Sgt_BFG on 26/2/2011 at 22:57
So today my computer finally decided today was an appropriate day to die on me. when I hit the power switch the computer turns on but the monitor says "no signal"
The computer fan keeps whirring a lot longer and louder than it normally does during startup (it normally does it only a few seconds) but I hear the normal single beep noise the computer always makes, so I'm pretty sure the motherboard isn't fried.
You can probably judge by reading this that I am probably a lot better at using computers than I am actually opening them up and fixing them. So does anybody have anybody have any suggestions which component is the culprit and has screwed up my PC?
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB RAM
nvidia 8800
windows vista
Al_B on 26/2/2011 at 23:15
At what point do you hear the beep? Does it sound as soon as you turn on the computer or after a few seconds and does it coincide with the fan speed changing?
My first hunch is that you have a problem with the graphics card - either with the card itself (e.g. if it isn't seated properly) or with the power supply to the card. It could be that the BIOS is searching for a valid graphics card and is taking a while before giving up which is why the fan is at full speed for longer than normal.
Ostriig on 27/2/2011 at 01:02
Alternatively, is it possible one of the RAM modules got shot? Could swap them out one at a time and try to boot, see if that goes.
Sgt_BFG on 27/2/2011 at 09:27
The computer makes the beep a few seconds after start up, like it always does, shortly after fan speed changes when normally booting. but this time the fan just keeps on going.
Anyway, thank you lots for all of the help! I am going to try your suggestions!
Zerker on 27/2/2011 at 12:30
Some motherboards have boot status lights that can tell you what part of the power-on it screwed on up. I'd check if your PC has something similar. The last PC I had like that had four LEDs on the back that changed patterns during the boot. If you have them, your motherboard manual should tell you the patterns.
lost_soul on 27/2/2011 at 21:23
Do you see the hard drive light blinking after the beep, indicating that it is still loading the OS?
My money is also on the video card. The beep traditionally means that the POST (power-on self test) was completed okay and the system will proceed to boot. Just for kicks, if your video card has two DVI monitor ports, I would try the other one.
Also, don't just buy a new video card and throw that one out the window. Sometimes the cards can stop working and they may just need to be removed and re-inserted. After months (years?) of heating up and cooling down, the metal can expand and shrink to the point where it no longer makes a good connection.
Reinstalling the video card may be a long shot, but they always say to start with the least-expensive fixes.
Sgt_BFG on 27/2/2011 at 22:40
After talking about it with my father (a self-described computer expert) he bets it's to do with the graphics card aswell, so I'm gonna take a nap, then take it out and re-insert and see if that works.
EDIT: Swapped graphics card to great success, computer works now, thanks for the help everyone!
