Nikon D5000 issue setting white balance

[trizzypballr]

I am new to DSLRs but have been playing with the whole white drop background thing and have set my white balance a few different times with no problems at all. For some reason this time when I try to set it though I go threw all the steps (menu>white balance>manual white balance) I get to the part where it tells me to snap a shot of the white background under the lighting, I snap the shot and it says that it cannot measure the white balance. I hope its something simple that is keeping me from doing this that I have forgotten but I cant seem to figure it out. Thank you for everyones help in advance

[trizzypballr]

After reading threw the manual more It says if the light is to bright or too dark it could cause this, but its the same lighting, set up the same as I had done for the shots before so I dont see how this could be the issue

[n8]

uh...shoot in raw and bypass the issue? Not a real solution, but an idea.

[Dylan8i]

im not positive, but it seems like it might be blown out? take a regular shot and check the histogram.... ? maybe some setting got bumped (iso) or something else changed you didn't know, it happens.

[steven444]

i agreed with u dylan

[Singletracklovr]

I snap the shot and it says that it cannot measure the white balance. I hope its something simple that is keeping me from doing this that I have forgotten but I cant seem to figure it out. Thank you for everyones help in advance

Lens cap accidentally left on?