So my computer decides to not work correctly. Oh joy! When I turn it on, it makes all the customary sounds: the single beep, floppy drive check, and the whirl of the hard drives and cd drives. Only thing is, NOTHING ON SCREEN, so I can’t see anything including error messages, if any. Add to this the fact that my computer seems to shut off in the middle of boot up (I suspect my PC is booting to the Windows 98 shut down command, but I’m not sure). But I can’t do a thing to remedy this until I can get text to appear on screen. I know my monitor is working correctly. So I open up the computer case, pull various cards out, and reinsert them one by one hoping for text. I get nada, zip, zilch, zero. I’ve looked online for tech help, but still nothing. What a waste of time. I really don’t want to pay to have a three year old computer fixed. I hope I figure out what’s wrong, otherwise I hope my computer goes to electronics’ hell.
Can I just be the first to compliment you. I am simply in awe of your ability to log onto the internet, connect to straightdope, type up a coherent rant and submit it, all without the benefit of a useable monitor. Kudos to you, m’boy! I say save your money, you’re doing fine with the black screen.
Just a thought here, but (please don’t hurt me for suggesting this) have you checked, like, the contrast and brightness knobs? I’m not asking because I think you’re to stupid to have thought of it, I’m asking because I have small children, and have more than once hit the power button to turn on a computer that was, in fact, still on. The tiniest lestrangelet loves to turn the monitor off, and he also enjoys using all those exciting knobs at the bottom of the monitor to adjust the display.
Like I said, just a thought.
Obviously I’m using another computer 
Except, of course, that Str8_Dope won’t be able to see your compliment.
Oh poo…
My monitor is working correctly. I have tested it with another computer. Anyone know a good tech site? I’ve tried Microsoft’s, but their site is huge and intimidating to someone who knows little about computers.
Ahh, only one beep? There should be more than that. However, if your floppy gets the customary scanning then it shouldn’t be the BIOS itself…
Do you have an old windows start up disk you could pop in for kicks?
How about hitting F8 (or whatever it is on your PC) to enter setup? You would have to do this blind, of course, but if you try various timings you should be able to hit it, and then you can play about in setup to see what you can see, maybe start up in safe mode or something. In other words not sure if this will get you anywhere, but with this sort of problem you have to thrash about till you find something.
As a serious reply, is it laptop? Have you tried the function key and F3? Sure, it’s a longshot there, but I have a laptop at home with a shot monitor. I have to hook it into my PC’s monitor and if I don’t use Fn F3, the primary monitor won’t switch over. Just a thought.
“The trouble with computers, of course, is that they’re very sophisticated idiots…”
- Dr Who
Yes, I have been fidgeting around. No luck so far.
/fantasy
Throws my computer out the window.
/end fantasy.
I once threw a computer out the window…baaaaad idea. That thing came back for revenge!
A few questions.
Does your monitor get any power when it’s plugged into the computer? There’s normally some kind of light on the monitor itself to indicate the power status.
Does the bios show (did it before?) and does it go blank after that, or does it never show anything at all?
Do you have a spare graphics card you could pop in place? (Not sure this is the problem, since most computers give a few beeps if there’s no graphics working).
Have you changed anything on the computer recently, or has anything happened to it?
Just trying to narrow the problem down a bit.
If you don’t see anything when you turn it on, such as information about your BIOS, then that narrows it down. It’s either:
- your video card
- your motherboard
As dylan_73, try to borrow a graphics card from somewhere and test it in your system.
You should also check to make sure the monitor connector hasn’t come loose from the video card.
Oh, and since this is the Pit, your computer sucks big floppy donkey diskettes.
…or
- Your monitor isn’t getting any power (faulty power supply or cable perhaps; yes, even though the computer’s getting power).
He said he tested the monitor on another computer, and it worked. He should plug it straight into the wall, though, not the back of the computer (assuming he is), just to be safe.
I plug mine into the wall anyway.
I think the key here is booting up… and then shutting down. In my experience, removing the video card, removing the memory, blowing or using a can of air on the contacts for both, then reinserting, should get the machine up and running.
And, for what it is worth, I do this for a living.
I am sure my monitor is working correctly.
I’ve also pulled out all the cards, cleaned, and reconnected everything. Still no luck. I haven’t installed anything recently before my computer “wigged out”.
I don’t see anything when I turn it on, so I guess the problem is either with my motherboard or videocard (as suggested by Giraffe). Arrrg!
This happened to me about a year ago. Floppy, CD, Hard Drive, then nothing… no screen image. The problem sounds the same, and mine was a dead motherboard and Processor. Maybe. I had a Best Buy Extended Home Warranty: the technician came in and replaced the motherboard. Didn’t fixed the problem. The technician came back a week or so later with a new Processor and got it working. 24 hours later it was dead again. The Technician came back a week or so later and rereplaced the Processor. Didn’t fix the problem. Came back a week or so later with a new power supply and new memory. Didn’t fix the problem. Came back a week or so later with a another new mother board and a third new processor. This time the problem was fixed and stayed fixed, so far. All in all, my system was done about two months.
Summary: Best Buy contacts out awfully inept technicians. If your problem is the same as mine and it isn’t covered under warranty, buy a new computer.