Joemoma

So i had a very similar problem with a All-in-one:  It would power on (you hear the fans and Hard drive spin up) but absolutly no display, no HP splash screen or anything (not even backlighting from what i could tell) 
 
The Fix:  
1) power off + un-plug machine
2) unplug unnecessary peripherals
3) remove 1 stick of RAM
4) hold power button for 10 seconds (while still being powered off and un-plugged)
5) power on machine (still with only 1 stick of RAM)
6) if screen turns on normally > finish boot > shutdown properly
7) re-install stick of RAM 
 
 

yea, i'm trying my hardest to wait till Black Friday to purchase anything! 

yea, i'm trying my hardest to wait till Black Friday to purchase anything! 

yea, i'm trying my hardest to wait till Black Friday to purchase anything! 

Hey Everyone! This is just My personal success installation guide to putting a Full installation of Ubuntu 14.04 onto a Flash Drive that will boot with (nearly) any system you plug it into! This is Great for Virus removal on an infected computer, or even file recovery! Yes i know i may have some unnecessary steps but i had a lot of trouble with this and finally found a sequence that worked for me
 
Things Needed:  
2 USB Flash Drives (Both 8+Gb, high recommended) (recommended USB 3.0)
USB 1: bootable Ubuntu installer 
USB 2: the USB that the final install will be put onto
 
1) Download Ubuntu .iso: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop (14.04.3 LTS,  64bit used in this tutorial)
2) Download usb installer: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/
 
3) Boot Universal USB, Click Accept
4) select the Linux distribution you are wanting to install (Ubuntu)
5) Browse for the Ubuntu .iso that you just downloaded (ubuntu-14.04.3-desktop-amd64.iso)
6) Select USB 1 to install bootable Ubuntu onto
7) Designate Persistant storage (slider bar) (recommended: 1024, 2048, 4096)
8) Click create, Click Ok, wait for instalation to finish
9) Green Text will say "completed", Click close and shut down system
 
Next 2 steps are my personal preference
10) physically disconnect Hard Drives (helps me make sure i dont change anything with my primary OS)
11) Insert USB 1
 
Back to the normal stuff
12) Power on system, repeatedly press Del or F2 to enter BIOS
13) Once inside BIOS navigate to your Boot priority section
14) Make sure USB 1 is set to the #1 Boot option
15) Select Save settings, Exit, and Reboot
16) Let your system boot and it should bring you to a selection list with the top option being "try Ubuntu without installing", Select that
17) Once you're loaded in, insert USB 2 (the USB that the full installation will be put onto)
18) In the launcher bar on the left of the screen, looks like a Sharingan eye.... "search your computer ..."
19) Type "disks" and select it
20) Click on USB 2 to highlight it
21) in the options in the right panel look for the little square (pause button) and click it
22) then Click the little Gears to Bring up format options, Select "format"
23) Erase: "don't overwirte existing data (quick)"
24) Type: "compatible with all systems and devices (FAT)"
25) Name: whatever you want,   Click Format...
TAKE NOT OF USB 2 ADRESS! (/dev/sdX) (X changes depending on your setup, so mine may not be the same)
 
27) Now click "install ubuntu" that should be on the desktop
28) Let it load, Select your language, Click Continue
29) Click continue again (you can change this stuff after install)
30) Select "somethign else" (last selection), click install now
 
This is where imprtant things happen
32) select the free space and click change
 
This is where the size of your Flash Drive is going to matter what you put
I personally installed onto a 32Gb so i can affort to allot more space to "swap area"
 
Recommendations: 8Gb USB ->  Swap area = 1024MB
16Gb USB ->  Swap area = 2048MB or 4096MB
32Gb+ USB ->  Swap area = 4096MB or whatever you want
 
I choose to designate Primary file system first before the Swap Area
33) Size: (Total Amount - Swap area space you want= what you're going to enter here) (31,600MB - 4096MB = 27504MB)
    Type for the New partition: Primary
    Location for the new Partition: Beginning of this space
    Use as: Ext4 journaling file system
    Mount Point: /
 
34) Click ok and it let finish allocating the space
35) Now select the new free space and click change again
36) Size: whatever is left (1024, 2048, 4096 if you chose my recommendations)
    Type of the new partition: Logical
    Location for the new partition: Beginning of this space
    Use as: Swap Area
 
Probably the most important part here!~!!!~!~!
37) Below the "change..." button should be "Device for boot loader installation:"  make sure you have the correct USB selected here (USB 2)
 
38) Type in your location, Click continue
39) Select your keyboard layout, Click continue
40) Fill out your desired information, click continue
 
The installation process should begin, now you wait
41) Once installation finished, Select "Continue Testing", then shut down computer manually
42) Remove USB 1 (installer USB) while leaving USB 2 (full Ubuntu installation) inserted to be booted from
43) Boot system with only USB 2 inserted, it should boot straight to main screen
 
AND YOU'RE DONE!!!! .... i really hope i typed everything out in the correct order and with enough ease for nearly anyone to follow
 
Recommendations after installtion:
 
Install Clamav (antivirus scanner)
1) Open Command "terminal" and enter:
    Sudo apt-get install clamav     , click enter
2) enter your password (assuming you entered one during installation)(your password will be invisible as you type.. but yes it is entering), click enter
3)the Terminal will promt you for a confirmation, enter "y" and click enter on your keyboard
4) Once it is finished: enter:
    Sudo apt-get install clamtk
 
Update system 
1) Open Command Terminal 
2) enter:
   Sudo apt-get update    , click enter
   Sudo apt-get upgrade  , click enter
3) let that install and  do a system reboot for updates to take affect
 
 
If there is a way to make this easier to follow i'm always open for suggestions!

i ended up putting a full Linux OS on a 32GB flashdrive and downloaded Clamtk to do recursive scans,  works awesome. but thanks for the other options!!

a 1080p screen at that size starts to look not all that great....  if you want that size of screen i'd personally recommend 1400p

Good Platinum Power supply for cheap!
  $139.99
     -$10 with promo code
     -$30 with MIR
$99.99 
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139042&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
 
Ends 6/8/2015

You could just put your own SSD in it =/  its not difficult at all

Wow, and Aus only deal!!! don't see that much!  Australia movin up in the world =P

@Faceman its about the same, just like .5 louder because of the increased fan speed. but its completely manageable.
But thank you so much for your help with this entire thread!!!! 

why are they so bad? i still have a 128GB SSD from like 3-4 years ago and it works just fine still

@Faceman awesome, thank you. and no worries about the Mobo fan header. i have like 3 available because i use a Fan Controller for majority of my fans