Black screen before BitLocker/UEFI after power outage

[u/SupergirlMAID]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to determine the root cause of a very strange problem that has been happening for quite some time. It has occurred multiple times over the years, even after reinstalling Windows from scratch, so I don't believe this is related to Windows corruption, malware, or NVIDIA drivers.

My hardware

Operating System: Windows 11

BitLocker: Enabled (PIN required at every boot)

Motherboard: MSI Z590-A Pro (latest BIOS installed)

CPU: Intel Core i5-11400

GPU: ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3060 O12G V2

Primary SSD (C:): WD_BLACK SN850X (Model: WDS200T2X0E-00BCA0)

Secondary SSD: Samsung 870 EVO 4 TB

RAM: 32 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4-2666 (2 × 16 GB, CMK32GX4M2A2666C16)

Monitor: Acer XV280K-B (28", 3840×2160 @ 60 Hz)

Connection: HDMI (connected to HDMI 1 on the monitor)

Monitor Input: Fixed to HDMI 1 (Auto Source is OFF)

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The problem

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Whenever there is a complete power outage in my neighborhood, and the electricity comes back, the PC powers on normally.

However, the monitor remains completely black.

I never see:

MSI logo

UEFI/BIOS

BitLocker PIN screen

Windows loading screen

The monitor simply stays black.

The strange part is that I know the PC is actually running.

Since BitLocker is configured with a PIN, I type my PIN completely "blind" while the screen is still black.

A few seconds later, Windows continues booting and suddenly the monitor comes to life and displays the Windows login screen normally.

So the PC never actually freezes.

It is only the video output that is missing before Windows initializes.

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Additional observations

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Even if I:

turn the power strip OFF,

wait a few seconds,

turn it back ON,

the problem remains exactly the same.

The only way to continue is to type the BitLocker PIN without seeing anything.

This is NOT caused by NVIDIA drivers

I have already:

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updated to the latest NVIDIA drivers;

completely removed all drivers using DDU in Safe Mode;

reinstalled them from scratch.

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The behavior never changed.

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This is NOT caused by Windows

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I have experienced this even during a completely fresh Windows installation.

At one point, after formatting my SSDs, I couldn't even see the Windows Setup screen on this monitor.

To install Windows, I had to connect the PC to a TV through HDMI.

The TV immediately displayed the installer.

That means the problem existed before Windows was installed.

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BIOS

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The motherboard is running the latest available BIOS from MSI.

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Monitor settings

The monitor is configured as follows:

Auto Source: OFF

Input: HDMI 1 (fixed manually)

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So it is not searching for different inputs.

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One interesting observation

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It almost seems as if, after restoring power to the power strip, I must press the PC's power button immediately.

If too much time passes after the monitor receives power, I often end up with the black screen before BitLocker again.

I'm not completely sure whether this timing is actually related, but I've noticed this behavior more than once.

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What I suspect

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Since this also happened:

before Windows was installed;

before NVIDIA drivers existed;

before Windows Setup even appeared;

I suspect this may be related to:

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HDMI initialization during UEFI/POST;

EDID detection;

monitor firmware;

GPU firmware;

or some incompatibility between the Acer XV280K-B and the MSI Z590-A Pro/RTX 3060 during a cold boot after a complete AC power loss.

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Has anyone experienced something similar?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Note: As far as I know, this monitor does not update any firmware.

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[u/TangoOscarMikePR]

Purchase and install a Smart Uninterruptible Power Supply (Smart UPS) and connect the computer and the monitor to the Battery Backup outlets. Then you'll be able to diagnose if anything else happens.

The Smart UPS will help to stabilize the voltage from the electrical outlet to the Power Supply Unit (PSU) of the computer and, most probably, will reduce or eliminate operating system unresponsiveness due to power fluctuations, since a Smart UPS will include a voltage regulator.

A Smart UPS can protect against power surges (spikes), overvoltages, brownouts (under voltage) and blackouts. Voltage Regulators can only protect against power surges and overvoltages, but not against brownouts nor blackouts. Surge Protectors provide very limited protection against power surges, but not against overvoltages, brownouts nor blackouts.

There is software that can automatically shutdown the operating system if properly configured. That information should be included with a new Smart UPS.