I have reformatted my Acer TravelMate 4020. At first, it was normal, but when I restarted again, it opened but nothing appeared on the screen. I heard the start up sound but the screen was blank. Does it have something to do with BIOS because that was the last one I installed?
Reformat Blank Screen Error
This error could be as simple as removing the Windows recovery disc from the disc drive or a bit more complicated. Let’s start with potential cause number one before exploring the other options.
Recovery Disc Blank Screen Error
When reformatting the Acer, did you use a recovery or Windows installation disc? If so, when you rebooted, the computer may be confused because it has found a bootable disc in the drive. Make sure that all disc drives do not have discs inserted and then reboot your computer.
No such luck? Let’s see if you can start your computer in Safe Mode.
Starting the Computer in Safe Mode
Try pressing the F8 key as you reboot the computer. Does Windows load in Safe Mode? If so, you may be able to access some advanced troubleshooting and diagnostics tools such as Disk Management.
However, since you just reformatted the computer, if the problem is not related to a disc being present in one of the drives, it’s probably easier to reinstall Windows rather than try to troubleshoot the first reinstallation. Reboot your computer with your recovery discs or Windows installation discs in the drive. These are bootable discs, so you should see a screen with instructions for restoring the computer to its factory condition.
Advanced Microsoft Help
The Acer TravelMate 4020 comes in both Windows XP and Windows Vista versions. If you have Windows XP, the following Microsoft Support article may be useful:
Computer Stops Responding with a Blank Screen when Starting Windows XP
If you have Windows Vista, the installation CD has a “startup repair” tool that you can try which Microsoft describes here:
Windows Vista Startup Repair Tool
Hopefully your computer is simply refusing to load because it’s confused by the disc in its drive and will come to life once you remove the disc and reboot. If not, a reinstall may be in order.
Celeste Stewart | October 31st, 2009
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Will I be seeing something on the screen when i press F8 or when I do reinstallation? Because from the instant I press the power button, there is really nothing on the screen. Thank you for your help.
Hopefully you’ll see something. Do you have the Windows installation disc? It should be detected if you start the computer with it in the drive as the disc is bootable.
If not, you may need to take the computer into a shop for further diagnostics.