Ask A Geek

I have a similar problem. When i pressed the ON button on my CPU, the CPU runs but nothing is shown on the monitor. Then the Monitor button turns ample color.

I have checked and confirmed that my monitor is working. What has happened? It seems like a motherboard problem.

If the monitor buttons turn an amber color it usually means that there is no signal going to your monitor so the problem is most likely your video card.

Make sure the cables are securely connected and if you have another computer you can check the monitor with that is good too. If your monitor works on another computer then your only solution here is to get another video card put in your computer.

When I turn on the PC, on the monitor I got a message on the screen saying.
Monitor in Power Safe Mode
Activate Using PC. How do I activate it, the only thing on the PC is a power botton no reset nothing. The monitor stays black and when i press any button on the monitor it shows the message. the light blinking in green. I tried to switch the monitor with another PC, it works fine. and I also tried push F8 button, window key + pause/break, nothing works.

moom–

Unfortunately this is bad news. I would suggest trying to connect another monitor to the computer but I have a feeling this is actually useless though since you have already confirmed that the monitor works fine on another computer.

If your computer boots up fine, ie makes noises like it is booting up, then your problem is most likely that your video card died on you. So you are looking at having to replace your video card.

Thanks
Matt

Hi there, i have a similar problem, sometimes my monitor will shop display but sometimes it wont. It will often take me 3 reboots for the system to enter windows xp. Also desktop icons were a little bit deformed and sometimes i would experience blank screens out of no where and sometimes a purple screen with many lines. I checked the monitor with my laptops and it works fine, so i just want to know did if my video card turned bad =(.

Kelvin–

It sounds like your monitor cable is lose. I am sure you have checked that but that seems the most likely.

The next most likely is that your monitor is dying. I used to have a monitor that would sometimes show everything as blue instead of white.

The good news is you seemed to already test both of those so it seems your monitor is probably just fine, which is good because they tend to be expensive.

My guess would be, from what you wrote, that your video card is on the way out. It might be over heating on your and just shutting off, maybe the fan on it is not working anymore? The good news is you can usually find video cards for a fairly reasonable price if you do not want the latest and greatest.

If you let us know what kind of video card you need, PCI, AGP, or whatever it might be, then we can shoot you in the right direction.

Thanks
Matt

Hi, thanks for the reply. I want to know whats the difference between AGP or PCI or the other types of video cards available. Also how do i know the maximum specifications of the video card it can handle. thanks

Kelvin–

AGP, PCI, and PCI Express are different types of connections in your computer for your video card to connect to. It is almost like a phone jack compared to an ethernet jack or a cable TV jack.

You cannot put an ethernet cable or a TV cable in a phone jack, you can only put a telephone cable in it.

The easiest way to know what type of video card your computer supports is to look though the documents that came with your computer. It should give you the specs on the motherboard and the motherboard specs will tell you what video cards are supported.

You can also tell by looking at the video card port what type it is but you wont be able to tell what version it is. For example, AGP has multiple speeds and you cannot tell that by looking at the connection itself so finding the documentation is your best bet.

If you have a Dell, HP, Gateway, or other big name computer you can always call them up with the model number on the outside of the computer and they can tell you what is supported as well or you can find the information on their website.

Thanks
Matt

hi,
My problem started when I was on the internet and the pc froze so the only way to get out of the problem was to switch the pc off by the power button.When I switched off the power I noticed that one light stayed on on the keyboard which doesnt usaully happen.Anyway I rebooted the pc and no lights came on on the keyboard and the monitor light came on green then turned to amber and Im getting the message…no imput signal!!So basically I have a monitor and keyboard that is not responding anymore! any ideas??

oh and also I forgot to mention that I tried another monitor that works on the pc and that also says…no imput signal!!

Jordan–

This means your video card died on you. You will need to get a new video card for your computer.

Thanks
Matt

okay,luckily I got the extra insurance!! When replacing the card will I lose all the data on the pc or will it be okay??

Jordan–

It should be said that there is always a chance of data loss when sending your computer to someone to have it fixed.

In this case you are talking about a video card so there is a good chance they will just replace the video card, unless it is built into the motherboard, then they might just find it easier to give you a new machine instead of making you wait for them to fix it. That is up to whoever you will have fix the computer though.

I always suggest backing up if at all possible. In your case it is difficult because you have no video card though. I would call tech support and explain the issue and see what they suggest.

Thanks
Matt

okay I will see what they say….. thanks for your helpful advice.
jordan.

My monitor of my computer turns on and my hardrive is running, i can hear it. Although when i turn everything on, the light of the on button of the monitor turns to yellow from blue. What do i do? Ohh yea when i turned on the monitor, it says no input.

Linda–

If you have done everything in the answer and covered everything in the comments then the answer is most likely that your video card is no longer working and you will need to buy a new one and install it in the computer.

Thanks
Matt

just thought i would up date you on the monitor problem. Got through to the tech support with my pc about a week after the monitor started playing up and was told by the man at the other end of the phone to go start my pc because he wanted to run some tests over the phone before sending someone out and low and behold the monitor was running fine and there was no problem at all!! He said that there could have been a loose connection on something but i tested the wires over and over again!!….. strange huh!!

Strange and not strange all at the same time.

In my experience, computer equipment lets you know when it is going to die. Hard drives start making ticking noises. Monitors start to change colors, a light blue maybe instead of white sometimes when you turn them on. Video cards do similar things to Monitors where colors might change and sometimes they might just not work.

So my hope is that yours continues to work but just make sure you backup often just in case!.

Thanks
Matt

Matt,

Like some of the others I turn on my CPU and I hear it running. My monitor comes on and says the monitor self test id working. After 30 seconds or so the monitor shuts off and the light goes from green to amber. Also, the mouse and the keyboard will not come on (lights on both are not on). Does all of this have to do with the video card? Or do I have a further problem.

In your case you might have a different problem.

When you say you hear your CPU running what I think you mean is you hear the power supply fan making noise. The CPU itself will not make any noise.

When your computer turns on do you normally hear beeps? If you do do you still hear them when it starts up now?

The fact that the lights on your mouse, I assume it is a laser mouse and the laser is not coming on it makes me think that it is possibly your motherboard that has died and not your video card.

hey matt im facing the same problem as ben, it happened after i tried to clean my interiors with compressed air. the problem now is that all fans are running, and lights are on (etc power on/off light, and lights of keyboard slot, and the green led light that connects motherboard to hdd) , its just that my monitor cannot be detected. what can the problem be?

The fact that you cleaned out the inside of your computer suggests you should disconnect the monitor then connect it again to make sure the connection is tight.

If that does not work I would suggest opening up the case again and then taking out the video card and then put it back in. It is very possible it got moved out of it’s socket just enough to mess things up.

hi bro, but the thing is i tried replugging the gfx card for like 10 times.. lol. and let me describe the whole process ind etail.

1. clean com
2. close cover, boot up, speakers have sound that indicates my windows was started, however screen doesnt show any image
3. thought that gfx card was loose, thus open cover replugged it
4. now, things get worse, no sound no image.

things to note, all along, lights were on for my mother board, fans were all running, gfx card’s fan was also spinning.. what could be the problem? and the monitor cable was screwed to the max..

i went to this guy and he said my mother board was spoilt but im not really convinced…

what could be the other possibilities?

thanks alot dude

It almost does sound like you might have had a little electrical charge on you when you were doing the different things to the computer. Maybe you even used a vacuum to clean the computer?

The bad part is it sounds like it is getting worse and worse and not better, which makes it sound more like an electrical charge on your body or an item you used to clean the computer is the cause which means you might need a new motherboard.

alright thanks alot dude!

im resigned to getting a new motherboard anyway.. but i just cant take it lying down without knowing the reason how such an innocuous action killed my com.. lol

you’ve been very helpful.. thanks!

monitor is in power save mode activate using pc….I press the space bar nothing happen…also I try the monitor on another pc and it worked fine… please help

David, if you have tried everything in this answer already, ie shutdown, unplug the wires, plug them back in, restart, and you still have the same problem then everything points to either your computer is not starting up or your video card needs to be replaced.

Does your computer beep when you turn it on? If there are beeps when you turn it on then it is most likely your video card. If there are no beeps when you turn it on then it might be a bigger problem.

I also have simular problem as above and I disconnected monitor as suggested. My pc automaticaly turns on when i switch on the power supply on back of PC, hitting reset and power off button on frot dosen’t do anything. Nothing shows on monitor but when unplugged it dose do self test, so monitor is good. I also switched out video card with known working card from parts pc. And finnaly I put new BIOS battery in motherboard still nothing, and my keyboard and mouse lights do not light up as usual. I have a feeling its my motherboard am I right? Tommorow I will try bare bones system but I have feeling MB is bad??? Hope someone has something else I didnt think of to try any suggestions??

I have windows xp, and my computer worked perfectly just yesterday. I go to get on it now and I see the first 2 or 3 boot up images and it then when it’s supposed to have me select my login, it goes black. I haven’t tried anything, since it just now started happening, but this is NOT a usual occurrence.