Personal Technology – Laptop Screen Blank – No Post – No BIOS – No Boot

A blank laptop screen at power-on does not always mean the computer is beyond repair. In this 2013 incident, a power reset brought our old laptop back to life. It also interrupted a rather busy day of database troubleshooting.

The reset that worked on this laptop

This laptop had a removable battery. I disconnected the power cord, removed the battery and held the power button for almost 60 seconds. I then connected the power cord and started it. After it booted normally, I shut it down, reinstalled the battery and started it again.

That sequence describes what worked on this particular machine. For your laptop, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the exact model. Battery designs and reset procedures differ. Do not open a sealed laptop or remove memory simply to follow this story.

A power reset does not repair a failed screen, motherboard or other damaged component. If the laptop still will not start, or the problem returns when the battery is fitted, arrange model-specific troubleshooting instead of assuming the battery is the only possible cause.

How the laptop became my urgent problem

My wife was looking for mathematics worksheets for our daughter when the laptop stopped working. It had been my dependable computer for more than four years before she began using it.

At the time, I was in my home office working on database corruption affecting an eCommerce website’s live orders. It was a high-priority problem. Then my wife arrived with another one.

Wife: This computer does not work.

I: Restart it.

Wife: It does not start.

I: What did you do with it?

Wife: Nothing. It just stopped working.

I: Okay, I will look at it later. I am working on an urgent issue.

The worksheets, it turned out, were the mathematics practice I had promised to help with. My wife had decided to take care of it while I was busy.

Wife: She got A+ in every other class, but only A in mathematics. She missed the extra-credit question.

I: She is only four. It is okay.

Wife: She is four and a half, not four.

I gave in and asked for the computer. Our daughter, who had been listening, had one correction.

Daughter: Dad, it is a laptop, not a computer.

I: Yes, sweetie. Bring the laptop here.

An old troubleshooting habit

The screen stayed blank. There was no visible BIOS or POST screen, and the drive light appeared briefly before going out. Disconnecting the USB devices made no difference.

That reminded me of my student days at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. My old second-hand computer, perhaps third- or fourth-hand, had given me similar trouble. I remembered a small power-reset routine and tried it on this laptop.

The laptop started after the reset described above. I was delighted that I could return to the database problem. First, though, I had a question.

I: Now that the laptop is working, can you guarantee an A+ in mathematics on this week’s quiz?

Wife: Sure, I promise.

I: Fantastic.

As I turned back to my work, my wife added one more detail.

Wife: I forgot to tell you. The A was from last week. There was another quiz today, and she already received an A+. I kept my promise.

Back to the other emergency

Before I could reply, my phone rang. The DBA from the eCommerce company wanted to know why there had been no activity from me for ten minutes.

DBA: Hey, are you still connected?

I: Oh, well, I was just saving the world. I am back now.

Two hours later, I had resolved the database corruption and things were back to normal.

My wife had outsmarted me, but I appreciated the time she spent with our daughter while I worked, wrote and shared what I learned. The laptop was fixed, the worksheet was handled, and I had a story to remember.

A family technology emergency is not always the problem on your screen, it is sometimes the laptop arriving at your desk.

Published by Pinal Dave on SQLAuthority. More of my work at pinaldave.com.