So I've got a friends computer, he says just died, he tried turning it on and nothing showed up on the monitor.
So I took a look at it, it powers up fine, but nothing shows up on the monitor, it just stays in sleep mode, I think. Basically, the monitor doesn't register the computer as being on.
I know the monitor works fine, it's the same I use on my computer, the computer has onboard graphics, it's fairly new, and there's no visible damage to the motherboard.
(And before you ask, yes, all the cords are plugged in properly)
So any ideas?
The first thing I would do is to try to connect a monitor that you know is good to the computer. Also we need more information about the computer.
He mentioned in his post that he knows the monitor to be working.
What other information do you need?
I'm thinking about ordering a new motherboard for it, but since it's going to be 80$, I prefer a cheaper solution?
Don't yet order a new MB because we haven't determined that that is the problem. Also if you don't match the MB specs you will possibly have to replace the ram & processor. You said that the computer is fairly new. If it is still under warranty then I would contact the manufacturer. Do you have a graphics card that you can put in ir? What is the make/model of the computer? When it is turned on are there any beeps? If so how many?
Not under warranty.
None of the video cards fit, they're all the wrong size.
It's a Dell Dimension C521
Wow I can see where the problem is. One of the problems with dell is that they have proprietary parts so it might be that the only cards that will fit have to come from them. You don't have to be able to close the door temporarily so if you could borrow a card from someone for diagnostic purposes. Is there already a card there or do you have integrated graphics? What about beeps? That is a really important thing for us to know.
Well I'm going out of state to visit some family today, so I'll see if my uncle has a card.
There are no beeps and the graphics are integrated.
Also, I'm kind of on a deadline, so if you can just messsage me on AIM (KjustIanotherD) or Yahoo (mroutcastx)
I'm signed into both all day on my phone.
Thanks for the help btw =)
There isn't really much we can do until you test out other factors.
My computer stopped turning on one day, and guess what it was? The power supply, hard-drive, motherboard, and one stick of RAM were all shot. I'm thinking the PSU fried everything when it went. You really need to do some basic tests to determine what is wrong. If you just replace the motherboard, and the PSU is still the cause you could end up ruining the new board right away...
The best way to check the functionality of the mother board is to use the caps lock.
After you think it's been booted, hit the caps lock key (or num lock), & see if those results are shown correctly by the keyboard LED display. If so, then you know that your key press was sent to bios, handed off the OS & processed by the CPU. Thus the computers hardware is working & the OS is loading correctly, you can now safely troubleshoot the display (by hooking up to a laptop or other known-working environment). If you do not get those results, then, well, now you must start troubleshooting at the hardware level. I would suggest removing all of the non-trivial devices, & working up from there.
When booting, does the splash screen ever display? I can't believe you guys are 11 posts in & no one asked about the splash screen to the bios.
Quote:When booting, does the splash screen ever display? I can't believe you guys are 11 posts in & no one asked about the splash screen to the bios.
Quote:So I took a look at it, it powers up fine, but nothing shows up on the monitor, it just stays in sleep mode, I think. Basically, the monitor doesn't register the computer as being on.
Alright.
That was from his 1st post.
Again, no one has asked about the splash screen from the bios.
"Sleep mode" to me says "OS". You would not believe how many of our customers say that the monitor doesn't work if they can't get to the start button. The splash screen, hardware initialization, OS loading screen, that's nothing. But if all that cycles through, & the poof, the monitor goes out, "Nothing works" is their description. It is my experience that it pays to be thorough.
Ok, basically, when you shut down a computer, the monitor goes black and the little green light flashes orange until you start it back up again, right?
When I plug this computer in and start it up, the green light doesnt come on, it still flashes orange like the computer is still off.
And again, I know the monitor works, if you guys don't believe me, I'm using that monitor right now to write this.
Also, when my monitor is on, but isn't plugged into a computer, the light goes green and a blue screen comes up and says "No Activity" but when it's plugged into this computer (the broken one) whether the computer is on or off, it just stays in sleep mode. Idk if that helps at all though
And thanks for the tips, ill try em out in a lil bit and let you now what happens.
Don't know if this is any help to you but I had an optical drive fail once and it would not let the computer boot until I unplugged the unit, never found out what was wrong with the device. I just replaced it and every thing worked fine after that,.
Have you tried another graphics card?
I'm thinking his computer is built into a mini-tower, and that's why he can't try a graphics card... He mentioned none of the graphics cards would fit. Now if that means mini-tower or the wrong sized port I don't know? Zombie's suggestion is a good place to start. Disconnect all the drives that don't need to be used to see if they are causing the problem. If the power button does absolutely nothing it points more towards the power supply. Usually with a fried motherboard the fans, and PSU will start up, but the computer will not post, and the monitor receives no signal.