Optiplex 9020 no video after modifying BIOS settings

Instead of resetting the BIOS, did you replace the CMOS battery with newly purchased battery? If you do leave the battery out of the system for at least 15 minutes before installing the new one. Have you pulled the GPU and tried connecting to the IGPU? Could you have changed a setting in the BIOS which disabled the discrete video card?

Thanks for your help. I’ve tried both removing the battery and resetting CMOS using the jumper. Most recently I just left the battery out overnight with the PC unplugged, put in a fresh battery, then started it up. Still a black screen.

My only direct HDMI connection is with the GPU. I’ve tried removing the GPU and connecting to my HDMI monitor using the DP connection on the IGPU and a DP-HDMI adapter, but that also didn’t work. I don’t have much faith in that adapter though.

I don’t think I changed any video settings in the BIOS; I was mostly messing with boot settings. But even if I did, shouldn’t clearing CMOS have reset it to defaults?

Reset to default should have cleared everything but BIOS can do some weird things at times. Try disconnecting everything from the PSU except the MB. Also try running diagnostics (tap F12 immediately at boot) though at this point you still may have no display. Did you try updating the BIOS at any time? Also try running with one RAM module at a time to check their reliability. 

Remove the RAM and see if you get a beep code for missing RAM. If with only the MB connected to the PSU you get no video then that means the problem is with the MB or CPU. Also if you do not trust the adapter then pick up one that is more reliable. If you have a friend with a DP out system try the adapter on their system. But I am starting to suspect a MB issue.

Also try removing all cards from the PCIe slots including the GPU and try to boot then.

Oh, and I tried diagnostics F12, with no visible effect (still black screen). I haven’t attempted to update the BIOS on this new-to-me MB either, although I don’t know what might have been done to it before I bought it.

I tried removing all the RAM and get the diagnostic beeps 1-3-2 and amber flashing power button (3 flashes) indicating no memory. I normally have 4 installed RAM modules installed, each 8GB, and have worked for over a year in this PC. Those beeps and flashes go back to normal when I reinstall them. I’ll leave just one RAM module in for now (in slot 1) while troubleshooting.

I just removed a PCI express card and unplugged all peripherals from the PSU (CPU fan and main fan still connected and powered from MB). Still black screen.

I’m going to try to track down a VGA monitor and PS2 keyboard just to be as directly connected as possible and rule those HDMI and wireless dongle connections out as an issue.

A bad MB would be unfortunate since I just bought this one (used of course off eBay) to replace my original bad MB. This one isn’t throwing the bad MB diagnostic codes my old was was, but maybe that doesn’t count for much.

Anything I can do that might confirm a bad MB or CPU (or connection between the two)? I guess I can swap my old, bad MB back in (as it still fires up sometimes, different issues), but I’d rather not!

Hi @cgjeff,

Granted at some point you can get to the BIOS screen:

• AHCI on and not RAID
• UEFI on and not Legacy (Granted boot drive was loaded in UEFI mode.)
• If Secure Boot is on, try booting with it off and Legacy Option ROMs on, or vice versa if it's just the opposite.

Just a reminder to press F2 immediately at startup and not wait for Dell logo to access BIOS.  BIOS isn't something to "mess" with.  If a BIOS update goes wrong, it can brick the MB.

There is that chance BIOS or the Boot Menu can't be accessed while you have an HDMI monitor/TV plugged into eGPU.  Chances are BIOS doesn't have the driver for it.  So it's a good idea you had using a VGA monitor.

Glad you got it working.  Now that it is, if not already, the system should be able to have Secure Boot on and Legacy Option ROMs off.*  More secure with Secure Boot on.  *You might've seen the prompt already - Legacy Option ROMs have to be off for Secure Boot to be on.

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@cgjeff wrote:

1. Well, I found an old vga monitor, reset CMOS again, and still black screen. So I swapped back in my old MB. It worked.

Anyway the old MB is now working without issue. 

2. A bad MB would be unfortunate since I just bought this one (used of course off eBay) to replace my original bad MB. 

Maybe I bricked my “new” MB, maybe It was already bad. Hard to know.

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1. Good work.

2. Yeah, people love to sell their broken-stuff on eBay, and then pretend they didn't know. It's lame, but that's the world we live-in now-days.

There are places that you can buy refurbished motherboards (usually just "working pulls") that are guaranteed to work ( at least a 30-day DoA policy).

And sometimes, it's better to retire the old broken machine and just get another clean/off-lease one. Don't get too hung-up on one or the other. But in your case, you did good.

Glad to see you got it up and running and glad to see we could all contribute helpful advice! And that one bent pin can make all the difference, good job spotting and repairing it. And I agree that eBay MBs can be a real hit and miss proposition.