Trouble! Please help! My monitor is blank and black.

[doowopmario]

I am operating in safe mode with networking right now because my computer won't boot up normally.  I've tried 5 different system restore points but it won't actually restore.  My brother was the last one to use the computer, late at night, and I think that he downloaded some malicious software and than in turn messed up the monitor settings and now my computer won't start properly.  Can someone please offer any suggestions! 

[doowopmario]

Btw, I'm running Windows XP

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

If your monitor is blank, are you using a second one or another computer?

If you can, try using another monitor on the computer
OR
plug them monitor in another computer

If the monitor works in Safe Mode, try using System Restore IN Safe Mode.

[doowopmario]

System restore in and out of safe mode isn't working.  I'm thinking about reformatting the hard disk.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

What about my other questions 

[doowopmario]

Sorry, I only have one computer available.  And I just looked, i don't have a boot cd for my xp either.  I don't think I'm gonna be able to reformat the drive either.  Darn!

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Does this monitor work in Safe Mode but not Normal Mode?

[doowopmario]

yes, the monitor works in safe mode, but not in normal mode.  In safe mode I selected to boot with last known good configuration and the monitor settings are very low and it won't allow me to improve the quality of the monitor.  I am currently running a virus scan on my computer under safe mode to see if that corrects anything.

[Fed]

Install new video drivers.

To find out what you need...

Download, unzip, install and run Everest Home Edition
Everest

Select Computer>Summary from the left hand screen.
Right click in the right hand screen & select Copy All
Paste the details in here.

[doowopmario]

Field   Value
Computer   
Operating System   Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
OS Service Pack   Service Pack 2
DirectX   4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name   DF5FDS81
User Name   Mario Casarez
   
Motherboard   
CPU Type   Intel Pentium 4, 3200 MHz
Motherboard Name   Dell Dell DXP051
Motherboard Chipset   Intel Lakeport i945G/P
System Memory   512 MB
BIOS Type   Phoenix (09/01/05)
Communication Port   RIM Virtual Serial Port v2 (COM4)
Communication Port   RIM Virtual Serial Port v2 (COM5)
   
Display   
Video Adapter   ATI Radeon X300 (RV370)
3D Accelerator   ATI Radeon X300 (RV370)
   
Multimedia   
Audio Adapter   Intel 82801GB ICH7 - High Definition Audio Controller [A-1]
   
Storage   
IDE Controller   Intel(R) 82801G (ICH7 Family) Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 27DF
IDE Controller   Intel(R) 82801GR/GH SATA AHCI Controller
Disk Drive   ST380013AS  (80 GB, 7200 RPM, SATA)
Disk Drive   Seagate FreeAgentDesktop USB Device  (698 GB, USB)
Optical Drive   SONY CD-RW  CRX217E
Optical Drive   SONY DVD-ROM DDU1615  (16x/48x DVD-ROM)
SMART Hard Disks Status   OK
   
Partitions   
C: (NTFS)   71468 MB (43055 MB free)
F: (NTFS)   715402 MB (609656 MB free)
Total Size   768.4 GB (637.4 GB free)
   
Input   
Keyboard   HID Keyboard Device
Mouse   HID-compliant mouse
   
Network   
Network Adapter   Intel(R) PRO/1000 PL Network Connection  (192.168.1.64)
Modem   Conexant D850 56K V.9x DFVc Modem
Modem   Standard Modem
   
Peripherals   
USB1 Controller   Intel 82801GB ICH7 - USB Universal Host Controller [A-1]
USB1 Controller   Intel 82801GB ICH7 - USB Universal Host Controller [A-1]
USB1 Controller   Intel 82801GB ICH7 - USB Universal Host Controller [A-1]
USB1 Controller   Intel 82801GB ICH7 - USB Universal Host Controller [A-1]
USB2 Controller   Intel 82801GB ICH7 - Enhanced USB2 Controller [A-1]
USB Device   Canon MP160
USB Device   Generic USB Hub
USB Device   USB Composite Device
USB Device   USB Human Interface Device
USB Device   USB Human Interface Device
USB Device   USB Mass Storage Device
USB Device   USB Printing Support

[Fed]

Download and install the ATI Radeon X300 series drivers.
You can start here... http://ati.amd.com/products/RadeonX300/index.html and click on the support & drivers link at the top of the page.

[Fed]

From the AMD mothership.

If you are planning on installing newer or updated drivers, it is recommended that you uninstall the older drivers that are currently on your system before installing the new ones. To do this, please follow the directions below:

Removing Old ATI Software
Click on Start, then Control Panel, then go to Add/Remove Programs.
At the top of the list you should see several ATI entries. Select the entry entitled ATI Software Uninstall Utility, and click Change/Remove.
You will be prompted to restart your system once the uninstall is complete.
Once restarted, check the Add/Remove Programs list again for any remaining ATI software.
If any ATI software is still listed, click Change/Remove on those entries to uninstall each one individually.
Next, please scroll through the list until you find an entry called DAO (see screenshot below).
Select DAO, then Click Change/Remove to uninstall this program.
If you do not have the ATI Software Uninstall Utility listed in the add or remove programs list, you can simply uninstall each listed ATI component by clicking on it, then clicking on the Change/Remove button.

I doubt if this link will get you to the instruction page http://www.amd-firefly.com/firefly2007/fireflyclient.jsp you may have to navigate there yourself.

[doowopmario]

I did that and it says that the drivers are not found.  I guess I wasn't supposed to delete them.  What do I do now??

[doowopmario]

specifically, the prompt reads "Setup did not find a driver compatible with your current hardware or operating system.  Setup will now exit"

Is this bad?

[Fed]

I did that and it says that the drivers are not found.  I guess I wasn't supposed to delete them.  What do I do now??

You did what?
Please tell us step by step what you did.