Monitor doesn't get a signal

[hcoon]

I have a Gateway 550GR desktop that I purchased in August 2004. This weekend all of a sudden the monitor stopped receiving a signal from the PC. The monitor has power and all I get is the screen telling me there is no signal. I have checked all the connections and they are fine. This particular computer has two monitor ports in the PC. One has the video card and the other doesn't. I obviously have the monitor plugged into the port with the video card. Unplugging it from the port with the video card and plugging it into the one without isn't working. I couldn't remember if I had to go through my Control Panel to switch the monitor port or not. It's been too long. I have also replaced the power supply in this computer about a year and a half ago and it has worked every since until now.

Is there a way for me to trouble shoot the problem? I can hold in the power button on the tower and turn off the PC and when I push the button again, it always reboots, but I never get a signal. Is it the video card? The RAM? The motherboard? Please help.

 

[banic]

Either your graphic card is broken, you could test it if you replace it with another known-good card. Or you have set windows to run from the other card which I don't believe but it could be so also. Windows usually finds automatically the aviable card. It could also be that you shut it down in BIOS but that's also unlikely.

 

[geekygirl63]

Are you getting any POST (Power On Self Test) activity - In other words, do you get the black screen where it goes through the standard system tests? Are you getting any beeps.

1. Have you tried a different monitor to rule out the monitor. It can receive power and still be "dead"
2. Can you hear your hard drive spinning up when you power it on? IT's possible it's the hard drive. I have seen systems with bad hard drives or corrupted OS's not go through a POST.
3. It may be the video card, especially since you are working with a separate (not on the motherboard card).

Try number 1 first, if you have another monitor to test with.

 

[nickc]

make sure the video cable is good, try switching it with another that is good.
(the cable between the video card and monitor.)