There seems to be an unusual issue with my monitor, Windows, and BitLocker.
There seems to be an unusual issue with my monitor, Windows, and BitLocker.
This is my current PC:
SSD: 2 TB NVME, Windows 11 Pro installed;
second drive 4 TB regular SSD
Both encrypted with BitLocker, which uses TPM and PIN. CPU is i5 11400, MSI Z590-A Pro. The motherboard uses latest firmware, so are all apps and Windows.
Windows using a password, too, after I enter BitLocker's. Both SSDs encrypted. 32 GB of RAM (DDR-4).
Using: USB-C to Micro-B 3.2, external Blu-ray drive. Had to buy a 2 meter-cable.
Video card: RTX DUAL-RTX3060-O12G-V2
Monitor: 4K, Acer, XV280K-B
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Also, I discovered the following:
- The monitor had to be changed: AUTO SOURCE set to OFF, and INPUT: choose HDMI 1 (2.0). Otherwise, it would show no screen after installing this Windows. I even had to connect the PC to a TV, to configure later, before I figured out this, during a format.
- BitLocker also had to use a particular CMD/Windows 11 setting, otherwise the monitor would be turned off during a restart or I turn it ON for the 1st time, and without this change, the CPU would also power off:
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} bootshutdowndisabled 1
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EXPLANATION required before I tell what's wrong:
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The command bcdedit /set {bootmgr} bootshutdowndisabled 1 affects the behavior of the system during the shutdown process and its interaction with BitLocker pre-boot authentication in the following way:
Preventing Clean Shutdown: By setting bootshutdowndisabled to 1, the system is configured to avoid performing a clean shutdown when shutting down the computer. Instead, it forces a "dirty" shutdown, which means the system does not fully power off but instead enters a hibernation-like state.
Impact on BitLocker and Monitor: When BitLocker is enabled with pre-boot authentication (requiring a PIN or password before the operating system loads), the system typically shuts down completely after the user enters the correct PIN. However, with bootshutdowndisabled set to 1, the system skips the normal shutdown process and enters the hibernation-like state instead.
Maintaining Power for BitLocker: By avoiding a clean shutdown, the system maintains power to essential components, including the CPU and memory, during the boot process. This ensures that BitLocker's pre-boot authentication process remains active, allowing the user to enter the PIN or password to unlock the encrypted drive.
Impact on Monitor: In some configurations, when the system enters this hibernation-like state, it may result in the monitor turning off or entering a low-power state. However, the behavior can vary depending on the specific hardware, firmware settings, and power management configurations of the system.
User Interaction: When the user restarts the computer or turns it on after it enters this hibernation-like state, the monitor may remain off until the user interacts with the system (e.g., by pressing a key or entering the BitLocker PIN). Once the user provides input, the monitor typically turns on, and the BitLocker pre-boot authentication screen is displayed, prompting the user to enter the PIN.
Overall, enabling bootshutdowndisabled with BitLocker helps ensure that the system maintains power and remains in a state where pre-boot authentication can occur, allowing users to unlock encrypted drives without the need for a clean shutdown and reboot process. However, the exact behavior of the monitor during this process can vary depending on system configuration and settings.
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What is happening and I can't figure out WHY:
- I bought 100 BD-Rs from RITEK, and only the last 5 (at least) turned out to be coasters. All of them. I tried with ImgBurn, CDBurnerXP, even BurnAware, all these apps returned some sort of error, stuck with Writing LEAD IN, or Write Error after a while, or rejecting after a few minutes the media. One of them returned a Writing error after almost 90%.
It seems:
- Either these last discs are broken (perhaps some sort of surface scratch or smudge (and I did notice a very small in a few of them), even if minimal, can spoil the burning), or my drive, after more than 200 burnings, started to fail.
I still need to verify which of these scenarios happened. And in all attempts of these last that failed, I used the slowest speeds.
But here's the thing:
- Once the burning failed, ImgBurn or the app was not responding, and I either had to hit control+Alt+DEL and force their closure, or restart the machine. Because Windows was pratically stuck with this process, in terms of hanging the app opened in Explorer, so it took a while to restart (you know, when a program is taking longer to be cleared of memory/task process), or I simply stopped waiting after the "Windows is restarting" screen, and hit the power button of my PC case.
What happened AFTER (and this more than once, so it's not a coincidence, it's a certainty) was what surprised me the most:
- After Windows restarted, or I turned the entire PC off (after a failed BD-R burning), the monitor would go off completely - when it's on, we get a blue LED - when it's off, an orange.
The LED remained orange, so it said "no signal", and the PC wasn't turned off. It was ON. And how did I find it was on the BitLocker PIN screen? I typed, despite no image on this ACER LCD - my password - and voila! The monitor turned ON again, and went to the actual Windows login screen.
And to make sure the
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} bootshutdowndisabled 1
Was active, I asked IA how to verify that. And it is enabled. Which explains why the PC doesn't turn off by itself, if I don't inform BitLocker's PIN.
This is a bug that is very, very odd, indeed.
It looks like the ASUS external Blu-ray drive, when dealing with this MSI motherboard (or perhaps the RTX 3060 card), somehow causes the monitor to go off after a restart, if the burning fails.
But why? There's no reason why this would ever happen. If I didn't know better, I would have to plug a TV again in this computer, just to see any image again.
And once I am logged into Windows, everything is fine, again, for good. Even after I turn off the PC completely.
That command also turns off the time-out feature for BitLocker. It could be that the CPU isn't simply shutting down the PC. When the system reacts in its default mode—presumably zero—it suggests the TPM isn't transmitting the PIN to BitLocker. The BitLocker key screen displays only a 1-minute timer, which implies the PC might be responding during startup. The PIN is stored in the TPM, which is located on the CPU but can be managed through the BIOS. Have you checked the BIOS settings to confirm the TPM is active? It's possible the setting was changed recently and was disabled. You mentioned this installation—was Windows already present before this one? The monitor seems oddly sensitive; it shouldn't react to shutdown signals. Pressing Enter might have triggered a similar response as entering a password. If the PC was in a semi-hibernate state, any key input could have woken it up. It appears you need to manually enter the PIN because the TPM doesn't communicate with BIOS to power down automatically. Only by doing so will it inform the BIOS to shut off. I don’t use BitLocker myself, so I’m not familiar with it well. You might want to test it on another PC using a Blu-ray drive and see if the issue persists. If it works there, it could point to a hardware problem. It’s worth checking whether your monitor responds normally when Windows shuts down—this behavior seems unusual. Also, consider trying a different HDMI or DP cable.
I was active on the Acer forums. My Windows 11 setup is quite recent. I completely reformatted the system (all data was wiped, resulting in a fresh installation), and my setup includes two NVMe SSDs – one with 2 TB (WD) and another with a 4 TB regular SSD. There are also 32 GB of RAM, split into two 16 GB DDR-4 modules (previously I had two 8 GB). Additionally, I replaced the old PC case with a new one.
The MSI Z590-A Pro is confirmed to run the latest firmware, as shown here:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/Z590-A-PRO/support
Updated in 2023 – I refreshed myself multiple times.
Here’s what happened after performing a clean Windows 11 installation:
- The LCD XV280K-B displayed no image (a complete surprise). After the install, I had no idea how to fix it. I unplugged everything and connected it to a TV to see if it would work. Eventually, the image appeared. Back then, I suspected an NVidia or Windows issue, not even considering BitLocker yet.
- I also thought about a failing PSU or a conflict between the motherboard’s iGPU and the regular RTX 3060. But the problem persisted even without those components.
- The Acer 4K monitor is connected to HDMI #1. The issue is clear: when "Autosource" is enabled, the monitor can’t detect any image. You must disable this setting and specify "HDMI #1" in your BIOS.
- Fixing it required entering the BitLocker PIN, which allowed Windows to reappear and the display to turn on after typing the password (no image shown).
- During a recent install, I enabled BitLocker for full encryption of both SSDs. I chose PIN pre-boot and a Windows 11 password. This caused another problem: the monitor still showed no image and shut down after a short time.
- The only solution was to enter the BitLocker PIN, which triggered Windows to reappear and the screen to turn on automatically after blindly typing the password (no image visible).
- I tried using an external Blu-ray drive (SBW-06D5H-U) with a USB-C to Micro-B cable. When burning discs failed repeatedly, the last disc burned successfully, confirming the issue wasn’t with the drive itself.
- Some failures occurred after a failed disc burn, possibly due to power surges or Windows 11 instability.
This situation continued in rare cases, sometimes mimicking the previous image loss problem (like a monitor turning blue instead of off). As discussed on the forum:
https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=185422
When the external Blu-ray drive stopped working and the app didn’t respond, I had to type the BitLocker PIN without seeing the prompt after restarting Windows – a clear sign of the issue.
Other observations:
- Out of 100 Ritek BD-R drives, 93 worked, but 7 failed (likely due to scratches or data corruption during use). I used most of the available space, leaving only 200 MB free.
- I bought two batches of 50 discs each; the last batch’s discs kept failing. This made me suspect the media quality was low rather than the drive itself failing.
- The problem seemed tied to disc integrity, not hardware failure – after more burnings, the last disc worked perfectly.
Regarding Windows 11 performance, I found it to be quite unstable (see: https://www.techspot.com/news/10260...pe...y-bad.html). It’s also worth noting that this PC is clean of malware, and I received help from the MBAM forums, though most discussions have faded.
BIOS details:
- TPM is enabled.
- CPU: i5 11400.
- Firmware info: available via CMD, with key protectors including TPM and PIN, plus a numerical password.
Have you explored alternative brand burnable disks as recommended in that article? It might help clarify why they failed. I'm curious about whether TPM is displaying as running in Windows. Info - To check if TPM is active, you can look in Windows if it's activated. Apart from opening tpm.msc in Run..., you can also find it under CPU in Device Manager or in the Windows Security Center under Device Security. Forums.
Not only TPM is demonstrated here (link available)
I verified that this W11 installation avoided any methods to bypass TPM. The processor supports TPM.
PROOF provided
These particular moments when the monitor stops seem linked to Windows not functioning properly (expected given the OS's issues) or some mismatch with the monitor's signal. I’m hoping this won’t recur in the future.
In the future, I’ll attempt burning more discs, possibly from a different brand. I trust these recent tries weren’t successful, which is likely due to the brand’s reputation, and it doesn’t imply the drive is malfunctioning or failing.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find quality discs. The ones I first bought were BD-RE. Now they’re scarce here in Brazil, and in the U.S., they’re even rarer. They might also be more costly and prone to failure over time compared to BD-Rs.
Here you are, it occurred once more. The monitor shuts down even though I left the desk less than 30 minutes ago. It should have displayed the screensaver and then stopped. It looks like Windows 11 has a glitch that does this unexpectedly. I set it to wait several hours (at least 2-3) before powering off anything. When the screensaver is interrupted, Windows prompts for the login password (picture #2).
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...ve...2be71cfac1
I’ll check that link to see if it matches.