My HP Touchsmart 610 screen is blank when I switch it on. only less that a second screen flash.

Question

when I turn on my computer hp touchsmart 610 desktop the screen has only less than a second flash and then it's blank and I can't see anything. I used some instructions like pushing f10 key for 5 seconds and reseting the bios and blo blo but it won't work. I also removed cd or usb but it still not working. plesae somebody help.

Answer 1

Hi Fanoos,
Although this post is a couple years old, I figured I would give it a reply anyway just so other people with similar issues have a little more up to date info.
AugyTek is actually the name of my repair shop, and this is a "fun" problem that I see all the time.
Regarding specifically the Touchsmart 610 system, when you see the flash like that, there is an easy way to tell exactly where the problem is originating from.
First, check your power supply "brick".  It should be warm to the touch with it plugged in and machine running.  If it feels like it is going to burn your hand, your PS is probably the culprit.  I recommend taking it to your local technical shop, or using a voltmeter if you have one to see exactly what it is putting out.  It should be 19v give or take a couple tenths of a volt.  Anything more than a couple of tenths off and your power supply is probably the culprit, and may have done some additional damage to the PC itself.
If everything is good there, now it's time to assess internally.  Power off the machine, disconnect the power supply, hold the power button in for a couple of seconds until the green light on the back is no longer lit.  Follow the instructions on the HP website to removing both the left and right covers on the back of the PC.  (Take proper precautions for static electricity.)
Take out the Hard Drive and the RAM.  replace the covers, but no need to screw them in.  Plug your power supply back in and power the machine on.
You should get one short and one long beep and nothing should display on the screen.  This is testing for proof of life from the board.  If you get no beeps, your board is malfunctioning and sadly with these it often is easier and cost effective to just get a new machine than replace the board.
If you get beeps, the board is fine and you need to replace one stick of ram after powering off properly again and then start it up.  You should be able to see the "no boot media" message it displays because the system will halt.  
If the lettering is fuzzy, diminished, in a low resolution, or looks anything other than normal, the likely cause is video related.  You now have to determine to what extent the video is malfunctioning.  
(Yes, I know that you probably arrived at this conclusion already that the something was messed in the video/display area, but I can't tell you how many times I have asked people if they have tested for other things and they say no or how do you do that?  By ruling out other malfunctions, you arrive with the correct solution faster.)
You can power the machine down and remove the back covers and carefully reseat ALL micro style cables that you can see.   There should be 3 in the top left, 2 on the inverter (the thing with the cover), and then 4 in the top right that are kind of hard to manage.  These cables are all related to power, with some related to video and the touchscreen itself.
So now boot the system up normally, if you still have the one second screen, then attempt to plug in USB devices, insert a CD/DVD, and if you have one handy, use a USB to VGA adapter.  If any of these things do not initalize/work properly with the typical windows sound when you plug them in, the likely cause is your motherboard, related to power issues.  
If your board is not able to route enough power through it past the graphical chip, into the inverter, and the LCD, power USB devices, etc., this is a tell tale sign that your machine has issues supplying enough power to all these things.  This is why you will see the one second screen everytime you turn the screen on or wake it out of standby, because there isn't enough or consistent power to keep the system running normally.  
Because it is fairly cost prohibitive and time consuming to replace the board, you can pretty much write off the system.
Now if your USB devices and Optical drive work fine and everything initializes, you may be able to get away with replacing the inverter.  These parts do go bad, and the inverter, which sits on top of the optical drive in the system is naturally exposed to heat from the DVD drive and is a really bad design flaw.  Replacing this may solve your problem.
If it is replaced and you still have the same issue, likely your problem is with the LCD screen itself, and again... not really worth it to replace it.
If it is your board and power issues, if you are hell bent on repairing this, and you are familiar with how to reflow a board, or know a professional that can attempt it, you certainly can give it a whirl.  DO NOT attempt the unprofessional ways to reflow a board as you see on some videos.  Whereas these methods can work, you need to have an intricate knowledge of electronics and temperature effects on circutry to even warrant attempting them.  
Some people say a hair dryer will work, but the problem is then you dont know exactly how much heat you are at temperature wise, and a hair dryer will auto cool and heat it's coils as it sees fit to maintain it's own stability, where as a genuine heat gun will not.  Again, if you don't have experienced knowlege in reflowing boards, I wouldn't recommend doing it.  
By reflow, I am referring to reflowing the solder in the board.  Unless a visible malfunctioned blown or bulged capacitor is present, reflowing the solder to it's original paths is done by the way of keeping the board level, and gradually and evenly heating the board up to a temperature to where solder melts.  Solder will naturally go back into it's original form at a certain temperature and reseal any cracks or breaks in the solder, thereby repairing the flow of electricity for that certain component.  This is also assuming the component that has the solder is not damaged as well.
This process is best left to professionals with proper equipment, because you can in fact to irrepariable damage to the board if you are inexperienced.  Being careful will not save you in this instance.
The one thing you want to remember with All in ones, and especially touch screens, is that they generate an AMAZING amount of heat.    Any blockage from dust or covered vent ports can quickly lead to your machines demise.  Due to the design of any All in one, heat has been, and probably always will be an issue with these units.