Monitor will not display anything.

Magnavark · 07-21-2007, 11:45 AM

My monitor will not display anything other than a "Please check signal cable" message before it goes on standby when I start up my computer. I've tested several different monitors, which leads me to believe it's some sort of hardware failure. The only problem is, I'm not sure what piece of hardware it is. I don't have another computer that I can switch parts with to see if it works, so I don't know how to determine which piece of hardware I need to replace. I don't have enough money to replace everything, or else I wouldn't be posting here.

I'm also confused as to why my hardware failed. It was working fine one night, I turned it off and went to sleep. 5 hours later when I woke up, I turned it back on, and nothing would display. I didn't have any animals in my room to mess with it, nothing was moved, and nothing changed. It just all of a sudden stopped working. There weren't any symptoms that would suggest hardware failure either. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

dai · 07-21-2007, 12:02 PM

probably lost your psu
post your system specs including the psu details

Magnavark · 07-21-2007, 12:03 PM

I just had a thought. I was looking in my case and realized it hasn't been cleaned in about 2 years. Could that be the cause of all this? Would dusty parts suddenly stop working? If I blew the dust out, would they work again?

dai · 07-21-2007, 12:05 PM

blow it out

**Done_Fishin** · 07-21-2007, 12:06 PM

please post your system specs .. power supply, motherboard or PC manufacturer.
Is the graphics adapter on board or an extra installed card ? Do you know if it's PCI, AGP or PCI-express (PCI-e)

How old is your PC .. have you looked inside .. do you see any capacitors inside that might be bulging or swollen ?

Magnavark · 07-21-2007, 12:09 PM

Motherboard: Asus a7v600-x
Video Card: XFX nVidia 7800 GS
CPU: AMD 3300+
What sort of details do you need about my PSU?

dai · 07-21-2007, 12:18 PM

make
wattage
line amps

Magnavark · 07-21-2007, 12:23 PM

It's a Codegen 250XA1, 425W max.
From what I can tell, you want the AC-input current?
For 115v it's 8A
and 225v is 4.5A
Frequency is 50-60Hz

Magnavark · 07-21-2007, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Done_Fishin

please post your system specs .. power supply, motherboard or PC manufacturer.
Is the graphics adapter on board or an extra installed card ? Do you know if it's PCI, AGP or PCI-express (PCI-e)

How old is your PC .. have you looked inside .. do you see any capacitors inside that might be bulging or swollen ?

The system was homebuilt and the card is AGP.

dai · 07-21-2007, 12:44 PM

you need 18a on the 12v+line i doubt the codegen is even 16a
these are the amps we need to see the line amps

Magnavark · 07-21-2007, 12:47 PM

Ah. Sorry, I know next to nothing about PSUs.
+3.3v is 20a
+5v is 40a
+12v is 14a
+5vSB is 2a
-5v is 0.5a
-12v is 0.8a

Is that what you need?

Also, this PSU has worked for about 2 years, about a year with this video card, they can suddenly crap out like this with no warning?

dai · 07-21-2007, 12:58 PM

they wear out pretty quick when you o/load them see if you can borrow a quality one with 18a or higher on the 12v+ line
codegen were ok in the 98 era but not in todays computers

Magnavark · 07-21-2007, 01:00 PM

Are you fairly positive it's the PSU? If so, can you recommend one for me?
Preferably under $200, I'm not sure how expensive they are.

dai · 07-21-2007, 01:56 PM

this is on special
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371002

**Done_Fishin** · 07-21-2007, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magnavark

Are you fairly positive it's the PSU? If so, can you recommend one for me?
Preferably under $200, I'm not sure how expensive they are.

Electricity to a PC is like Blood to your Body .. if you can't pump enough where it's required, something dies ..

There's no guarantee that it's your PSU or that it's just your PSU .. but the PSU is the "heart" of your PC .. give it a good one and it'll carry you without blinking .. spend a little bit extra to ensure that you keep the circulation going

Magnavark · 07-21-2007, 04:07 PM

Well. I just went out and bought a new PSU.
And the problem still continues.

Specs on new PSU are
700w
+3.3v 30a
+5v 34a
+12v 40a
-12v 0.6a
-5v 0.6a
+5vsb 2a

Could it be video card or motherboard failure?

I also forgot to mention that I can login to Windows and hear all my startup sounds and everything. I can also open things like Winamp with my keyboard shortcuts and hear everything. I just can't see it.

**Done_Fishin** · 07-21-2007, 04:20 PM

Could be either or both ..

when the power supply is struggling to supply the mobo and peripheral hardware , it starts to get very noisy electrically .. you can't hear it but an oscilloscope would show it ..
the noise is akin to being blasted by automatic fire .. and whilst there are components that can cope with the noise for some time .. the longer the noise lasts the more damage is done .. a bullet proof vest will protect someone from automatic fire but NOT if the bullets hit the same spot every time .. which is more or less what happens in the PC.
The most likely suspects for failure are th Northbridge and the Graphics Card .. the graphics card can be replaced to see if it is faulty .. however if it's the Northbridge the board becomes a write off unless you can use a PCI card in a PCI slot .. quite often this configuration works as a get around .. but you'll not expect to use it as a gaming rig .. Try a PCI card first to see if at least you get an output to your Monitor .. also double check BEFORE anything else that you haven't bent any pins inside the monitor cable .. check the monitor on another PC ..

Magnavark · 07-21-2007, 04:32 PM

Well. It's not the monitor, it works fine on another computer. Is there any way to tell if it's the northbridge without using a PCI card? I don't happen to have a spare one lying around.

**Done_Fishin** · 07-22-2007, 06:54 AM

since we have proven that your monitor is working and you have a good power supply .. we are now down to a choice between motherboard and AGP ..

if you can borrow a PCI VGA card, that will give us an idea of whether the motherboard is still functioning using the Southbridge and PCI slots ..

if you cannot get hold of a PCI or AGP card The next best step would be to remove the memory , after powering off, and then powering on again .. to see whether the mobo beeps .. an indication that at least the CPU is doing some basic work .
replace the memory (again after p

07-21-2007, 11:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
Magnavark Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 13 OS: XP	Monitor will not display anything. My monitor will not display anything other than a "Please check signal cable" message before it goes on standby when I start up my computer. I've tested several different monitors, which leads me to believe it's some sort of hardware failure. The only problem is, I'm not sure what piece of hardware it is. I don't have another computer that I can switch parts with to see if it works, so I don't know how to determine which piece of hardware I need to replace. I don't have enough money to replace everything, or else I wouldn't be posting here. I'm also confused as to why my hardware failed. It was working fine one night, I turned it off and went to sleep. 5 hours later when I woke up, I turned it back on, and nothing would display. I didn't have any animals in my room to mess with it, nothing was moved, and nothing changed. It just all of a sudden stopped working. There weren't any symptoms that would suggest hardware failure either. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

07-21-2007, 12:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 41,784 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Monitor will not display anything. probably lost your psu post your system specs including the psu details __________________

07-21-2007, 12:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
Magnavark Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 13 OS: XP	Re: Monitor will not display anything. I just had a thought. I was looking in my case and realized it hasn't been cleaned in about 2 years. Could that be the cause of all this? Would dusty parts suddenly stop working? If I blew the dust out, would they work again?

07-21-2007, 12:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 41,784 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Monitor will not display anything. blow it out __________________

07-21-2007, 12:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
Done_Fishin Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brit living in Greece Posts: 5,038 OS: Win ME, Win XP Pro SP3, Ubuntu 7.04, Mepis 6.5 My System	Re: Monitor will not display anything. please post your system specs .. power supply, motherboard or PC manufacturer. Is the graphics adapter on board or an extra installed card ? Do you know if it's PCI, AGP or PCI-express (PCI-e) How old is your PC .. have you looked inside .. do you see any capacitors inside that might be bulging or swollen ? __________________ D_F How to mark your thread as solved

07-21-2007, 12:09 PM	#6 (permalink)
Magnavark Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 13 OS: XP	Re: Monitor will not display anything. Motherboard: Asus a7v600-x Video Card: XFX nVidia 7800 GS CPU: AMD 3300+ What sort of details do you need about my PSU?

07-21-2007, 12:18 PM	#7 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 41,784 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Monitor will not display anything. make wattage line amps __________________

07-21-2007, 12:23 PM	#8 (permalink)
Magnavark Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 13 OS: XP	Re: Monitor will not display anything. It's a Codegen 250XA1, 425W max. From what I can tell, you want the AC-input current? For 115v it's 8A and 225v is 4.5A Frequency is 50-60Hz

07-21-2007, 12:44 PM	#10 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 41,784 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Monitor will not display anything. you need 18a on the 12v+line i doubt the codegen is even 16a these are the amps we need to see the line amps __________________

07-21-2007, 12:47 PM	#11 (permalink)
Magnavark Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 13 OS: XP	Re: Monitor will not display anything. Ah. Sorry, I know next to nothing about PSUs. +3.3v is 20a +5v is 40a +12v is 14a +5vSB is 2a -5v is 0.5a -12v is 0.8a Is that what you need? Also, this PSU has worked for about 2 years, about a year with this video card, they can suddenly crap out like this with no warning?

07-21-2007, 12:58 PM	#12 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 41,784 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Monitor will not display anything. they wear out pretty quick when you o/load them see if you can borrow a quality one with 18a or higher on the 12v+ line codegen were ok in the 98 era but not in todays computers __________________

07-21-2007, 01:00 PM	#13 (permalink)
Magnavark Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 13 OS: XP	Re: Monitor will not display anything. Are you fairly positive it's the PSU? If so, can you recommend one for me? Preferably under $200, I'm not sure how expensive they are.

07-21-2007, 01:56 PM	#14 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 41,784 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Monitor will not display anything. this is on special http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371002 __________________

07-21-2007, 04:07 PM	#16 (permalink)
Magnavark Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 13 OS: XP	Re: Monitor will not display anything. Well. I just went out and bought a new PSU. And the problem still continues. Specs on new PSU are 700w +3.3v 30a +5v 34a +12v 40a -12v 0.6a -5v 0.6a +5vsb 2a Could it be video card or motherboard failure? I also forgot to mention that I can login to Windows and hear all my startup sounds and everything. I can also open things like Winamp with my keyboard shortcuts and hear everything. I just can't see it. Last edited by Magnavark : 07-21-2007 at 04:14 PM.

07-21-2007, 04:20 PM	#17 (permalink)
Done_Fishin Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brit living in Greece Posts: 5,038 OS: Win ME, Win XP Pro SP3, Ubuntu 7.04, Mepis 6.5 My System	Re: Monitor will not display anything. Could be either or both .. when the power supply is struggling to supply the mobo and peripheral hardware , it starts to get very noisy electrically .. you can't hear it but an oscilloscope would show it .. the noise is akin to being blasted by automatic fire .. and whilst there are components that can cope with the noise for some time .. the longer the noise lasts the more damage is done .. a bullet proof vest will protect someone from automatic fire but NOT if the bullets hit the same spot every time .. which is more or less what happens in the PC. The most likely suspects for failure are th Northbridge and the Graphics Card .. the graphics card can be replaced to see if it is faulty .. however if it's the Northbridge the board becomes a write off unless you can use a PCI card in a PCI slot .. quite often this configuration works as a get around .. but you'll not expect to use it as a gaming rig .. Try a PCI card first to see if at least you get an output to your Monitor .. also double check BEFORE anything else that you haven't bent any pins inside the monitor cable .. check the monitor on another PC .. __________________ D_F How to mark your thread as solved

07-21-2007, 04:32 PM	#18 (permalink)
Magnavark Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 13 OS: XP	Re: Monitor will not display anything. Well. It's not the monitor, it works fine on another computer. Is there any way to tell if it's the northbridge without using a PCI card? I don't happen to have a spare one lying around.