Need Some Troubleshooting Help...

[Twitch22]

Hi everyone!

I'm trying to figure out a problem with a co-workers home PC, HP Pavilion with an AMD 64 X2 CPU. PC turns on, but no signal goes out to the monitor. Her PC has a dedicated Asus-branded nVidia PCI-Express card (not sure what model, but looks like an 8400 GS). When you turn it on, all fans spin and the hard drive begins working like it's loading the Vista. Just no video. So I figure her video card's gone bad.

So tonight, I went to Best Buy and bought a Galaxy 8400 GS. Swapped the new card in. Same problem, no video, but looks like the rest of the PC's working fine. I use an old-but-reliable Viewsonic 20" CRT Professional display as my repair/testing rig monitor and it works just fine with my test-bed rig.

Is it possible that the PCI-E slot has failed, but the rest of the M/B works just fine? I get no error beeps or anything during the start-up, so I figure her PC is making it to and past the POST with no problem. Just no damn video signal...

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions!

Arvin

 

[VirtualLarry]

I get no error beeps or anything during the start-up, so I figure her PC is making it to and past the POST with no problem. Just no damn video signal...

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions!

Arvin

It should beep once during bootup. If it doesn't, then it may not be finishing POST.

 

[Geofram]

I assume you've also checked the monitor, to make sure it's not the part that went bad? Or the cable?

 

[Twitch22]

It should beep once during bootup. If it doesn't, then it may not be finishing POST.

It's making it to POST...one beep, then the H/D starts spinning like it's loading the OS.

I assume you've also checked the monitor, to make sure it's not the part that went bad? Or the cable?

Yup, monitor is all good. It's usually hooked up to an old AMD XP2600 rig that's running Windows Home Server. Whenever I bring a PC home to try & fix/upgrade, I just switch all the cabeling over.

Thanks for the responses. Looking more like a motherboard replacement, eh?

Arvin

 

[llee]

I'm pretty sure the problem is a dead CPU.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm pretty sure the problem is a dead CPU.

If it's making a POST beep, then the CPU is ok.

I wonder if the BIOS is set to boot off of the onboard video, rather than the card. Sometimes there's a BIOS setting. But if you can't see anything, it's rather hard to change that setting. Try resetting the CMOS.

 

[Reincus]

There is an easier way to check that, Larry... just hook up the working monitor to the onboard video (assuming there is one).

 

[llee]

If it's making a POST beep, then the CPU is ok.

I wonder if the BIOS is set to boot off of the onboard video, rather than the card. Sometimes there's a BIOS setting. But if you can't see anything, it's rather hard to change that setting. Try resetting the CMOS.

Not all BIOSes are created equal, reset the CMOS battery and that should clear a couple of these suggestions.