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My crazy computer days.

SailSail
edited December 2006 in Everything Else
As we speak, I am recovering from computer withdrawal. You see, two days ago, everything in our house decided to die. Two sinks burst and I'm down one computer. Luckily, I got to hook up the Ubuntu box to the internet, making it the only useful computer in the house. Therefore, my parents are forced to use Linux. And the Wii still works.

But anyway...

Here's the conundrum for you people to think about:

I installed a new hard drive into the computer. I hooked the computer back up. I turned the computer on, and the monitor received no signal. I tested it in various ways and concluded that the monitor was not the problem. Also, the rest of the computer clearly worked. I took it to the computer store around the corner and was told that the video card probably just gave out. So, I grabbed a new one. I slapped it in, hooked up, and turned on. No picture. I tried a different monitor. Still no picture. I brought it back to the computer store. He hooked it up to his monitor. Nada. He removed the memory, turned on the computer, and received three beeps as normal. I have this guy completely baffled. Anyone have any ideas of what the problem could possibly be?

Comments

  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    I think three beeps in POST code for failed video card?
  • AprecheApreche
    I think three beeps in POST code for failed video card?
    He removed the memory, turned on the computer, and received three beeps as normal.
    Three beeps is the no memory error code. Kind of obvious considering that's what he heard when he started the computer with no memory.

    Is this computer actually starting up? Do the fans turn on? Do they stay on? Can you heard the hard drive doing its usual business during boot? My bet is the power supply or motherboard is shot.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Do you have a secondary computer you can swap parts with?

    What happened to the old hard drive? Can you put it back in?

    Is this a brand name computer? Is there a small ight on the side of the power supply that turns on when it has juice?
  • baltmatrixbaltmatrix
    What Scott said. Three beeps normally means that either the power supply is dead or that there is something wrong the the mother board.
  • belarmbelarm
    You didn't specify if you're using AGP, PCI-E, or PCI video cards, but I'd suggest trying a PCI card if you're using AGP or PCI-E, or a different PCI slot if using PCI. It's possible (though unlikely) that the video card took the relevant slot out with it.

    Whatever the case, if you can get through POST, or at least further in to it, you should be able to get more info. If swapping the video card again still doesn't work, then Scott's almost certainly right, and the last thing to try before ditching the board is the power supply.
  • SailSail
    edited December 2006
    Is this computer actually starting up? Do the fans turn on? Do they stay on? Can you heard the hard drive doing its usual business during boot? My bet is the power supply or motherboard is shot.
    Starting up? Yes. Fans? Yes. Stay on? Yes. Hard drive? Yes.
    What happened to the old hard drive? Can you put it back in? Is this a brand name computer? Is there a small light on the side of the power supply that turns on when it has juice?
    I didn't take the old hard drive out, I just added a new one. No, it was built by a store. Yes, it turns on.
    What Scott said. Three beeps normally means that either the power supply is dead or that there is something wrong the the mother board.
    Remember: he removed the memory before he tested for the three beeps. There is, of course, something up with the motherboard if the memory is removed. The fact that the motherboard recognized it and beeped means it is still(probably) in working order.
    You didn't specify if you're using AGP, PCI-E, or PCI video cards, but I'd suggest trying a PCI card if you're using AGP or PCI-E, or a different PCI slot if using PCI. It's possible (though unlikely) that the video card took the relevant slot out with it.
    The original card was PCI. I went to Fry's(a horrible place) and they didn't have any standard PCI video cards. What's more, the staff only knew what a PCI Express card was. So, I bought a PCI-E card and installed it into a different slot than the card before it. After the picture still hadn't come up, I tried putting the card into the other spare slot with no change in result.

    The power supply clearly works and the motherboard is confirmed to be, at the very least, partially working.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Did you change the jumpers on the drives so they are not both set to master?
  • SailSail
    Did you change the jumpers on the drives so they are not both set to master?
    You lost me after..."Did".
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    edited December 2006
    If you have two hard drives in the machine, off of the same IDE controller, and they are both set to master they will "buck heads" and the PC will not boot.
    Post edited by HMTKSteve on
  • SailSail
    If you have two hard drives in the machine, off of the same IDE controller, and they are both set to master they will "buck heads" and the PC will not boot.
    Oh, I see. No, I hadn't tried that. But the PC is clearly booting when I turn it on, It's making all the same routine noises as it always does.
  • CramitCramit
    Did you try unplugging the new drive and setting the computer up the way it was when it last worked?
  • SailSail
    Did you try unplugging the new drive and setting the computer up the way it was when it last worked?
    Yes I did. The result was the same.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    How about posting a photo or two of the inside of your computer?

    How about a part number for the power supply?
  • SailSail
    I would except it is at the computer shop. My mom uses that computer for her business and needs it fixed.
  • SailSail
    edited January 2007
    For those who were wondering what the problem turned out to be, it turned out to be stupid and trivial: The new video card was digital and my monitors were both analog.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • BrineshrimpBrineshrimp
    Ahaha. So it WAS the monitor. *Came in late*
  • AprecheApreche
    For those who were wondering what the problem turned out to be, it turned out to be stupid and trivial: The new video card wasdigitaland my monitors were bothanalog.
    wtf? How did you connect the video card to the monitor?
  • SailSail
    For those who were wondering what the problem turned out to be, it turned out to be stupid and trivial: The new video card wasdigitaland my monitors were bothanalog.
    wtf? How did you connect the video card to the monitor?
    The cable fit. Perfectly.
  • AprecheApreche
    What kind of cable and what kind of monitor? There is no such thing as digital video card and an analog monitor. At least, not in the way you are implying. If you changed monitors and it worked, my bet is that the old monitor was just plain broken. If you can connect the monitor to the video card with a cable, then it is the correct kind of monitor.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Was the fuse blown inside the monitor?
  • JasonJason
    You should have just rebooted the monitor, added another ROM card, and used scandisk to make sure you sound drivers were compatible with your 5.25-inch drive. If all else fails, you can always check the flux capacitor. Nothing simpler.
  • SailSail
    What kind of cable and what kind of monitor? There is no such thing as digital video card and an analog monitor. At least, not in the way you are implying. If you changed monitors and it worked, my bet is that the old monitor was just plain broken. If you can connect the monitor to the video card with a cable, then it is the correct kind of monitor.
    Was the fuse blown inside the monitor?
    You should have just rebooted the monitor, added another ROM card, and used scandisk to make sure you sound drivers were compatible with your 5.25-inch drive. If all else fails, you can always check the flux capacitor. Nothing simpler.
    Guys, you are over-complicating this. The problem ended up being trivial to solve.

    Both monitors worked. I tried them both with my Ubuntu box. The Cable looked like this(on the right):
    image
    The input fit the cable.

    And the monitor is one of these:
    image

    Scott, how am I implying analog and digital? Analog is the one that doesn't loose information over the connection, right? It either gets there, or it doesn't. And digital can loose information over the course of the transfer and still output a signal, correct? Perhaps I mean that my monitor uses analog rather than my monitor is analog? And perhaps I mean the video card outputs in digital? I'm quite confused now. It's not like the computer doesn't work, or anything, I'd just like to understand what happened and if the guy lied to me. My mom got impatient for the store around the corner to fix it because they were so backed up, so we brought it to a guy I had never heard of and this is what he told me.
  • AprecheApreche
    The guy lied to you.
  • navelfluffnavelfluff
    edited January 2007
    Analog is the one that doesn't loose information over the connection, right? It either gets there, or it doesn't. And digital can loose information over the course of the transfer and still output a signal, correct?
    Wrong! It's the other way around.

    Old CRT monitors are analogue by nature, and also the first LCDs that became available only had analogue input. You should check out the GeekNights episode on monitors. Many LCD monitors have both analogue and digital input, like my own. The first time I used it, I had problems configuring the screen. It took a few hours of trying, failing, and eventually reading the manual, before I understood how to select which input to use.

    The cable in the picture is a RGB cable, which transfers analogue signals. If your graphics card has digital output, it's the DVI standard. You can not connect a RGB cable to a DVI plug. However, there are DVI to RGB converters available that are so small I guess it is possible to overlook one stuck to the graphics card or one end of the RGB cable.

    I think this whole ordeal smells a bit fishy, but I guess there is a possibility that the core of the problem is just a series of misunderstandings.
    Post edited by navelfluff on
  • SailSail
    The guy lied to you.
    I knew it! He was using IE and had spam all over his desktop; the kind you get when you order a Dell computer. Got-damn! I bet it was a fluke. He probably just plugged it in and got lucky. The shop around the corner uses Firefox and their registry computers are Linux. I had never been in there before the computer had it's problem, but man, I'll be back there. And I'll stay away from this Mr. Computer!
    Analog is the one that doesn't loose information over the connection, right? It either gets there, or it doesn't. And digital can loose information over the course of the transfer and still output a signal, correct?
    Wrong! It's the other way around.
    Ahh...thanks =)
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Your sarcasm will get you no where...
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