# Monitor will not display anything.



## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

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.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

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


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

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?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

blow it out


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

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 ?


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

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


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

make
wattage
line amps


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

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


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

Done_Fishin said:


> 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.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

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


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

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?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

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


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

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.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

this is on special
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371002


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Magnavark said:


> 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


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

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.


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

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 ..


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

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.


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

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 powering off) and remove your AGP card .. power on again and listen for beeps but in a different combination to the first lot of beeps when memory was missing .. 

If you get this far .. it's worth trying to borrow an AGP card and try it since it would appear that the communication between Northbridge and AGP is functioning .. also you could try arranging to test your AGP on another PC ..

sometimes just removing , cleaning edge contacts and reseating can bring a graphics card back to life .. another thing you could try .. using a clean piece of cloth or kitchen towel and some surgical alcohol (the transparent stuff they use for cleaning cuts and grazes)


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

Well, I did what you said and the motherboard didn't beep at all. Not when I removed the memory and not when I put it back in and removed the video card. Does that mean it's the motherboard?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

if you used to get the single post beep before then it looks like it,it looks like the psu went and if you are lucky it is only the m/b it has taken with it


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

I managed to find a PCI card. I put it in and started up. It still had the "please check signal cable" cable message. The weird thing was that the monitor was on standby, and when I booted up, it came back from standby to display the signal cable message. It didn't do that for the AGP card.


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

probably just the way these cards work .. but the fact that you didn't get any beeps is a sore point and is indicative that either your beeper doesn't work or your mobo has failed .. i suspect the mobo .. try checking your AGP on another system if you have any more friends willing to open their PC for you .. I take it that you removed the AGP before you installed the PCI graphics card ??
It may not be that important but I was testing a friends AMD mobo recently an found that when I booted with the PCI-e and a PCI graphics card .,.. only the PCI worked .. not sure if that is normal or standard


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

I tested the 7800 GS AGP video card in a friend's computer, and it worked just fine. That means that it's the motherboard, correct? Is there any way to repair the problem? Or do I have to scrap it and get a new one? I called around all the computer parts stores and computer recycling stores in my area, and no one has my motherboard for sale. Is there another motherboard I could use? Something similar?


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

try e-bay for another board .. I hear that people are doing it all the time .. I just never have ... 
yes the most likely reason for failure is the motherboard .. and no .. there is probably no way to fix it .. if it had been swollen caps it's possibly to get a repair but when it comes to the northbridge .. no way .. I've been trained on the machinery that is used to remove and replace the BGA's and only manufacturers can afford to buy and use them .. assuming you could ever find the Northbridge BGA anyway ..


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## Magnavark (Jul 21, 2007)

Tried ebay and no luck. Does this mean I have to get a new computer?


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

no .. look for another motherboard that can use your hardware and get one of those .. make sure it fits your case ..

then do a repair install to XP .. to get it up and running ..


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