I am having a bit of trouble, with my 'puter. When I turn it on all the fans an things come on but the screen dosent display anything. The monitor is fine because it works with a different computer. It doesnt beep when I turn it on like it used to! Yes, I have checked to see if the monitor is plugged into the graphics card and if the graphics card is properly seated on the motherboard. I am at a loss without my computer at home because I can’t listen to music or check my emails! Somebody please help!
If you can try and take your hard drive out and test it in another computer, it sounds to me like it could be a bios problem, which is way out of my league
If its a problem with the HD then no real quick way to fix it sorry
Nah, already tried that! Works in the other 'puter. Thanks for the help though! I had a niggling feeling it has got something to do with the bios! Oh noo! Mabey it would be easier to buy a new motherboard.
Alright for computers if there ever a problem it is either, HARDWARE or SOFTWARE (Operating System, Bios, General sw)…etc…
For your problem i would immediately look at problems pertaining to the graphics card and things related to it, mainly because there is nothing showing up on the screen which deals with graphics.
Make sure all fans are spinning good too. Air Conditioning for computers is VERY IMPORTANT. My cpu-fan for my last computer wasn’t spinning good and it caused it to turn off all the time and i didnt know what the problem was til i had to replace my motherboard because something fried.
To easily test if it is the graphic card, plug your computer into the “Onboard graphics” which is usually behind the computer where near the mouse and keyboard inputs are. It looks the same as where any monitor plugs into, its the blue thingy. See if your computer shows anything on the screen now. If it does that means theres obviously something wrong with your gfx card.
The first thing I suspected was RAM! I have had trouble with RAM and no display before, but then it just beeped like a motherf*cker, which is why I dismissed that possiblity! I did take it out and put it back, just to make sure it was properly seated, still the same. I will try with some different RAM tonight!
He said the video card works. It should be something wrong with the mobo…
What he didnt include though if this current computer setup has worked before, or if he is trying a new video card.
If you are trying a new video card with the computer, the computer has to meet the requirements of the new video card otherwise it won’t work. ie the powersupply might have to be bigger…
Check all the contacts you can. The CPU is an important one to check - particularly if you have a Pentium 2 / 3 (or probably an Athlon of similar vintage) with a CPU slot rather than a socket. I’ve had similar symptoms due to loose CPU connections, if I recall correctly.
Check the power connection to your mobo also.
When checking contacts, I pull out the component, blow away any dust in the slot, (carefully) push the component in and out a few times to wear away any corrosion on the contacts, then seat it back in properly.
Before touching the inside of your machine, you should touch a metal case of a machine that’s connected to the mains (preferably one that’s fully assembled, for obvious safety reasons in order to ground yourself - if you have any static electric charge on you it could damage your computer. If you have an anti-static wristband, that’s even better.
Yes, the fact that it isn’t beeping at all makes it difficult to diagnose the problem - usually there are a series of beeps that can point you in the right direction when something fails. I didn’t really think it would have been the RAM, but there aren’t many other things that can -suddenly- go wrong.
probably not power supply, as everything else turns on, and when something with the power supply goes wrong, you’ll know it.
probably not mobo, since everything else turns on, which shows that the mobo is getting power and routing it appropriately.
not RAM, because you said you checked that.
check the CPU, that sounds like it may have something to do with it, but replacing a CPU isn’t always cheap.
What are the specs of the computer? Maybe if I/we knew, we/I could be of more help.
If nothing else turns on except for fans and you’re sure the monitor and video card work, then something could be wrong with the BIOS. The BIOS is the first thing that starts up, sometimes beeps, and shows the memory test on the monitor. You might check the BIOS battery and try resetting it–hopefully you have the motherboard documentation.
What did you do right before your computer stopped working?
Edd, it sounds like you need to replace your CPU &/or mobo. You can start by replacing the CPU (make sure to replace it with the same CPU speed / cache size / etc!, otherwise your mobo may not be compatible), then if that doesn’t work, do the mobo as well. You can read below for the reasons, but the lack of any beeping means the computer can’t even do it’s own Power On Self-Test (POST), which is the very first thing a computer does before booting the BIOS.
One thing you should check is the attachment of the CPU fan and heatsink to the CPU. If the attachment isn’t solid (does the heatsink wiggle?) the CPU could not be cooled properly, and overheating will degrade the CPU to failure. I just replaced my CPU due to this problem – the heatsink was broken on one corner and allowed the CPU to overheat until the computer wouldn’t turn on anymore.
When you replace your CPU make sure to replace the heatsink and fan as well… this will ensure a long life for your new CPU. Also essential is the proper application of heat sink grease (thermal grease). It’s a white paste that comes in a syringe / tube and it needs to be applied liberally between the CPU and the heatsink. Its function is to help transfer heat from the CPU to the heatsink… without it the heatsink won’t work very well and you’ll toast your CPU much quicker.
Damn! Everyone’s a frickin’ self-endowed computer genius but this thread is full of crap advice! Now to debunk some myths…
Most POSTs will cause the mobo to beep if there is a problem with RAM.
…case in point! You are correct.
There’s bits of food and saliva in your mouth. Always. When you blow into the computer you’re spraying bits of food and saliva into it. Not a good idea. There’s “computer duster” in a can for this purpose… use it!
Static is bad when working on a computer, but if you touch a grounded case while the computer you’re working on is not grounded, you’re not helping anything. Your computer can build up static as well… so what you need to do is to bring the computer and yourself to the same potential (level of static electricity built up). Before touching anything in the computer, and every time you reach into the case, touch some metal on the case for several seconds. Also, when removing hardware from the computer, set it on the same table the computer is sitting on… you’re less likely to “zap” the hardware this way.
The CMOS should not be cleared unless the motherboard has been removed and put into a different computer, or major changes have been made to the computer’s hardware. Clearing the CMOS can cause more trouble than anything else… unless you know exactly what each setting needs to be, you may be wiping out essential configuration data.
I generally work on the assumption blowing carefully (so as not to squirt noticeable quantities of food and saliva ) is safe enough. Any visible pieces of spit and pizza need to be cleaned up before attempting power on.
Sadly, most people don’t have compressed air cans lying around - I blame their upbringing!
Really, the “blowing on things” step is probably not terribly necessary if you’re going around reseating stuff anyhow. I can only remember one case of blowing on stuff actually helping, and that was dubious (a bizarrely malfunctioning CD-ROM drive, years ago back in the dark ages).
Yes, I agree that’s best.
The touching of a plugged in computer is presumably spurious in countries that don’t have a ground connection, anyhow…
Yeah, whenever my old computer froze up, a swift kicking always seemed to do the trick! One day I got pissed off with it so me and my mate blew it up, that was fun!
I think that I might have fried the CPU then, as it has been overheating for ages! All my recent video rendering problems were because the CPU was overheating and shutting itself off! Bollocks! I won’t be able to afford a new CPU for ages!
in order to ground yourself - if you have any static electric charge on you it could damage your computer. If you have an anti-static wristband, that’s even better.
) is safe enough. Any visible pieces of spit and pizza need to be cleaned up before attempting power on.