Monitor doesn't know what it wants to do...

[Rummy]

So basically, according to my dad the other night the computer froze and so he 'restarted' it(I suspected by restarted, he turned off the mains power switch then turned it back on, cos he's a frickin idiot and never listens. Later confirmed as true.) but apparently after that the computer turned on, but the monitor just keeps clicking. It's not constant, it's like when it recieves a signal and decides it's about to fire up and display it, only it changes its mind and doesn't, then keeps doing this constantly, making the noise every few seconds and constantly cycling but forever staying black. The monitor gets its power passed through the PC, if that's any possibility of a problem.

 

The monitor itself is fine and works, as I later hooked my laptop up to it to see. So the problem must lie with the actual computer. However, I'm hoping this problem is common enough that some people here might have encountered it and also hoping it tends to have a single common cause, as I used to see it happening at times with computers at school like. The computer itself had actually been overheating and cutting out at times recently, though my brother looked at it and said there was no problem or he couldn't find one(he's also an idiot in the sense it's hard to get any sense out of him as he's constantly arsing about feeling he doesn't need to gratify you with conversation or information). He also now, according to my dad, cannot find the problem. My question is...what should we(probably more I) do? What's my first port of call? I know little about insides and hardware, though my brother does so I could point him in the direction of where to look. If it comes down to it, I'll open it and look myself, but I'd need to know what signs to look for(like if a component burnt out, would it be obvious to the eye?).

[Strider]

My brothers computer did something like this, i'm not saying it's the same thing, but it might be.

 

Basically his computer would turn on (fans, lights and all that stuff) however nothing would appear on the screen. Like you, his monitor worked with other hardware such as his laptop and Xbox, just not the computer. After ordering a new motherboard (Same one) and testing it, the computer burst back into life (Hurray!)

 

So the problem was with the motherboard. Like i said though, i don't know if it will be the same thing.

 

Hope that helps.

[DCK]

Have you tried hooking up another monitor to your computer to see what happens?

[Raining_again]

Sounds like a friend motherboard or a fried graphics card.

 

Is the graphics card and cable to monitor firmly attached?

[Rummy]

Hmm, someone else said it's going to be the RAM, Graphics Card, or Motherboard(I assume the Graphics card was firmly attached, as I don't know why it wouldn't be and I assume my brother checked when he looked) the monitor cable was in proper too, I know it's definitely not the monitor's fault. I was hopnig it might have been an issue with the passthrough power, but haven't found another power cable to try and check with.

My dad apparently asked some guy in a shop, who just went off on one about viruses, either he's just useless or my dad didn't explain it properly. I'm gonna take it to let him have a look at, if he'll do it for free, basically just want/need to locate the problem. As I said, I know nothing about the insides of comps, would it be easy/obvious for me to tell what's fried if I opened it up and looked? Like would there be any visible burn on the motherboard/RAM/Graphics, or is it just guesswork to determine the problem?

[Nolan]

Some times you can visibly see what is fired, othertimes smell may be the only tell. Then their are times when nothing may actually be "Fried" and has just quit working for one reason or another. Since it seems you do have a graphics card, I suggest removing it and hooking the monitor upto the onboard video. Without the card in the motherboard should just default to the onboard graphics, and as long as the mobo is fine you should get video, this means however that your Video Card is dead and will need replacing if you do any kind of video intensive tasks. If nothing appears......well your motherboard may be dead, and just suppling power to the fans when turned on.

[Daniel]

I got a similar problem but there was no clicking, the monitor just wouldnt show anything apart from the words no signal. Turned out my graphics card had come loose a little, so i just pushed it back in and it was fine

[Rummy]

Just to say thanks for the help guys(and throw on a tiny question ) my dad got his friend's friend round to look at it, who just took the RAM out and turned the computer on, then told us it was the motherboard because apparently it should make some noise and cry a bit when it hasn't got any RAM in. Think my brother's looking to get a new/replacement motherboard for it.

Question I have, if it's a different motherboard, is there going to be any major/notable issue with the changeover and windows/hardware configurations? I don't want windows to get confused and break when it's all fixed up, but I fear it will, cos you know...it's windows.

[Nolan]

Well, for the first time you start after installing the new motherboard(I almost used the abbreviation, that'd be confusing) run it in safe mode as a first test. If you get the same model motherboard you should be fine, with a different model, I'd do safe mode just to make sure it's all good.

 

You may want to check drivers when in safe mode that first time, although Motherboards should automatically have their own bios running which shouldn't affect hardware after a switch.

[Rummy]

Hmm, new motherboard is in, only apparently the motherboard didn't come with its own drivers and stuff, and it doesn't recognise like half the hardware? It's a totally different make and model of motherboard. CD drives ain't being recognised, apparently it has some USB but then it's also got some USB issue and I'm confused, my brother wants me to get the drivers and stick them on usb stick then take it from there, which I'm about to do.

If it doesn't work recongising the USB stick, what can I do, considering CDs are out of the question given that it's not picking up the drives?

 

(also doesnt recognise the ethernet controller or something, so internetting on the comp is currently out of the question)

 

EDIT: Blargh! Noes! I installed the motherboard chipset drivers that I downloaded from the motherboard site(tis an Abit AV-8, apparently) from the USB stick as windows managed to pick it up, then it said that it needed to restart which is fairly standard, and now it says windows won't boot cos it's missing a driver file from /system32/! (isapnp.sys) Why is this happening! It told me to fix it with the windows setup cd, but it won't seem to boot from the cd drive(even after i changed it to secondary device in the bios) and so we're kind of screwed? The comp has a floppy drive, and presumably there may be a way to boot from usb? Can we fix this?

[Nolan]

Remove the battery out of the Motherboard to reset it back to new condition, and try again. Double check that you have the right drivers and make sure to start in safe-mode.

 

There may also be different types of hook ups for your CD drive, perhaps it'll recognise a different set-up.

[DCK]

Did you try running your old Windows installation on the new motherboard? Because that will fail terribly. Try a reinstall. Your computer should pick up the CD before it's loaded Windows I think/hope.

[Rummy]

Yes, yes we did. It did work, a bit, had to skip scandisk and then as I said I sort of got into windows. If I re-install from the CD will it wipe any data I have on the hard drive? It's more my brother's domain to deal with, and he's a tit so he just does stuff sometimes(it's a long story, nvm). The CD drives weren't recognise by windows, in fact I think only the HDD, floppy, and USB were(when plugged in before starting). Obv now it won't even go into windows. I noticed one drive didn't seem to open, so I thought it might not have power, think my brother sort of half fixed it(i can deal with software and stuff fairly well, but hardware is his dealie, im screwed) but now the motherbaord is making a weird noise at him. A sort of dee-doo-dee-doo, not found out if anything's changed since, due to my brother not being the easiest of people. I'm trying to find solutions so my dad can have his computer working again, because my brother doesn't have too much time to put into it.

[Nolan]

uhhhh how good are you with Linux?

 

As a final possibility, you can download linux (Ubuntu would be best) and put it onto a USB flashdrive as an OS(plug into any PC and bam your running Ubuntu, remove it you no longer have ubuntu.) while Ubuntu is your OS you should beable to set everything up and even install windows from within Ubuntu and just be able to run it normally.

 

Don't ask me how though, as I know very little of how to do things just that you can do things.