Computer Static Build-Up?

[Wingman]

Last night, my Windows 7 computer (two weeks old) would turn on, but the monitor would not receive the signal from the computer. I plugged the monitor into my laptop and the monitor worked fine. I contacted HP, and the tech told me to:

1. Unplug everything from the tower including the power cord

2. Hold down the power button for 20 seconds

3. Plug everything back into the computer and turn it on.

The monitor then worked fine. The tech said is was due to static electricity build-up in the computer. He recommended that I not let the computer "sleep" for long periods of time. He told me to turn it off when not in use. I can do that, but here is my question:

Is there anyway to prevent this static build-up other than always turning the computer off when not in use? Thanks!

 

[The_Jeff]

IMO it was static/RF interference external to the computer, or some other hiccup. I bet if you could have figured out the keystrokes for a "warm reboot" it would have re-negotiated the computer-monitor handshaking and worked.

This sort of stuff *is* real, though not entirely appropriate for his explanation. If you look at an AC/DC adapter there will be a little bulge near the DC side plug. That's an iron choke that soaks that sort of thing up.

 

[daman]

I've never had that problem when my laptop wakes.

 

[dparm]

Huh? Static build-up? Please, computers operate in a huge range of conditions and a bit of static is not going to do anything (short of you touching the bare motherboard after dragging your feet on the carpet for a few minutes). Just look at the acceptable operating conditions for your average laptop -- they can run in very cold, very hot, and pretty much any humidity level that's under 100%.

Static can build up in the winter time if your house gets very dry. A humidifier will solve this.

 

[EdwardC]

Agreed, if it is build right, the entire case should be grounded through the power supply and static shouldn't be an issue.

You might want to verify that your outlet is properly grounded, and that extends to the case of the PC.

 

[Nick R]

More than likely just a hardware glitch, and hard power cycling (unplugging it) will often fix those. If it was asleep and you were trying to resume, that is a common windows 7 bug where it will not resume from sleep mode properly. The static electricity thing is a load of bull

 

[SrDriver]

When it will not be in use for more than a few hours shut it down rather than using the sleep or hibernate modes.

That will take care of the problem.

 

[Rolla07]

Therehasalways been issues with sleep mode.My question is why leave it on for hours if you arent using it? Waste of energy, however it shouldnt happen. See if the issue happens all the time and demand a fix. It makes no sense to me that it will lose connection with the monitor.

 

[spackard]

Next time, try turning the monitor off and on again.
Within the last two years I've noticed a run of monitors have been produced that won't display/sync up with a computer's graphics card after the computer's been shut off. I turn the monitor off and back on again (a la "The IT Crowd") and the monitor syncs up and displays fine.

That said, two days ago I had to reboot my desktop twice to get the monitor to display (in addition to trying demating and remating the DisplayPort cable a few times).

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Is your monitor wired for VGA or HDMI? Are you wireless or wired? Make sure your hardware settings are correct.

Carpeting creates static electricity and a humidifier should be used for that room. Also, plug-in to a home current fuse that's least busy, where possible.

 

[lugNutz]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
More than likely just a hardware glitch, and hard power cycling (unplugging it) will often fix those. If it was asleep and you were trying to resume, that is a common windows 7 bug where it will not resume from sleep mode properly. The static electricity thing is a load of bull

^This! HP just basically had you do a hard reset. Think of it as when a device (ie. an iPad) freezes and you hold down both the home and power buttons until it resets. Voila! HP support is about as knowledgeable regarding their products as Jiffy Lube "techs" are about cars.

 

[Wingman]

Thanks for all the inputs. I had tried turning the monitor on and off several times but it did not solve the problem.

I have a question for lugNutz: Is a hard reset just turning off the computer with the power switch and the turning it back on? Thanks!

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Therehasalways been issues with sleep mode.My question is why leave it on for hours if you arent using it? Waste of energy, however it shouldnt happen. See if the issue happens all the time and demand a fix. It makes no sense to me that it will lose connection with the monitor.



Somewhat true, yeah. Sometimes there is poor support for the different sleep states in the motherboard, meaning that the OS goes into a certain sleep mode but the hardware does not. This disagreement means it won't wake up properly.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: Wingman
Thanks for all the inputs. I had tried turning the monitor on and off several times but it did not solve the problem.

I have a question for lugNutz: Is a hard reset just turning off the computer with the power switch and the turning it back on? Thanks!


Well, you need all power to the computer to be completely off. Meaning either power supply switch, or unplug/turn off the power strip.

 

[Subdued]

it's a firmware glitch that has nothing to do with static anything.

You have to remember a lot of these tech support people were working at subway a week prior, and have no actual computer experience. they just read off a script.

If it were a level 2 or 3 analyst that told you this, I'd never go with HP again.

 

[ClutchDisc]

Not much can be worse than gateways "tech" support! It's a real joke.

 

[Rand]

Some motherboards have had issues with sleep mode.

Infact 4-5 Laptops I've had before I switched to lenovo.. only one would resume from sleep completely troublefree.

many desktops had issues too.

With my latest sandybridge desktop and lenovo t520 laptop the sleep works fine.. even for days.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I shut-down my computer every night.
Things like toolbars, open windows and active screensavers prevent computers from entering sleep mode.

I haven't used the screensaver setting in 3-4 years now. When I leave my computer, my wallpaper desktop will enter sleep mode in 20 minutes. When I go to bed around midnight, I shut the computer down.

 

[Wingman]

I want to update this thread. I finally got to speak with an HP representative who told me that this problem cannot be caused by static build-up in my computer. He apologized that I had been told that on the phone call to HP Support. After doing a lot of reading, it seems that this is an ongoing problem with the Windows 7 software, and nobody really has an answer. The HP representative gave me a list of things I could try, but I had already tried most of them. The latest thing I have tried is not to allow hybrid or hibernate sleep. This is working so far. I have also found that by changing the function of the power switch, I can accomplish a normal shutdown of the computer, instead of forcing a "hard" shutdown. That way if the monitor does not come on, I can just make a normal shutdown and then restart. I hope this information is of value. Thanks for your help.