There is no signal detected. Could you clarify what the problem is?
There is no signal detected. Could you clarify what the problem is?
It all began when my CPU started overheating, the cooler was functioning properly, and I recently cleaned out the dust. I considered reapplying thermal paste, but it didn’t fix the issue. Instead, I encountered various BSODs, such as:
"driver irql less or not equal"
"SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED"
"Critical Process Died"
"SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION"
"KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED"
"attempted execute of noexecute memory"
Many generic messages like "PC ran into a problem and needs to restart" appeared. Initially, the system worked after a few BSODs, but eventually it fell into a BSOD loop. Now I’m stuck with no signal on my monitors despite all lights and fans being active.
I was convinced the CPU was defective, so I tried a replacement one—only to be surprised it didn’t solve the problem. I also observed that external hard drives appear in Disk Management but not in File Explorer.
What’s going on here?
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.
"driver irql less or not equal"
"SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED"
"Critical Process Died"
"SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION"
"KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED"
"attempted execute of noexecute memory"
And lots of the generic "pc ran into a problem and needs to restart"
We would also need to see the .dmp files for us to see what might be triggering the issue.
Throughout this process have you installed the same version of Windows? The overheating or BSOD might have damaged Windows files, and ignoring the BSOD could delay fixing your system as it stands now. My usual approach is to swap in a spare SSD into the PC, remove all existing drives, and install a fresh one with Windows. If the new PC starts working properly, it means the old SSD and its previous version of Windows are the issue. If it still behaves poorly, we should move to hardware troubleshooting. It seems like a corrupted Windows installation is likely the cause.
Yes, it's the same windows. That was one of my assumptions while attempting to resolve the issue but I couldn't access advanced startup settings or perform a system restore due to numerous BSODs. I didn't realize that could lead to overheating problems and I was certain it wasn't the case, so I stopped there... I'm sure you'll try your advice.
Just to be sure, the BSOD isn't leading to overheating. Overheating would cause errors in the system's operating environment, resulting in corruption of files. Therefore, the BSOD is the issue here.
I'm curious about whether I should focus on checking the software or if hardware problems are more likely.
If the suggested system test still shows strange behavior, I'd agree to begin by examining the memory.
Launch the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Enter "sfc /scannow" and hit Enter.
The utility will check your system files and fix any damaged ones.