Some newer computers will not allow you to use the VGA card if a DVI card is also detected, so you may need to remove or disable the DVI card to use a monitor with a standard VGA cable. On a desktop computer, check to see if you have two video cards, and make sure that the one you are using is the only one enabled in the BIOS. If this fixes the problem, but only for a short time, you probably have a hardware problem and need to contact a repair technician. If you’re using a laptop, use the key combo that switches to an external monitor (normally FN+F7 or FN+F8).
The blank screen with a blinking cursor generally means that the computer can’t find Windows, and the boot.ini file tells the computer where Windows is located. If it already says partition(1), change it to partition(2). To resolve a blank screen on startup with a flashing cursor, try changing partition(2) to partition(1) in both places.
You may need to remove a read-only and/or hidden attribute from boot.ini before you can edit it. Multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)WINDOWS=”Microsoft Windows XP Professional” /noexecute=optin /fastdetect You can use a rescue disk such as BartPE or a Windows XP installation CD to get to a command prompt and edit boot.ini, which looks something like the following:ĭefault=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)WINDOWS
If you’ve just rebuilt or re-imaged a Windows XP computer and see a blank screen on startup with a blinking cursor, look at the boot.ini file.