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Previously on "Hardware help: monitor suddenly stopped getting a signal from PC"

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  • Platypus
    replied
    Originally posted by doodab View Post
    Because testing the graphics card has been a part of PC POST since the days when the interrupt and DMA controllers came on separate chips? It usually does this before testing the keyboard, so that it can give you the classic "press F1 to continue" message.
    Well well you live and learn. Ta.

    Leave a comment:


  • doodab
    replied
    Originally posted by Platypus View Post
    For an external graphics card? I'm not sure why you would think that the motherboard would know that a peripheral card had died.
    Because testing the graphics card has been a part of PC POST since the days when the interrupt and DMA controllers came on separate chips? It usually does this before testing the keyboard, so that it can give you the classic "press F1 to continue" message.

    Leave a comment:


  • Platypus
    replied
    Originally posted by ChimpMaster View Post
    Odd that I wasn't getting the POST beeps though.
    For an external graphics card? I'm not sure why you would think that the motherboard would know that a peripheral card had died.

    Leave a comment:


  • BoredBloke
    replied
    Was the speaker wire connected to the motherboard? Did it ever beep?

    Leave a comment:


  • ChimpMaster
    replied
    And after all that it seems that it is the graphics card which is dead. I was only able to confirm this after getting hold of another card to test this with.

    Odd that I wasn't getting the POST beeps though.

    I've ordered a refurbished one off ebay for £20.

    Thanks all for your help!

    Leave a comment:


  • ChimpMaster
    replied
    Thanks guys - but even without the graphics card, I should get a POST beep. The fact that I'm not even getting that is leading me to the CPU or motherboard as the source of the problem.

    PSU is OK - I used a meter to check all voltages and they are on spec.

    I've tried stipping everything off the board except the core components, but still nothing. Even if I pull out all of the RAM sticks, nothing - not even the warning beeps that indicate no RAM.

    I'm not sure what to do next. Might pick up a CPU off eBay - it's an Intel core 2 duo E6600 which is quite old now so can be had for around £30 I reckon.

    If it's the mobo then I guess I might as well just get a new PC! I'll get a disk caddy to make sure I can get access to my old drives too.
    Last edited by ChimpMaster; 22 August 2012, 09:15.

    Leave a comment:


  • BoredBloke
    replied
    Your other option could be to pull all the components out except the CPU and the graphics card. Do you see or hear anything. The very least this will ensure that you reseat all the bits. Scan sell cheap graphics cards for £20 including Vat and it's handy to have a spare.

    Leave a comment:


  • chef
    replied
    and if that fails then you can assume that it's the motherboard or cpu and at that point starts to get expensive to repair

    Leave a comment:


  • gingerjedi
    replied
    Originally posted by administrator View Post
    If no onboard graphics adaptor on the mobo to test (I know, always worth checking though ) then if you have a PC World go an get a cheap £30 card, take it home, unpack it carefully, try it and then take it back and ask for a refund. "It was for my son / dad / wife and they already picked one up, I would like a refund please." Has to be the cheapest option for testing!

    Just saw chef suggesting the onboard graphics in the last post - most mobo's have them so worth a check.
    WHS^

    They have a no quibble return policy, I tried several routers from there before I settled on one that done the job and even then I took it back and got it cheaper online.

    Leave a comment:


  • ChimpMaster
    replied
    Tried a different battery but no joy

    Checked the existing battery on a meter and it shows full charge so the problem isn't there.

    Have removed all RAM cleaned it and replaced it one by one, but no change there.

    Have removed numerous other components but nothing changes.

    This seems to leave only the CPU - or something within the motherboard itself?

    Leave a comment:


  • chef
    replied
    Originally posted by ChimpMaster View Post
    Hmmm thanks Chef! I'll take a look and see if I can ebay a replacement battery.
    im fairly certain any watch shop will sell them, the sort you find on a market stall that do watch repairs, problem is trying to find the exact one, it would be easier to take the original and ask for a replacement.

    Leave a comment:


  • ChimpMaster
    replied
    Originally posted by chef View Post
    after searching google for "GA-945P-S3 does not power on"

    the top answer is this thread

    Exact same symptoms as you have, solution that worked for them is to replace the CMOS battery, the manual for the motherboard shows you where the battery is located. Remove it and replace it. Cheapest option to test first IMO. If someone knows of a standard CMOS battery type on here then you could grab one during lunch and test when you get home tonight. Unfortunately I have no idea of the Battery Type or even if there is such a thing as a standard motherboard battery type, it look slike an old watch battery is all I know.
    Hmmm thanks Chef! I'll take a look and see if I can ebay a replacement battery.

    Leave a comment:


  • chef
    replied
    after searching google for "GA-945P-S3 does not power on"

    the top answer is this thread

    Exact same symptoms as you have, solution that worked for them is to replace the CMOS battery, the manual for the motherboard shows you where the battery is located. Remove it and replace it. Cheapest option to test first IMO. If someone knows of a standard CMOS battery type on here then you could grab one during lunch and test when you get home tonight. Unfortunately I have no idea of the Battery Type or even if there is such a thing as a standard motherboard battery type, it look slike an old watch battery is all I know.
    Last edited by chef; 21 August 2012, 09:14.

    Leave a comment:


  • ChimpMaster
    replied
    Originally posted by chef View Post
    So trying to understand the situation, could you work through the list and confirm or add any extra info to each point below

    - is the computer plugged in and the plug switch on?
    Yep
    - your pc normally has working speakers attached and you do normally hear sound during pc startup I.we a single beep just after powering on and the windows jingle.
    No beeps at all. No Jingle, nada.
    - you power on the pc and you can confirm it gets power? I.e light on motherboard lights up? and both case fan(s) and cpu fan start moving.
    Yes the PC appears to be powering up correctly and all fans running. I can't see any lights in particular, I've not noticed any before (or perhaps they're drowned out by the blue neon lights in the tower!)
    - do u hear any beeps? Many motherboards give a single beep after completing the basic POST test, I.e just after booting up but before starting windows.
    No beeps at all
    - you do not hear the windows startup sound so we can assume that it does not get that far. Correct?
    That's correct, I'm quite sure it's not getting to Windows due to the lack of any jingle.
    - the monitor and cable works as you have tried it connected to your laptop.
    Yes the monitor/cable work when connected to my laptop
    - does your motherboard have on board graphics? Most modern motherboards do, remove the graphics card, plug the monitor into the graphics output from the motherboard and try booting up without the graphics card.
    I was hoping the motherboard had onboard graphics but it doesn't. Model is GA-945P-S3.
    - what is the make/ model of the graphics card?
    NVIDIA 8600GT 256MB
    - what is the make / model of the motherboard?
    Model is GA-945P-S3.
    - are all the cables plugged in securely? No chance that the cat, the baby, the cleaner has unseated them or accidentally turned the main power supply switch off at the back of the machine?
    Checked all this yesterday and it's all OK.
    - have u changed the RAM recently? Do u have any old spare ram that will work in the motherboard? Can u remove the ram, remove any dust and replace it and try again.
    Not added/changed in a long time. Will try cleaning when home tonight.
    - is it a self build pc or bought? If bought what make/ model.
    It was custom built by a small retailer for me. So all the parts are individual.


    -if u get no beeps, nothing when the pc turns on but you are getting power to it then my guess is that it is RAM or motherboard issues. No power then it's the psu , if your getting beeps then i think we can work out the problem. Single beep, windows jingle etc. all occurs then its graphics card or driver issues.
    I agree with your last comment. It's frustrating because there's no monitor output to allow me to work out what's going wrong. I've had problems with this PC in the past and have been able to solve everything because I've been able to at least get into Safe Mode, but this time it's just so difficult to see what's wrong!

    I'll check the RAM tonight (though I have 4 x 1Gb sticks, so even if one blows then the others would be OK right?).

    How can I check the motherboard?

    How do I know if it's the CPU?
    Last edited by ChimpMaster; 21 August 2012, 08:48.

    Leave a comment:


  • doodab
    replied
    Bear in mind that POST diagnostic beeps come from the old fashioned speaker that plugs into the motherboard, not the ones attached to the sound card, so if you don't have that attached or your case doesn't have one you won't hear them anyway. You can get cards that plug into PCI slots and give you a hex code as well, these aren't that expensive on eBay.

    4 Digit PC ISA PCI Analyzer Diagnostic Test Post Card | eBay

    The other way to diagnose which component is defective is to either try each part in turn in a known good machine or swap them out until you find the broken one. This is where being a geek with a lot of computers comes in handy.

    Leave a comment:

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