blank monitor when booting

i was using my pc as normal then it froze. when rebooting the monitor states no signal output. i have been reading all the advise other people have been given about this on here and have done everything suggested. all the fans are spinning round, reset all the memory, vga cards etc and it is still the same. there is no added equipment and the monitor works on my other pc.(which is what i,m using now). a pc tech suggested that the fan on the cpu may need replacing. as it is spinning round as normal can this be the problem. please heeeeeelp

 

Hi rosha,

Your tech undoubtedly knows better, and just tossed that pearl off the top of the head to get you thinking about bringing the machine in for a fix. That's the best bet, unless you're willing to experiment and chance wrecking your computer (you say you're a beginner). Solving such a problem will take some experimenting, substituting parts such as you did with the monitor: video card, power supply, even CPU and motherboard.

Does the computer beep once when it boots (is turned on)?

 

no it does,nt beep

 

No beep indicates a very serious problem, usually, unless it never did beep, which would mean it was defective from the start. If it's under warranty, it should go to the vendor; if not take it to the tech for repair, unless you're prepared to spend on parts you may not need, to diagnose it by substitution. If the fans are working and some lights come on and you can hear noise like the disks whirring, the power supply is working, otherwise it may have quit, and a new supply may be the first thing to try.
Otherwise a video card is the next thing to try. You'll have to look at the manual and the inside of the case to determine this.

 

No beep.

This can indicate that the CPU is dead and the machine won't POST. IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO REBUILD THE COMPUTER! I wouldn't try a new CPU without replacing the power supply at the same time for fear a bad supply would fry the new CPU too.

 

sorry my mistake. i,ve had to plug it back in to check but there is a beep then everything starts up but not the monitor. i,ve had this pc since october and this is the first prob i,ve had with it

 

Whew! That's better, but not much.
Then check your manual: is the video onboard or a separate card? Can the onboard videw be turned off and a new card installed? Do you have a vga slot on the mobo? Or do you have to try a PCI video card?
Anyway trying a new card is the next step I believe. and if that solves the problem you're home! But do it right, according to the manual.

 

the onboard video card is diabled. but the one being used is a nvidia fx

 

i,ve removed the nvidia card booted up and everything is still the same

 

You need a video card or enable the onboard. Card is best for dx.; purchase an inexpensive one based on your mobo, i.e. PCI or AGP.

 

Hi rosha,

sparrow, do you think it is worth resetting the CMOS?

rosha, you can reset the CMOS by following the instructions in your motherboard manual or by disconnecting the power, then removing the battery for say 1/2 an hour (longer if possible). Try restarting without the nVidia card first, no luck, reset the CMOS again and try with the card in.

Matt

 

Good suggestion. Certainly can't hurt if all power removed from mobo, and done carefully. Only time I routinely do it is after flashing an abit BIOS. Suppose it could turn on the onboard video.

 

theres nothing wrong with the vga card . it works in my other pc. a friend done the cmos thing last night and its still the same. i think its either the m/board,kd7(via kt 400 8235) or the processor, amd athlon xp 2400.

 

Now you're getting somewhere! That's the way to test. Now carefully examine the small fan on the motherboard (cools the "chipset ") to see if its turning with the power on. The fan can be replaced (from abit) if it's not working, and overheating that chip could explain the problem, but that is intermittant in my experience, not permanent. You are correct that the problem now seems to lie with mobo and/or CPU and more substitution testing is the way to go. Get's more expensive now.
If it beeps on post, then the CPU is working - the BIOS needs a running CPU to post. It's probably necessary to install a new mobo. Mine is a good one.
When I install a mobo, I replace the power supply too. They're not expensive, and it's always possible that the psu caused the failure.

 

Perhaps you might advise what your friend did immediately after he/she did the "cmos thing" last night and did he/she disconnect the power header inside the case when they did the "cmos thing ". That KD7 isn't going to hold your old settings after the "cmos thing" and that means your "BIOS thing" needed to be reset. It is most probably looking for a PCI video card right now and based on what you have posted so far, there are a few parts of this system's history that are missing. What other recent changes have you or one of your friends made to this machine right before this problem surfaced? You referenced that you just got this system in October but your motherboard is two and half years old. Would love to help out but am not going to guess without more accurate information. Have you consulted the person you bought this from or the person who originally built it?

 

Hi Rockster2U,

I know that's advised, but I usually just turn off the psu where there's a switch, or unplug it and ground the case, and have never had a problem. How do you know this is really necessafy?

That's one reason I suggested a mobo replacement, even tho that's a short life span for a mobo; it's possibly a few years older.

Anyway, the cmos reset accomplished nothing because there's no onboard video. What alternative to replacing the mobo do you have in mind?

 

Sparrow:

Although you may not have had a problem with this, I have (albeit infrequently). Safest bet is always to disconnect the ATX power header at the board. Absolutely necessary? Not always but why leave anything to chance? This board also has a 4 pin 12V header but that should be a non-issue.

I'm not here to argue and am certainly not disputing anyone else's opinions re: their assessment of this problem.

Here's what Abit says:

We suggest the following three troubleshooting methods to discharge CMOS data and recover the hardware default status. It will make the mainboard working again and please don't bother returning the mainboard to where you bought it or go through an RMA process.

1. Switch off the power supply unit and then switch it on again after one minute. If there isn't a switch on it, pull off the power cord for one minute and then pull it back. Press the "Insert" key on the keyboard and don't loosen it, meanwhile, press the power-on button to boot up system. If it works, loosen the "Insert" key and hit "Del" key to enter the BIOS setup page to do correct settings. If still can't help, repeat step 1 three times or try step 2.

2. Switch off the power supply unit or pull off the power cord, and then open the chassis. There is a CCMOS jumper near the battery. Change the jumper position from default 1-2 (Figure.1) to 2-3 (Figure.2) for one minute to discharge the CMOS data, and then put it back to default 1-2 (Figure.1). Close the chassis and switch on the power supply unit or pull in the power cord. Press the power-on button to boot up system. If it works, hit "Del" key to enter the BIOS setup page to do correct settings. If still can't help, try step 3.

3. The same procedure as step 2, meanwhile, pull up ATX power connectors from mainboard and take away mainboard battery during CMOS discharging

Have done of few of these particular boards and am somewhat familiar with them. Its a good board. I'm not yet convinced that its time to replace it because I don't think all the facts about this problem are out on the table. Thats my only point.

 

I thought that there WAS onboard video, but it had been upgraded using the nVidia card. The CMOS reset should have defaulted to the onboard video. The BIOSes that I have worked on will scan for a PCI video card to boot from, but will then scan for an AGP card if it does not find a PCI card.

Anyway...The only other thing I can think of to try is removing any added hardware like PCI cards, disconnect printers, modems etc and just boot with the bare essentials, CPU, RAM, video, hardrive, floppy drive, keyboard and mouse. Some "shock" treatments may be to disconnect the drives, rearrange the RAM and swap the keyboard and mouse for others. Borrowing another video card may well be worth trying.

mmm...clean the connectors on the video card and RAM using a soft pencil eraser.

I will be watching this. I am going over to look at my daughters ASUS machine today, it "sounds' like it has the same problem...so I hope you guys can spot the problem (by the time I get back thanks )

Matt

 

Different problem I would say. Some unscrupulous repair-person (cough-cough) had not bolted down the network card which he added. Ha!, such shoddy workmanship.

Matt

 

yes the power header was disconnected. he said something about after doing that the screen should have been showing the bios(i think), anyway should have shown something.i bought the pc used, had it all checked out by 2 qualified techs from different shops then i added bigger hard drives, dvd writer, etc. worked fine ever since.