A problem has been vexing me for four months. I have a 2001 Dell computer with an Nvidia video card. When I try to log back on to my computer (I never switch it off), nothing comes back to the screen. It is totally black. I tried disconnecting the monitor and then reconnecting it, but no success. I have tried connecting a different monitor, and nothing. The only thing I can do is a hard reboot (power down and back up). I checked the power setting, and it is set to power down the monitor and not go into hibernate mode.
A. Count yourself among the ever-
diminishing masses of folks whose computers get poleaxed by problems with the so-called keyboard interrupt. The problem surfaces for some folks when using the Environmental Protection Agency’s well-meaning Energy Star conservation procedures. The problems you experience have been reduced a lot since that older machine was made.
As I’ve had it explained to me, the situation arises because computers are set so that input devices such as mice and keyboards are supposed to contact the main processor every few split seconds to see if any keys have been pushed or mice moved.
Likewise, power savers are supposed to contact (or poll) the main processor to see if any keys or mice have been moved to order the monitor to resume. So the power saver is polling the main chip at the same time the power saver is polling the input devices.
In too many cases these two polling moves get crosswired, leaving you with the only recourse of pushing down the shut-off button, holding it for a few seconds and then rebooting.
The best fix, I’m sorry to say, is to just disable the Energy Star module and leave the monitor on all the time just as you leave the computer on around the clock. You can always shut off the monitor using its power button at the end of the workday.
To do this, you’ve got to change the settings by right-clicking with the mouse cursor on the desktop and selecting Properties. In the next display open the Screen Saver tab. In that tab select the Energy Star Power button and set all of those shutdown settings to Never.
If you are using a screen saver, you may need to shut it off as well, although screen savers mostly are immune to the interrupt issues that can affect the power shutdown tools. Just click in the box for Screen Savers in the same menu and scroll down to the None setting if needed.
