Ok, i dont know much

Question

ok, i dont know much about computer, but i found my uncles laptop after he passed away. it says its an acer travelmate 290e series with windows XP home edition.when i plus it in a bunch of lights blink, but nothing shows up on the screen at all.i cant even tell what half of the lights are because i dont recognize the pictures that go along with them. any information would be helpful. thank you.