Monitor suddenly went blank. Monitor itself can't be the problem.

[GVSS]

Hello all,

Not trying to thread-jack, but I am having a very similar problem and saw this thread, so If figured I would just add-on.

My tower also had a similar problem with the monitor going black.

The problem is intermittent, with the majority being on the "monitor not working" side of things.

I have a dedicated AGP card (g-force ti4200) that I suspected was going out (flickering monitor when connected to the tower, no flicker when connected to a different tower), so I replaced the card with a g-force 5500fx card.

When I booted the system after installing the new video card all seemed to be well, no flicker, everything booted properly. Then after letting the system run for about 10-15 mins the screen went blank. I then tried rebooting the system several times with no luck.

Is it possible that the AGP slot has gone bad?

any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[berry120]

Is it possible that the AGP slot has gone bad?

I'm afraid it could be a number of things - that's one of the causes yes, as would be a dirty AGP port. First port of call (no pun intended) would be to wiggle the card around a bit when it goes blank, does it come back on intermittently? If so, then you've got your problem! Try blowing the slot out with a can of compressed air to see if that helps.

If that doesn't work then I'd grab a PCI graphics card and try with that. If you still get the same problem then, then you're most likely looking at a motherboard issue.

 

[GVSS]

Thanks for the tip BERRY120

I'll try that later tonight when I get home from work. I have a feeling I might end up needing a PCI card however, since i had the problem with both cards and there has always been a card in the AGP slot since the day the computer was built.

thanks again

 

[Celegorm]

My suspicions were aroused again later when they offered to "recycle" the computer for me. If they're in the business of taking people's junk machines off their hands, shouldn't they be expected to have at least a few compatible AGP cards lying around?

Just an FYI since I work at a local chain, when we recycle computers we don't part them out (unless we want stuff for ourselves). We have a service come and pick up all the "ewaste" and dispose of it properly be it melting down the metal or whatever. We don't use parts off of those computers for a few reasons. They could be bad (hence the reason the customer left it) or it could cause damage to another computer. It's a risk no company wants to take.

 

[GVSS]

So I finally got my hands on a PCI graphics card, and after installing it I've had no luck.

I also noticed that I'm not getting a post beep. is there a chance clearing my BIOS might fix this, or is my notherboard shot?

any help appreciated.

thanks!

 

[chaslinux]

I was working on my computer when the monitor suddenly went black.

We see the problem a lot... almost always the problem is a bad/blown power supply. Smaller shops may be more willing to do extensive testing for you. A power supply can be shot and still supply power to the PC, so you might see fans spinning and no video because you're not getting correct voltage.

Another thing you should check is to make sure expansion cards and RAM are correctly seated. Since you said the system was working one day and not the next this isn't likely the problem.

A sure sign of a bad motherboard are popped capacitors. See here: http://www.jebswebsite.com/misc_pics/ibm_mobo_capacitors.jpg

It's not likely that most shops will solder new capacitors on a motherboard for you (we do if it's machines we've built, but we're a not for profit and our volunteers do it because they love to solder). If you board does have bad caps it would probably cost you more to have the caps replaced than the board is worth...

My advice is to get your PSU (power supply unit) checked out first, and check to make sure everything is seated correctly.

Cheers!

 

[OTSS]

My advice would be to 100% reseat everything. Including the CPU. Take it apart piece by piece and check for any burn marks or melting and warping. Rebuild it as if it were a new build (new thermal paste, air dust everything, start with installing 1 RAM stick before adding more). I once had this problem and it was a faulty RAM slot. I had 3 sticks and I took out all but one and turned out my first slot was toast so I put it in second slot and worked perfectly. Make sure to check the power supply as well, since you have a 2nd tower to work with use that one just to be sure. Make sure you have sufficient cooling as well. Sometimes a fan will die and will cause the computer to overheat very fast. I once had a burnt out fan on my video card and it just needed a new one.

 

[GVSS]

I have a spare power supply that i will try when i get home.

I've inspected the board with a flashlight with all components still seated and it seems like everything is fine (i.e. - no burn marks or anything else unusual)

if the psu doesn't fix it then i will try the pulling apart and reassembling idea.

i did add a second stick of ram when i tried the new agp card, but i doubt this is the issue since i was having the problem with the original agp card.

any other thoughts are appreciated

thanks

 

[GVSS]

so, I was taking out the old PSU like chaslinux suggested and i noticed 3 pins on the connection to the mobo were scorched.

there was some discoloration to the corresponding connectors on the mobo, but my question is do i just have a blown psu, or is my mobo toast as well? also if i swap out a new psu that I've had lying around, will it damage the mobo/or be damaged by the mobo?

thanks for the help!

 

[david90]

We see the problem a lot... almost always the problem is a bad/blown power supply. Smaller shops may be more willing to do extensive testing for you. A power supply can be shot and still supply power to the PC, so you might see fans spinning and no video because you're not getting correct voltage.

Another thing you should check is to make sure expansion cards and RAM are correctly seated. Since you said the system was working one day and not the next this isn't likely the problem.

A sure sign of a bad motherboard are popped capacitors. See here: http://www.jebswebsite.com/misc_pics/ibm_mobo_capacitors.jpg

It's not likely that most shops will solder new capacitors on a motherboard for you (we do if it's machines we've built, but we're a not for profit and our volunteers do it because they love to solder). If you board does have bad caps it would probably cost you more to have the caps replaced than the board is worth...

My advice is to get your PSU (power supply unit) checked out first, and check to make sure everything is seated correctly.

Cheers!

Have you ever used a power supply tester before? I have a PSU tester where u plug it into the 20 pin connector and it shows the voltages. I tested a pc with the no video problem and the voltages was good. I wonder if the psu tester is effective at testing the PSU with no load.