Help! No display whatsoever...

[creekbaum2]

Ok, so the other day I go to boot up my computer and it starts up just fine, the light comes on, and I can hear the disk (or at least the cd-rom drive) spinning, but all i get when i turn my monitor on is "Monitor Self Test: Monitor is working properly, please check PC and Signal Cable." I checked to make sure the cable was connected properly, and it was. I tried two other monitors, but I got similar results. I thought my video card must have broken, so i bought and installed a new one, but the same thing happened. I opened the case and started it up and the fan on the video card was spinning, but I was still getting absolutely no signals. Any ideas as to what could be wrong?l

[icecube]

Check for a second video card outlet on the back of the computer. The one your are plugging into could be disabled.

[creekbaum2]

If you are talking about ports not on the video card then no, there are none. On the video card there is a VGA, a DVI, and an S-Video port; however I tried plugging into them and it did not fix anything.

[icecube]

Do you get any beeps when the system posts?

Try reseating the memory (disconnect the power cord first).

[creekbaum2]

Well, before i changed video cards i got a 3 or 4 beeps when i started the computer... it was hard to tell how many because it was more like one long beep that had either 2 or 3 short interruptions in it. After i put the new one it this stopped, did i perhaps install the video card wrong? BTW reseating the memory did not work.

[icecube]

The beeping noise is the classic symptom for a bad video card. Possibly the card you replaced it with is bad and or the wrong type. I know some of the older AGP video cards were 3.5? volt and the new ones are 1.5. Check out your motherboard specs.

I might be off on the voltage values a bit, but I do remember pealing a warning sticker or two, off an AGP slot

[creekbaum2]

Well the system is relatively new (about a year old) and is using PCIe, so should the voltages still be an issue? Perhaps it is a bad card, that would be just my luck, i guess there is no easy way to tell without having access to another computer that doesn't support PCIe, but then again, if it is bad why am i not getting anymore beeps?

Oh, and thanks for all the help you are giving me.

[icecube]

I didn't realize you had a PCIe card--I was talking about AGP. Thats a 16X card vs the 8X AGP--a faster animal.

I haven't built a system with PCIe architecture. You might check your motherboard manual for setting up the video card. I'm guessing here, its rare that a video card is bad right out of the box, it could be that you might have to clear the cmos in order for the motherboard to reconize the new card.

There is a major discount retailer here whose name I won't mention, When someone returns a card thats not working, they reduce the price a couple of bucks and put it back out on the shelf. If it comes back again, it gets set to Mexico to be "refurbished."
You could be testing someone else's return

[creekbaum2]

Well, the motherboard manual had nothing useful and clearing the cmos didn't work, I think I may just bring it to the repair store and see what they have to say, again, thanks for all the help.

[icecube]

Keep in touch, I'm really curious as to what the the solution is. you could also post your video card issue in the gamers lounge. They should know more about PCIe cards and boards.

[yodarebel]

oi icecube just readin this yeah an boy i reckon u should expose that company no real reason to hide u work 4 them or suttin? lol anyway ice think u can answer this or any1 else for that i have a agp x4 x8 slot im takin my geforce 5200 out of my old computer ( this is 2 do wid the 1.5 3.5 volts issue ) my card is agp x4 yeah an it came wid a pc that i bought like 8 months ago but in my manuals it sais put only 1.5 v cards in do u think mine would fit the pc woz brand new 2700 typa mem usb 2 an more u think itd be a 1.5 card?