I cant figure this out, my computer starts up but my monitor wont come on. I have had this problem now 3 times in 2 years. I've replaced motherboard, memory, power supplies, and changed video cards. I currently have a k-7 fsb 400 motherboard with amd sempron processor, 350 watt power supply, geforce 5200 ddr 64mb graphics card, kingston 512 ddr memory, wd cavier 7200rpm hard drive, and a dell monitor. everything starts on computer but monitor wont. yet monitor does on my friends computers. i've reseated the memory twice, tried differant hard drive, tried differant video card and power supply. still nothing. It must be the motherboard right? I just bought motherboard 4 months ago.

Have you tried a different monitor, al though you say it works on your friends you also say it's intermittent, it could simply be that the monitor is faulty and moving it cures the problem.

Do you see any error msg in the screen?

How did you fix the problem previously?

You said this has happened just 3 time in two years - then you suggest it must be the motherboard, but added that you replaced the motherboard just 4 months ago - that's not a valid connection.

I'm with IDid - It sounds like you have replaced everything BUT the monitor - and it sounds like to me a relay in the monitor used to switch resolutions may be faulty or have a little carbon build-up on the contacts and is not "making" a connection every time. When you move the computer to another PC it works because you jostled the monitor, and the relay - this assumes the monitor cable is securely fastened at both ends - noting that many monitors have removeable data cables too.

You need to do a long term test with another monitor.

I have been using my monitor, with a friends computer for almost 3 weeks now, and it works fine. previously i brought it to a friend that fixes computers. he always seemed to get it going again, but he did other things as well so i couldnt actually tell you what he did to make it come on. first time i bought new motherboard and memory. second time i bought new power supply. And he insist its my hard drive thats the problem. he reformatted my hard drive this last time. and i know little about computers so he could had done something i dont even know about. I know he used a windows setup and troubleshooting disk at first to get monitor on. If that makes any sense.

when the monitor doesn't come on, does it stay off for a while and then the pc start beeping?

Try taking off every device that is not needed, i.e. CD-rom, stiffy additional PCI cards.

You also said you have re-seated the memory, I would say you probably need to replace the ram, from the list of things you said you replaced you never said anything about replacing the ram. Try somebody else's ram in your pc before you go out and buy new ram, just make sure it's the correct speed ram otherwise your monitor won't come on either. if it is your drive like your computer friend says, if you unplug the drive the monitor should still come on, if it does come on then maybe the drive is the problem, but I doubt it.