Don't know, but could be more than the hard-disk is dead. What type of computer ?
I have recently encountered the same problem with HP-Desktops and was told that the CMOS battery was dead. True to the advice, when I replaced the battery the systems no longer came up with a blank screen and booted properly. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html