when this happens.ДЄs you can see, itвЂ™s not a simple process to diagnose. Normally a computer should only go into standby if youвЂ™re not actively using it, but if your battery is very low, it may force standby in order to avoid losing your work in progress.

If you simply push the power button and it comes back to where you were after a few seconds, thatвЂ™s probably it. If you have a laptop, itвЂ™s possible the computer has gone into standby or hibernate mode. You can adjust screen-saver behavior in the Settings app. If you wiggle the mouse or hit a key on the keyboard and your screen comes back, thatвЂ™s it. ItвЂ™s probably obvious to you already, but IвЂ™ll say it anyway: it could just be a screen saver. Unfortunately, diagnosing the video card itself can be difficult, and once again is something best left to hardware technicians. You can also try updating the video drivers.Borrow a replacement monitor to see if it resolves the problem (you would hook it up as an external monitor if this is a laptop weвЂ™re talking about).Check the connecting cable, making sure the connections at both ends are snug.If thatвЂ™s what appears to be happening, then: If the monitor goes black but the music continues to play, you know that the computer is still running, and the problem is more likely the video card, video drivers, monitor, or the cables connecting the monitor to the computer. Load up a longish mp3 playlist or streaming audio station and let it play. One simple way to determine if this is whatвЂ™s happening is to play some audio on your computer. One more common вЂњblack screenвЂќ failure mode is that the computerвЂ™s display has stopped working while the computer itself is still running properly. Perhaps not the computer, but the display Malware-related crashes are usually limited to a single program, some specific functionality that stops working, or, in the most common worst-case scenario, the вЂњ blue screen of death.вЂќД«ut it remains something to stay on top of via a complete and up-to-date anti-malware scan. The reason malware is less likely is that unlike hardware drivers, it simply doesnвЂ™t operate at the same level needed to cause an instant and total crash.

#Computer screen black and white software#

However, as you might imagine, malware doesnвЂ™t have quite the quality-assurance process that most commercial software has, so itвЂ™s possible that buggy malware could cause problems. To begin with, most malware isnвЂ™t really interested in intentionally crashing your computer. Malware remains a possibility, though not to the same degree as it has in the past.

#Computer screen black and white drivers#

The nextВ step would be to notice any correlation between the time the problem started and any software updates on your machine, particularly drivers related to the hardware. If youвЂ™ve recently updated drivers for a component, itвЂ™s possible that the new drivers brought a problem with them in the form of a bug. In addition, drivers related to the hardware can also come into play. Usually, it takes a technician looking at the machine in person to diagnose imminent hardware failure. Just about any hardware component on your computer can cause a crash if itвЂ™s starting to fail. Given that itвЂ™s consistently happening 5 to 15 minutes after booting up, after looking at possible overheating issues IвЂ™d probably suspect the power supply next. One of the early signs of impending failure is a periodic crash such as you describe.

If the latter is the case, you may need to take steps to provide extra ventilation or cool the air flowing around or through your computer. This can be due to malware, which IвЂ™ll discuss in a moment, or it can be due to running a CPU-intensive program or game continuously for a long time. Most often this is because the CPU is being used too heavily for too long.

Occasionally, a poorly designed computer can overheat even if there are no obstructions. Make certain the ventilation holes arenвЂ™t blocked by dust or other debris. Your computer needs good ventilation to avoid overheating.

Most often, a suddenly black screen accompanied by what appears to be a completely unresponsive computer is a symptom your computer has crashed.ДЄnd the most common cause of crashes is overheating. And, of course, it could be expected behavior in the form of a screen saver or standby or hibernate modes. ItвЂ™s possible that only the monitor or display portion of your computer is having a problem, so trying another (possibly external) monitor is a quick way to diagnose. Malware is a possibility as well, though not as common. Most commonly, black screens indicate that the computer has crashed, perhaps because of overheating or other hardware-related failures.