I just replaced the ram in my computer, and after some dual-channel issues with that I finally got everything running great. Computer would POST successfully, shutdown/restart all good. But today, after a Windows XP update, I was asked to restart my computer so I did. Then when my computer did the restart, nothing. I dont know how to find out what this problem is. When I turn on my computer, everything turns on (HDD, GPU, Mobo lights up, LEDs light up, fans, everything, even the keyboards, external hard drive, usb hub and even my effin iPhone lights up when I plug it into the dock!) But I get no display on the monitor at all. Funny thing is, the monitor doesnt say "No Signal" when I turn my computer on the monitor lights up indicating that its getting a signal from the GPU. But I get nothing on the display, no BIOS screen, no Windows XP boot screen, NOTHING. Its driving me nuts. Its as if the computer is booting properly just without any display. At first I thought maybe my RAM was acting up again, so I took out one stick, no changes. Im positive it was this update that did something..
So can you guys help me out? I really need it.
Specs if needed:
AMD Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition
MSI K9A2 Platinum Mainboard
ATi 4870 512MB DDR5
Apevia Warlock Series 900W
4GB (2 2GB) Corsair XMS2 800
**Tested another GPU, no success
**Tested another GPU in different PCI ports, no success
**Tested original GPU in another PCI port, no success
**Tested with just one stick of RAM, no success
**No beeps or unusual noises. Computer makes exact same noises as if it were powering up fine, just no display even though monitor activates when computer turns on/
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Did you update to Service Pack 3? I know that a lot of people have had trouble with SP3, and it doesn't have a lot of stuff that you actually need, I hear.
If your computer won’t even boot to the bios screen, then the first thing that you should do is turn it off and pull the plug or, at least, turn off the power supply on the back of the computer. Let it sit for an hour or more and try again. If this cures the problem, then when you’re finished for the day and shut down, always turn off the power before you leave.
Check to make sure all the cables, inside and out, are seated properly and haven’t come loose. Don’t touch anything inside other than the cables. Remember to have the power off while you are working inside the computer. Unplug it from the wall.
If these don’t work, then you probably have a bad piece of hardware. You try to isolate this bad piece by disconnecting all the peripheral hardware and then boot up, adding pieces one by one. (Turn off the computer and unplug it while you are adding each piece.)
For the first test, you’ll be listening for the error code beeps, so if your motherboard doesn’t have a beeper or buzzer, you’ll need to hook up a sound device. Use the minimal amount of hardware necessary. If you have an error code LED to give you diagnostic codes, then that is even better, because you don’t need sound.
Start with only the motherboard, power supply, cpu, and cpu fan connected. Turn it on and see if you can get error code beeps. You should get error code beeps for missing memory and/or beeps for a missing video card. (This is why you need some kind of sound player, since your mb might not have a beeper. It’s better to not have to connect any audio hardware, because that’s just one more complication.) If you hear the beeps, and if your manual gives the meaning of the beeps as missing video card or memory, then you can relax as the core of the computer is solid.
Some power supplies won’t work without a load on them, so if the basic test above doesn’t work, then repeat it with the hard disk drive connected to the power supply, but with the data cable not connected.
If you don't get any beeps, then you probably have a bad motherboard, power supply, or cpu. If the fans start and run, then you can continue on with the other tests, hoping that there is just something wrong with the beeper - if you’re not using the mb beeper, then disconnect the audio devices as they are no longer needed.
At this point you now start adding things one by one, looking for the faulty device. First, add the video card, remembering to connect any video power connector, and see if you get video. Add one stick of memory. You should get video for sure now - the bios screen. If not, then use a different stick of memory, one at a time. If one stick works and another does not, then you’ve found the culprit. If you still don’t get video, it’s probably a problem with your video card. To work properly, video cards usually need special drivers loaded, but they should still do the basics without any drivers.
So, if you’ve reached the point that you can see the bios screen, then you add pieces one by one until you find the piece that causes trouble. First, connect the hard drive, then the sound card, then the optical drive(s), modem, external drive, etc. When the computer won't go, then the last piece added is where the problem lies.
Here are more places you can check out for diagnosis:
http://pcgyaan.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/boot-failu...
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial...