OMG pc problem!

[RaspberrySwirl 20]

OK, so I'm totally lost here. I need help! I really can't go without my pc and hubby doesn't like sharing

It'll boot up and the monitor suddenly turns off once it hits the Windows xp loading screen. What's going on here??

I can't figure it out and I'm in panic mode which isn't helping much.

Anyone have any ideas what the problem might be?

[gwenneh 7]

First guess would be your video card is fried (or frying-powering up, trying to work, then shutting off due to error). That would explain why your monitor would work to a certain point and then cut out.

[Jaylen Brit 0]

good call Gwen Use hubbys card to check - if it still turns off try his monitor - if none of that works make a boot disc on his pc and try that...

[RaspberrySwirl 20]

Thanks guys, I'll try that.

It almost has to be a hardware issue. I've tried 3 different monitors and the same thing happens. Could it be someting in the bios settings?

Sigh This sucks.

[aussiewench 9]

Hey swirls.....is it only the monitor going blank or is the CPU turning off? What about CD or floppies...do you have any of them in your drives.......if so take them out. Have you made any recent changes to your computer.....installed any new programs etc? Just throwing a few things around here.

I thought if it was the video card it would be a blue error screen

Try booting up with your windows XP CD........that will soon tell you if you have any errors in your system files.

[RaspberrySwirl 20]

Hey swirls.....is it only the monitor going blank or is the CPU turning off? What about CD or floppies...do you have any of them in your drives.......if so take them out. Have you made any recent changes to your computer.....installed any new programs etc? Just throwing a few things around here.

I thought if it was the video card it would be a blue error screen

Try booting up with your windows XP CD........that will soon tell you if you have any errors in your system files.

It is my videocard apparently. I put David's in my case and it worked just fine.

This is poop. >.<

Thanks for the tips though, gals. Much appreciated!

[aussiewench 9]

damm....that sucks.....was hoping it was going to be something easier to remedy straight away with no cost. Good that you found the problem though.

[RaspberrySwirl 20]

damm....that sucks.....was hoping it was going to be something easier to remedy straight away with no cost. Good that you found the problem though.

I suppose it's an excuse to upgrade my vid card.

I wonder how it happened though?

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

damm....that sucks.....was hoping it was going to be something easier to remedy straight away with no cost. Good that you found the problem though.

I suppose it's an excuse to upgrade my vid card.

I wonder how it happened though?

My cleaning lady at work vacuumed near my computer and destroyed my video card. But sometimes they just die on their own.

[Ban Hammer 12,835]

video cards are electronic components, made by the cheapest bidder.

yes static electricity is a killer on computers. ever had the computer apart to blow out the dust bunnies? how old is the comp?

[aidan80 9]

OK, so I'm totally lost here. I need help! I really can't go without my pc and hubby doesn't like sharing

It'll boot up and the monitor suddenly turns off once it hits the Windows xp loading screen. What's going on here??

I can't figure it out and I'm in panic mode which isn't helping much.

Anyone have any ideas what the problem might be?

Before rushing out and buying a new graphics card you could try the following:

Start the computer in safe mode, press and hold the CTRL key as the computer starts or just press (or keep pressing during boot) F8 just before the windows screen appears. Select Safe mode from the list presented.

If the computer starts in safe mode then you should assume that your graphics card is working at least initially. If this is the case then you may just have a simple driver issue and it may not be the actual graphics card.

If you could supply me with additional information about your machine, that would make diagnosing the problem easier.

e.g Motherboard/Chipset, Interface used on GPU/VPU, any and all service packs in use and most importantly what type of GPU/VPU you have! Or just list the brand and model number of the machine.

[RaspberrySwirl 20]

OK, so I'm totally lost here. I need help! I really can't go without my pc and hubby doesn't like sharing

It'll boot up and the monitor suddenly turns off once it hits the Windows xp loading screen. What's going on here??

I can't figure it out and I'm in panic mode which isn't helping much.

Anyone have any ideas what the problem might be?

Before rushing out and buying a new graphics card you could try the following:

Start the computer in safe mode, press and hold the CTRL key as the computer starts or just press (or keep pressing during boot) F8 just before the windows screen appears. Select Safe mode from the list presented.

If the computer starts in safe mode then you should assume that your graphics card is working at least initially. If this is the case then you may just have a simple driver issue and it may not be the actual graphics card.

If you could supply me with additional information about your machine, that would make diagnosing the problem easier.

e.g Motherboard/Chipset, Interface used on GPU/VPU, any and all service packs in use and most importantly what type of GPU/VPU you have! Or just list the brand and model number of the machine.

I've tried booting in safe mode, it's a no go. It goes right up until the Win XP loading screen and then the monitor turns itself off. I can hear the cpu still running. The lights are all on on the case itself.

Motherboard: MSI V Class 661FM3-V/648M3-V/648FM3 V series (MS-7103 v1.X) micro ATX mainboard

Processor: Pentium 4 2.66GHz 533 Mhz FSB 1MB L2 Cache

Videocard: Nvidia GeForce erm I don't even know what kind.

All service packs up to date for Windows XP Pro.

Is that what you wanted to know? Let me know. And thank you!

[terri o'neale 0]

I feel you. My laptop that I had inherited from hubby went up last week. Thanks to my sweetie I have a new one though. He said he was planning on getting me one anyway.

Did it overheat by any chance? Mine did...fried the power supply inside. It will come on sometimes for a couple of minutes then shut down.

[aidan80 9]

Looks like the lights are on (your computer) but the graphics card doesn’t appear to be home!

It appears you have an SIS 661FX Chipset which has only 2x 2.2 PCI (white slots) and 1 AGP 4x/8x (brown slot). I’ll assume you’re GeForce is fairly recent and is connected to the AGP (Brown Slot) and not one of the white PCI slots. Your motherboard should also have an onboard SIS 661FX Graphics Chip using shared system memory. Most motherboards automatically disable the onboard graphics when an AGP card is installed although sometimes this does not happen.

While you’re inside your machine you should also do the obvious, ensure the power is off and disconnected from the receptacle. Ensure you have yourself properly grounded or use a grounding strap if available and double check that the GeForce card is properly seated in the slot, check for a 4 pin molex power connection on the card. Some GeForce cards require additional power from the PSU to operate properly.

To rule out the possibility that your onboard graphics is still operational.. Switch off your computer and check the rear of the machine.. disconnect your monitor cable from the tower and look at where it came from!. Just below where you would plug in your keyboard and mouse should be a vertical monitor connection identical to the one on your graphics card that is the onboard graphics adapter. Your GeForce graphics card should be lower down your machine located on the first or second plate and in a horizontal position. Try plugging your monitor into each of the monitor adapters when the machine is operational.. if I’m correct then you should be back in action, if I’m wrong then nothing is lost and you’ve ruled out one possibility.

If I’ve identified your motherboard correctly you could always use the onboard SIS chip to power your graphics or is the GeForce card needed for 3D animation/Games?

Good Luck!

[jelti 0]

Looks like the lights are on (your computer) but the graphics card doesn’t appear to be home!

It appears you have an SIS 661FX Chipset which has only 2x 2.2 PCI (white slots) and 1 AGP 4x/8x (brown slot). I’ll assume you’re GeForce is fairly recent and is connected to the AGP (Brown Slot) and not one of the white PCI slots. Your motherboard should also have an onboard SIS 661FX Graphics Chip using shared system memory. Most motherboards automatically disable the onboard graphics when an AGP card is installed although sometimes this does not happen.

While you’re inside your machine you should also do the obvious, ensure the power is off and disconnected from the receptacle. Ensure you have yourself properly grounded or use a grounding strap if available and double check that the GeForce card is properly seated in the slot, check for a 4 pin molex power connection on the card. Some GeForce cards require additional power from the PSU to operate properly.

To rule out the possibility that your onboard graphics is still operational.. Switch off your computer and check the rear of the machine.. disconnect your monitor cable from the tower and look at where it came from!. Just below where you would plug in your keyboard and mouse should be a vertical monitor connection identical to the one on your graphics card that is the onboard graphics adapter. Your GeForce graphics card should be lower down your machine located on the first or second plate and in a horizontal position. Try plugging your monitor into each of the monitor adapters when the machine is operational.. if I’m correct then you should be back in action, if I’m wrong then nothing is lost and you’ve ruled out one possibility.

If I’ve identified your motherboard correctly you could always use the onboard SIS chip to power your graphics or is the GeForce card needed for 3D animation/Games?

Good Luck!

Computer geek.