Computer Powers, Monitor in Standby
OK, I'm back with another computer from the cable guy; this time, an AMD Desktop (512mb, uknown cpu speed (>850MHz presumably) 75GB DVD)
The problem is that the computer will turn on but the monitor remains on standby mode. I've tested with 3 working monitors.
I know the PSU and CPU are good.The fans and the HDD spin when I turn it on, but I don't know if the BIOS actually loads anything; however, I do know that the HD has a working copy of WinXP Home on it.
I think the GPU is bad; it's an integrated unit. From what I've seen on searches, it's usually a bad GPU when this happens. I unplug the monitor and it goes to "bad signal" screen, but when it's plugged in it goes to standby mode.
I also tried a PCI video card from another machine (Intel-based, "Intel 775") and it apparently sent the same signal as the other to the monitor, for the monitor went to standby. The heat sinks on the vid card got warm; it's working, although I don't know what it was doing. I do know that, at least in an Intel system, the PCI GPU I used does work. I don't know if it is compatable with the AMD system… but I tried it anyway.
I removed the RAM and the computer powered up and beeped every 3 seconds or so. Otherwise, with the RAM, no sound. I really don't know where to go from here, short of buying or borrowing a spare vid card (might jack the one from the main box in my room, although it would hate to cut in on its uptime…) and trying it, and maybe taking out the mobo and running the thing from my desk to make sure nothing's shorting with the case.
Any suggestions for what to do from here? I don't know much about the history of this computer; Cable Guy just gave it to me and said "Here, try to fix this! I dunno what's wrong…"
I honestly don't know where to go from here. I guess I'll charge him some money for thi$ one… and he still owes me a pizza for the last one!
Thanks for any suggestions! I have to go to bed now but I'll check this in the morning.
You mean taking out the battery? I'll try that. Also, I see now that it's an Athlon XP CPU; the only fans I have are for the slot-loading athlons and pentiums. The cpu fan works; do you know why it might be a problem?
Also, I should have mentioned this before; when I got the computer in, it was COMPLETELY clogged with dust; I would not be suprised if, before I blew it all out with a vacuum, the thing burst into flame when it powered up!
I'll reset the BIOS and get back to you; I don't know that I can do anything about the fan. Again, what kind of fan problem prevented the monitor from getting a signalQ
the only way the cpu could be stopping it, is if its overheating e.g no thermal paste or not fitted correctly. The only other thing i can think of is there could be a problem with the motherboard :whoa: This might help - http://www.fonerbooks.com/cpu_ram.htm
CyberSpider wrote: also try resetting the bios if you've not done so already.
Oh, give me a break… he's not even getting video. :angry:
CyberSpider wrote: the only way the cpu could be stopping it, is if its overheating e.g no thermal paste or not fitted correctly. The only other thing i can think of is there could be a problem with the motherboard :whoa: This might help - http://www.fonerbooks.com/cpu_ram.htm
Okay, it's pretty obvious that you have no idea what you're talking about. If it was the CPU overheating, then he would get video, then it would cut out when the CPU overheated. The only way the CPU would cause no video at all is if the CPU was DAMAGED.
Most likely, you're looking at a damaged onboard video on the mainboard. It's hard to say, since you can't actually get into the BIOS to disable the onboard video (which renders your extra PCI VGA cards useless). There are a few ways to test if it's a bad board or not, though:
- Some boards have LED indicators on the board itself. If any of these light up red, the board is bad.
- Unplug all of the RAM (yes, all of it) and power on the system. If you get the traditional repeating POST beep, then your board is at least functioning. If not… bad board.
- Have you tried unplugging all non-essential devices and trying to get video? "Non-essential", for the purposes of testing, includes PCI devices (modem, etc), USB panels, IDE / SATA HDD's, etc. Unplug everything except the CPU, PSU, MB, and RAM, then try to power on.
Oh, and did you check to make sure the CPU is seated correctly? No bent pins? All the time, I see situations where people decide to try and fix things themselves… usually, bent CPU pins is the result.
So, check the board and CPU… my guess would be that it's either a damaged CPU or damaged onboard video. Post back when you've done that, and we'll probably be able to narrow down the problem more.
Oh, and I've seen situations where a bad Power Supply can cause no video, too. If you can, try another PSU.
thats an great post zephyr, at least i know know that i got a bad board rather than a cpu and card issues.
no RAM > no beep.
i had my suspicions, the guy that i got it free from said it was dodgy and i guess i just finished it off.
i guess i'd better try another MB. argh, hardware nearly sucks as much as software :)
cheers for the help zeph
I already took out all the ram and got the beeps every 3 seconds, so I know the mobo is not completely fried. I doubt the CPU is bad; this guy has never taken apart any computer, but before I risk cutting off my thumb (again, yes, I have a 2 inch slash from earlier today!) I'll ask him about the box's history.
When I disconnected all devices but the monitor, it still would not work. I even swapped out the PSU with another and it did the same thing. I think now either the mobo is dead (the flowchart on that site said so anyway) or the CPU is fried.
But, if the cpu is bad, I would not get the ram beeps, right?
So it must be the mobo. I'll take the whole thing apart next time I get a chance and set it up on my desk without a case; maybe it's shorting. However, I'm rather busy now and can't work on it until maybe 2 days from now.
Thanks for the advice zephyr and everyone else, I'll look into it; I think, though, a new mobo will solve this; good chance for him to upgrade to 939 or AM2
ThorsDecree wrote: But, if the cpu is bad, I would not get the ram beeps, right?
If the CPU was bad, you wouldn't get video… you should still get the RAM beeps.
So it must be the mobo. I'll take the whole thing apart next time I get a chance and set it up on my desk without a case; maybe it's shorting. However, I'm rather busy now and can't work on it until maybe 2 days from now.
If there was a short, it should prevent the system from powering on at all. Most likely, it is the MB… still, I like your idea: get a newer MB and get a new CPU in the process. Then, you're covering both bases.
I really don't care if this thing gets fixed; I just found a part-time job as a friend's tech guy; their current man is a stoner who they just found out charged them for a 250 gig drive that he didn't install; it is a 25 gig in their box now!
But, if Cable Guy wants to, he can pay me to order a new mobo/cpu, then we'll be cookin'; everything else works.
Thanks, Zephyr saves the day again!
Kudos, and CPs if a mod sees this :p
Now I just have to figure out how to get internet set up with free dialup… on a line that already uses DSL, and without my parents finding out! I'll save that for later though, maybe they'll let me have internet when I build the MEGABEAST 2.0 this week (and yes, that is actually going to be my computer's name… It'll play the rob zombie song @ boot!)
But that's for another thread. (Y) Peace out!
@ThorsDecree Lot's of misleading post's here 1:Removing ram does not always mean Mobo is bad (If it's bad it won't see a problem) 2:If the cpu is bad it won't single out just the video it controls all actions 3:Resetting the bios is not retarded (If the bios got change to boot from agp or pci it won't see the onboard) 4:The bios goes threw a self check on boot if something was wrong you should get multiple beeps depending on bios
What I would do is Install a stand alone video card and see if it works (Ie:Agp or Pci) Check your bios for video boot run a mobo check and cpu check (I'm sure you don't have these but free ones are available > Hot cpu checker, test my hardware,check it diagnostics) If everything checks and you have video with the stand alone leave it!
My point is not to start replacing parts till it works but CHECK the system your working on
I fix these kind of problems everyday diagnos the problem don't guess!!!!!!!
I don't really know much about this box, but as soon as I get a chance I'm going to try the jumper thing. I don't [bold]do[/bold] hardware either, lol. In the meantime, I'm swamped with school work, and until Cable Guy offers to pay me, I don't really feel like doing much else with this thing… especially after it tried to bite my thumb off!
Thanks for all the advice, everyone.
necr0six wrote: as you cant reset the BIOS and CMOS through an interface, i think that you can reset it by moving some jumpers on the motherboard.
correct if wrong - dont do hardware
Oh, you're correct: on most modern boards, there is a CMOS Reset jumper near the power switch jumpers.
And, korg… I think you have an inaccurate assumption about the responses given. While I agree that there were some rather useless ones, I addressed the problem according to the symptoms mentioned. Most of the troubleshooting steps that you mentioned involve solving the problem when video is present. Without being able to guarantee such functionality, it is only possible to gauge the problems based upon likely symptoms. Also, as for the RAM issue, I don't know what you mean… if the RAM was bad, then the MB would give the POST error with the RAM plugged in, before it was even removed.
I'm sure you deal with these problems all the time but, in order to correctly address the problem, you have to glean all of the attempts from the previous posts first. Unfortunately, my posts have been no more "misleading" than yours was.
Anyways, I suppose none of that matters until the OP is ready to attempt to tackle the problem again. Hopefully, he will bump this thread rather than creating a new one.
I'm still here, lol. The only thing is that I don't want to mess with this thing (for free), and I'm not going to touch it again until I either get a cash offer and/or I am bored and have some time.
The problem is communication; this guy lives across the street but he's almost never home, and I don't even have his phone number…
If the mobo is fried, though, there's not anything that can be done but buy a new one… and that's what it looks like. I'll bump this when I work on it some more. Again, thanks for everything, everyone!
@Zephyr_Pure The point I was getting at is: check the system before replacing parts. To many times I've got boxes people replaced Motherboards and Cpu in to find the power supply was shorted,Guess what bye,bye new mobo and cpu. Same goes with ram or a shorted out hard drive, Etc,etc. And no you do not need video to check a system. If you don't have the physcial testing equipment for mobo's or a cpu test pad or memory test(Which I'm sure most people don't) The above programs (If you have the full verion)Can be loaded via a bootable cd or floppy, It will run a battery of checks and save the file to a log, Which can be viewed an a working unit. Here is a sample log from this morning:
Instructions/s000027| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:04 | Integer Subtraction : 789 K Instructions/s000028| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:04 | Integer Multiplication : 789 K Instructions/s000029| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:06 | Integer Division : 57 K Instructions/s000030| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:07 | Floating-Point Addition : 765 K Instructions/s000031| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:08 | Floating-Point Subtraction : 760 K Instructions/s000032| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:09 | Floating-Point Multiplication : 760 K Instructions/s000033| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:11 | Floating-Point Division : 590 K Instructions/s000034| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:11 | MMX Addition : 800 K Instructions/s000035| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:11 | MMX Subtraction : 800 K Instructions/s000036| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:11 | MMX Multiplication : 576 K Instructions/s000037| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:11 | 3DNow! Addition : 452 K Instructions/s000038| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:12 | 3DNow! Subtraction : 454 K Instructions/s000039| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:12 | 3DNow! Multiplication : 456 K Instructions/s000040| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:12 | 3DNow! Division : 916 K Instructions/s000041| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:12 | SSE Addition : 379 K Instructions/s000042| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:13 | SSE Subtraction : 382 K Instructions/s000043| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:13 | SSE Multiplication : 383 K Instructions/s000044| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:15 | SSE Division : 75 K Instructions/s000045| 0010 00000760 Oct, 16 - 01:45:15 | SSE2 Addition : 382 K
Of course this is just a small bit but you'll get my point.
On the mobo issue I was getting at if the motherboard sees a problem at POST it will send out a series of beeps in an order for you to idenfy the problem: IE: 3 beeps=memory 7 beeps=cpu or mobo. Every bios is different. But Do not rely on this to base you trouble shooting I've had bad boards that I've pulled ram out of and the damn thing beeps once for a clean boot then blue screened.
Bottom line is if you don't have the tools,software and knowledge leave it alone it could cost more money to undo what you tried. (This statement is in general not aimed at anyone)
korg wrote: @Zephyr_Pure The point I was getting at is: check the system before replacing parts. To many times I've got boxes people replaced Motherboards and Cpu in to find the power supply was shorted,Guess what bye,bye new mobo and cpu. Same goes with ram or a shorted out hard drive, Etc,etc. And no you do not need video to check a system. If you don't have the physcial testing equipment for mobo's or a cpu test pad or memory test(Which I'm sure most people don't) The above programs (If you have the full verion)Can be loaded via a bootable cd or floppy, It will run a battery of checks and save the file to a log, Which can be viewed an a working unit.
Very good point. I agree that you don't need video to test the components in a system. I've grown used to checking symptoms without having testing equipment or software, so I know what signs to look for as far as bad parts are concerned. Your method, however, is better for pinpointing the problem with a higher degree of accuracy… especially for someone who hasn't had enough experience with hardware (like the OP).
On the mobo issue I was getting at if the motherboard sees a problem at POST it will send out a series of beeps in an order for you to idenfy the problem: IE: 3 beeps=memory 7 beeps=cpu or mobo. Every bios is different. But Do not rely on this to base you trouble shooting I've had bad boards that I've pulled ram out of and the damn thing beeps once for a clean boot then blue screened.
Agreed again; BIOS error codes can be found on the Internet rather easily. I have an Award BIOS error code sheet that I keep handy because most of the codes apply to PhoenixBIOS boards, also.
It's not good to rely too heavily on BIOS error codes, but they are helpful if you combine them with selective testing. By unplugging other parts that may be causing the issue (HDD, CD drive, USB panels, modem, etc.) and leaving only the essential parts plugged in, watching and listening to the open system as you boot… you can figure out most problems. Again, testing software will give a higher degree of accuracy.
Bottom line is if you don't have the tools,software and knowledge leave it alone it could cost more money to undo what you tried. (This statement is in general not aimed at anyone)
And I agree wholeheartedly with this. Too many people try to get money for services that they are not well-equipped to perform. So, it appears that we agree that a dirth of experience and a solid testing routine are paramount in situations like this.
btw, thanks for listing the testing tools. I look forward to trying them out. :)