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Blank Monitor Problem

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Hey everyone, I just recently bought a computer and everything was working fine with, perfectly fine up until I moved the location of the computer from my upper floor to my lower floor. I plug everything in in the exact same way but when I start it up there is no power signal for the monitor, but it has power. If I shut the monitor on a satifying and glowing green light turns on and ACER appears on screen and then it is replaced by the words No Signal and the pretty green light by a depressing orange one. then the screen turns completely blank. the computer and all it’s components seem to be running fine.

I’ve tried opening up the computer and changing the video card and unplugging and plugging every cord back in but to no avail.

I’m really stumped especially since everything was working so perfectly before.

Here are a few things you might like to know:
My monitor is a ACER AL1916W and my current videocard is nvidia 8800 320mb

If there is anything else you need to know just ask.

Thanks in advance.

Topic

Clarifications

In reply to Blank Monitor Problem

Clarifications

Monitor issues

In reply to Blank Monitor Problem

Check that the card is seated correctly. Also check the pins on the cable have not been bent or pushed back.
Try another monitor or card if you have one.

Good luck

Thanks for the advice.

In reply to Monitor issues

The card is seated fine, and all the pins look fine, although looks can be deceiving. I have tried another video card and it produced the same effect. So as useless (sorry to say that) as your advice was, thank you
and thanks for the luck to.

Along with the first poster

In reply to Blank Monitor Problem

make sure that the monitor is plugged into the right video card, if there is a built-in card make sure that it is not the one that is plugged in.

On the monitor, check the cable connections as something may be loose (data cable).

Checked.

In reply to Along with the first poster

Video card is right, cable connections are fine (as far as I can tell) I’ve unplugged and re-plugged them about one thousand times. Thanks anyhow though.

Do you have another monitor to try?

In reply to Checked.

???

Check CMOS battery

In reply to Blank Monitor Problem

I’ve seen some very strange things happen when moving units from one location to another. The CMOS battery may have failed and this puts the BIOS into default and it might not recognize the video card. Try booting into the BIOS and see what the video is set for. I think ACEr uses the DEL key on boot up to enter the BIOS. Give that a whirl.

Thanks

In reply to Check CMOS battery

Thanks for the advice, that’s something I haven’t tried. I’ll try it as soon as I can and tell you how that works out.

Problem

In reply to Check CMOS battery

I tried booting while holding DEL and then I tried with a few other keys but I never get any image on screen. I’m at a loss of what to try next.

Check memory.

In reply to Blank Monitor Problem

Make sure you did not knock your memory loose while moving. You may also want to check your other connections, power supply, hdd, etc. It could also be a bad video card, swap it with another if you can.

Looks fine from here.

In reply to Check memory.

Well I thank you for the advice I’m afraid it is quite useless. Let me just tell everyone that I’ve checked, double-checked and did those both again that every cable wire and cards are connected properly. I’m really drawing a blank as to what the problem is. And I have tried another video card, same problem.

Hard drive failure, perhaps.

In reply to Looks fine from here.

The only other thing I can think of is a hard drive failure. Sometimes a move will jar components on the hard drive. It doesn’t sound like your getting a post, which means a critical hardware malfunction.

Which means… ?

In reply to Hard drive failure, perhaps.

Ok let’s pretend for a second then that it is a hard drive failure, how would I go about fixing that, would I need a new hard drive? I don’t have a problem with losing the files on my old one but if I’m going to spend my money I want to make sure it is going to solve my problem.
Thanks again for your help.

Which means……? No guarantees.

In reply to Which means… ?

Which means, that it does not appear that the cpu can initiate the OS from your hard drive, most likely due to failure.

You mention the computer sounds like it is working, Is the power button light on, does the light on the cd/dvd light up, do you hear a grating noise from the floppy or hard drive. If all that is working correctly, it seems to me your hard drive is not loading your OS. No OS, no windows screen, no signal.

There is no easy way to test a hard drive. There is hardware to do it but its not economical and reserved mostly for professionals. You could swap the old one with another one from another computer you know works. If you are not comfortable with doing this you might take it to a professional.

Also, I think the way you enter into bios in Acer is ctl-alt-esc. you might try to enter you bios to see if the hard drive shows up. If not, that may help confirm any suspicions.

It’s definitely not the hard drive

In reply to Which means……? No guarantees.

If it would be the hard drive we should at least see the POST, which in this case he doesn’t. Do you have 2 connectors in the back of your video card? If so try changing to the other connector as long that it’s vga or DVI-I with an adapter. I’m actually looking for a solution right now about this, to make it stop changing connectors. I have a NVidia 7300GS

If it is a LCD monitor, and everthing else is working

In reply to Blank Monitor Problem

Then check some of the buttons controlling the monitor. It is easy to accidentially pust these. Your monitor may be set to the wrong input signal.

I am not familar with the ACER computer, but LCD monitors are usually similar.

I wish you success (you have enough luck) 🙂

What?

In reply to If it is a LCD monitor, and everthing else is working

I’m not sure I understand your solution, How do I check the “input signal” and how do I check that it is right. Just to clarify I get no picture on my monitor, completely blank.
Thanks for your help and thanks for the success wish.

If you push the buttons on the front of the monitor

In reply to What?

not from on the system, it should bring up a menu. Some monitors acually have an input selector for S-Video/DVI/VGA settings. If this is one of those monitors, then you may be trying to send via the wrong signal — Brilliant DADS. I have only noticed these selectors on TV’s and projectors. But it seems that some monitors have used them.

Sorry about the confusion

In reply to What?

Pond Scum is correct. I meant, look at your monitor, there should be more buttons than th on/off button. Some monitor have one button to control the input, others you go to a menu and find what you need.

One thing for sure, if you can get the menu up, the monitor likely will work.

Thanks for the feedback, we often give advise and never know if it worked.

If these guys could check there info there would be less confusion

In reply to Sorry about the confusion

On your AL1916W monitor , you don’t have multiple inputs, so don’t consider these replies

What power is your PSU?.

In reply to Blank Monitor Problem

Why i say this, is because you are getting a signal from your graphic card but them suddenly the connection is lost. If your PSU is any thing around 600 to 700 watts. Then you are ok.
The other thing could be your graphic card. Does your card support a extra power cable that connects to the rear end of it. If it does then you will need to check this small power cable.

Please post back if you have any more problems or questions.

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