Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Toad on March 24, 2002, 11:19:55 PM

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Toad on March 24, 2002, 11:19:55 PM

OK, my old computer that does all the things of lesser importance than AH, like E-Mail and such puts no pic on the monitor when it is turned on.

Tried a different monitor, same result. Tried old monitor on other computer, monitor is fine.

When the computer is turned on there is simply a blank monitor screen.

All HD and floppy lights flash and keyboard lights flash. It acts like it is booting up. You can ctrl/alt/delete and the computer responds and tries to reboot.

Pulled and reset the vid card (GeForce2MX) same result.

Any ideas guys?

Thanks in advance.

I really do need to access the computer.

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: AKDejaVu on March 25, 2002, 12:11:59 AM

Does the monitor activate (go from amber to green on the light?).

I'd suspect the vid card in this situation.

AKDejaVu

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Staga on March 25, 2002, 04:12:48 AM

If you can't see post-screen when starting your pc it sure sounds like the vid-card is gone.

You can throw in another type vid-card but usually you need to start windows in "fault resist mode" (straight translation from Finnish term; not sure what it's in English) by pressing F8 when computer is booting up after the bios screen and selecting it from the list AFAIR, remove old vid-card from Add/Remove programs and reboot your computer after that.

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Animal on March 25, 2002, 04:38:07 AM

does the computer make any beep on post?
could be anything from video card to ram to cpu to motherboard..
if any of these components are damaged, there will be no display.

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Eagler on March 25, 2002, 08:09:18 AM

disconnect everything but ur video card, remove any other cards. reseat your ram. disconnect both power and ribbons to hard drives and floppy and try to get POST screen. If can't, replace ram with good ram, if still bad - replace vid card. If still bad, board maybe shot. If works, start rehooking up things one at a time.

gl

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Toad on March 25, 2002, 01:35:35 PM

OK, reset all the cards and ram and it still had problems with no picture... not even the boot screen.

Kept trying ctrl/alt/delete and it finally booted with picture. It's running now and appears to be normal. I just know if I shut down it will recur however.

There's some stuff I had to do so I've left it running for now.

However, this problem has to be solved.

So, where would you start? Given that it seems to run fine ONCE YOU CAN GET IT TO BOOT.

I'm thinking RAM.

What do you guys think?

Thanks forall the help!

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Eagler on March 25, 2002, 01:43:59 PM

trial and error at this point

you'll need known good parts to track down the bad one(s)

doesn't sound like fun, good luck

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Staga on March 25, 2002, 01:56:25 PM

You could download memtest86 to check if your memory is good: http://www.teresaudio.com/memtest86/

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Maverick on March 26, 2002, 12:33:00 PM

No to be pessimistic or anything but I'd be prepared to get a new system. I'm thinking mobo or CPU here. Save your HD so you can piggyback it in the new one. How old is your puter?? Any chance of a power surge lately??

Title: RAM! it was the RAM!
Post by: Toad on March 27, 2002, 08:46:01 PM

Had put in two sticks of Crucial 256 RAM back when we we all hadn't quite given up on WW2OL.

First step was reseating all cards and RAM. Same problem.

Pulled out one stick of RAM. Same problem.

Pulled out that stick of RAM and put the other back in.

Voila!

All is ok.. and I really don't need 512 of PC133 for what that computer does anyway.

:)

I'm a happy guy again. All data was saved, nothing lost.

Jeez.. the "easy fix"! That NEVER happens to me!

Title: Re: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Brent Stevens on March 28, 2002, 03:40:41 PM

Quote

Originally posted by Toad
Any ideas guys?
Thanks in advance.

I really do need to access the computer.

Reset your bios.
Unplug the power cable, remove the motherboard battery, wait 10 sec.s, reinstall battery and power cable. Should be ok then.
Don't forget to re-setup your bios afterwards.

Title: Need help... No picture when boot up
Post by: Brent Stevens on March 29, 2002, 12:49:29 AM

Doh, guess I'll read the whole thread next time. :)

Glad to see your up and running again