Computer Black-outs

[Rob Lancaster]

Hi all, seems my new, (about a year old) computer is suffering blackouts. I've had 3 so far.
It's a MinisForum mini desktop.
It's been fine but once in awhile the monitor freezes and then goes black. The only way to get it going is to force a shutdown. Oh no, I hope my li'll square thing doesn't die to soon...
Anyone know what I should check or whatever?
Thanks again folks.

 

[RandyDSok]

Like everything... this could be several things but I'll start with the most likely.

Go into the Power settings found in the Control Panel. Select the High Performance option.... If it isn't listed, Create one and have it set to Never Turn off the Display ( recommended but optional ) and Never put the Computer to sleep. If you have one named AMD High Performance, use that vs the generically labeled one.

This is a common issue with most computers. Windows based computers tend to be more susceptible because of the number of different devices along with their settings and how they act/react to low power and sleep modes. If just one device doesn't wake back up properly, the whole computer stays asleep. This has been an issue since the power saving feature was added to computers and has never been completely addressed.

Other things and possible causes ... Check the drive for errors. Make sure the computer is in a cool room and has good circulation.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

HI Randy, sorry for the delay.
Ok, Where do I start. And right when it comes to "it could be several things". Yeah we're going to replace a certain video monitor cable as well do some adjustments in the area you mentioned. Tom also mentioned something about a registry setting or something. Computer stuff is kind of, well I don't like cyber sh,,, I mean stuff. It just over wellms my old brain. I need to get dirty and see my work in 3-D HA, lol............
Stay tuned......

 

[RandyDSok]

Checking to see if it's a cable issue is certainly a good idea. In fact, you may have one to test with already, the included short HDMI cable that comes in the package. Short cables are sort of harder to find, which is why they included one to begin with. Cheap and even fake brand cables are very common and are known causes of a lot of video related problems.

I doubt it's registry related, I've got several clients with the same MiniPC and none are experiencing a similar issue. If it were a registry issue, my other clients would also be seeing it. Other software that has been installed after you got the computer would be suspects to some extent. I don't have knowledge of anything specific in this area that I'd point at.

 

[Heliman450]

Hi Randy/Rob,

Seems to be two issues here both of which interest me. I also have experienced similar 'Blackouts' and will look into your suggestions.

The video/HDMI cable item also seems like something I should look into but the item doesn't seem to be complete. Did I miss something on this issue?

 

[RandyDSok]

I should look into but the item doesn't seem to be complete.

What isn't complete? ...

Making an assumption you are talking about the HDMI cable I mentioned... In Rob's situation, the brand of MiniPC he got came with a HDMI cable but I assume not all brands include one which is a shorter version than typical but works good for those situations that don't need a longer cable. If yours didn't have one, then you'll need to purchase one. Much like a lot of other products ( I'm thinking batteries as an example ) there are fake branded ones as well as just junk cables, so be careful where you buy them from.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

Well so far, we have not had any more blackouts. So jiggling all the cables and whatever it was Tom did, seems to have worked. At least for now. Thanks Randy....

 

[Rob Lancaster]

Ok, up-date time.
We had another blackout today.
Same exact symptoms. Tom wanted to switch to the other HDMI output and run it there for now to see, bla, bla bla,,, I told him,, let's change the ^$%* cable already. Nope, got to check this first. You mean again? What a burnt bearing................

 

[RandyDSok]

When diagnosing a problem... you only make one change at a time so when the problem goes away, you are more certain it is the last change you did. The order of the tests doesn't matter as much as long as you are doing them one at a time so you have a suspect to point at.

If your posting here is any indication of how intermittent the problem shows up... that makes it much harder to diagnose. It also adds in the possibility of other external factors such as power ( just one example out of many ) glitches as possible culprits. It also doesn't exclude possible software that is also intermittent in it's own triggering of the problem. Intermittent causes are the worst to have to diagnose because it means you have to include weird possible causes for them also. By weird, I mean things that don't happen normally or rarely happen.