I am trying to help my mother in law by looking at her lap top. It is an HP DV 1120us. When you turn it on you can see the lights come on and fans turn but the screen is completely BLACK. It does not go to blue screen or even try to light, flicker or anything.
What can I check to see if its the screen (monitor) or what could be wrong with it?
If you create a recovery DVD, you may be able to boot to recovery options Create Recovery DVD
The Vista recovery disk is used to boot Vista when it won't boot - to run Startup Repair, System Restore, access a Command Line, Recover using a Vista Backup Image, etc. System Recovery Options
If Vista will not start now, boot the Recovery CD to run Startup Repair which automates System Restore as well as numerous other tests including System File Checker which can repair system files which are not corrupted beyond repair.
If Vista still will not start, try booting into Safe Mode to run sfc /scannow to repair System files.
Special Thanks Given to Seven Forums.
Below is a bulletin distributed by MS to explain the start up procedure when Windows will not boot.
Startup Repair. Startup Repair is a Windows recovery tool that can fix certain problems, such as missing or damaged system files, that might prevent Windows from starting. Startup Repair is located on the System Recovery Options menu, which is on the Windows Vista installation disc. If your computer has preinstalled recovery options, it might also be stored on your computer's hard disk. For more information, see Startup Repair: frequently asked questions and What are the system recovery options in Windows Vista? If your computer does not include Startup Repair, your computer manufacturer might have customized or replaced the tool. Check the information that came with your computer or go to the manufacturer's website.
Change restart settings in safe mode. If your computer is stuck in a loop where Windows fails, attempts to restart, and then fails again repeatedly, restart your computer in safe mode and select the Disable automatic restart on system failure checkbox. For more information, see Advanced startup options (including safe mode).
Reinstall. If no other options have solved the problem, and you are sure that your computer's hardware is functioning normally, you might need to reinstall Windows. A custom (clean) installation of Windows will permanently delete all of the files on your computer and reinstall Windows, so only use this option if all other recovery options have been unsuccessful. After the installation, you will need to reinstall your programs and restore your files from backup copies. For more information, see Installing and reinstalling Windows**.
Did you try Lottie's suggestion to make certain it isn't somehow configured to use an external monitor instead of the internal monitor? Try that first as it is easy and quick and will rule that out as a cause.
Did you make the Recovery Disk Richard recommended (on a different computer)? Can you boot to the CD or does it go directly to the hard drive? If you can't boot to the CD we need to change the BIOS so the boot sequence puts the CD first. To do that, wait for the screen that tells you the F key to push to access the boot menu or boot setup. Push it quickly. Make the changes, save your work, and exit. Put the CD in the drive and reboot. When prompted, push any key to boot from the CD. (or is the screen black from the very start and you never see anything at all during the boot?) If that's the case try booting and then repeatedly pushing F2. If that doesn't work, try F10, then F11, then F12, then ESC (those are the most common). Reboot between attempts as we won't be sure if we're on a screen or not if we can't see anything. The thing is, I'm not quite sure you'll even know if you are in BIOS unless the process makes the screen work. If you can see BIOS, then that's a great sign and you can make the boot sequence changes.
If you are able to boot to the CD, do you see anything or is the screen still entirely black? Since you have to press a key when prompted to boot to the CD, if the screen is black you won't see that prompt, so a few seconds after you boot, just start hitting the "K" key every 3-4 seconds (but no more than 4 seconds or you'll miss the chance) as that should not interfere with the boot and should cause the system to boot to the CD eventually if it is programmed to boot to the CD first. You'll have a hint this is about to occur if you hear the CD Drive spinup - that means it's being recognized as a bootable disk and should cause the message to press any key to boot to the CD very shortly after that (even if you can't see the message). If you can see things, then follow the instructions Richard provided above. If it is still entirely black, then the best bet would be to find another monitor to attach as an external monitor and see if you can get it to work so you can follow the instructions Richard provided above. If you can't get an external monitor to work - since Lottie provided a keyboard command to switch from an external monitor to the internal monitor, it is likely that command or one similar to it will reverse the process so you can use the external monitor - post if you get to this point and can't find the command and we'll research it and find it for you (or don't have a way to connect it or don't have access to one), then I'm afraid your best option is to take the laptop to a reputable computer repair shop for service (or return it to the manufacturer for service). Without a way to see what we 're doing, there's no way we can assist you with the problem since even if we do get to the right screens, we have no idea where to click or how to select options to do anything = in a way, it would be worse than being blind.
I hope this helps. I realize there aren't a lot of options, but those are pretty much the only ones available.