computer troubleshooting

phatdaddy · #1 01-20-2009, 09:39 PM

anybody ever had a video card go out?
I'll be on the computer and the moniter will just go out. re-booting, power up, banging on cabinet, etc will not help. i have to leave it alone and it will come back eventually. and i don't know for how long.

i am open to suggestions, if that is it are they hard to change?

thanks

RWilson2526 · #2 01-20-2009, 10:49 PM

I've had more monitors than video cards go. are you able to plug in another monitor and see if the same thing happens. or take that monitor to another computer? I'm sure you thought of that but you never know.

I know changing the video card used to be easy. Its been sometime but it was just a matter of popping the old one out and putting new one in. Just like the old fashioned modems. (man I'm feeling old all of a sudden)

THEFERMANATOR · #3 01-20-2009, 11:39 PM

Sounds like a monitor issue more so than a video card. When my card went my computer would freeze up and wiggling the monitor cable where it hooks to the tower would unfreeze it. Powering off sounds more like the monitor.

macojoe · #4 01-21-2009, 01:00 AM

as said ck the monitor on another computer. Vid cards are easy to replace, but you must go in the bios on some to disable the original card as they were built on to the mother board.

phatdaddy · #5 01-21-2009, 07:32 AM

The reason i am leaning toward the tower & not the monitor is when i power it up it reads "No Signal" and the test pattern will come on. it acts as if its ok, just no signal from the computer. i'll try switching monitors

thanks

Skools Out · #6 01-21-2009, 12:14 PM

still sounds like the monitor or have you changed your display settings on the computer sounds like that may be set to the wrong setting for your monitor. beating on the CPU will only kill your hard drive.

phatdaddy · #7 01-21-2009, 12:57 PM

beating on the CPU will only kill your hard drive.

I know it's wrong, but it feels so right...

macojoe · #8 01-21-2009, 02:44 PM

gofish · #9 01-21-2009, 06:39 PM

Phatdaddy, if the monitor is reading no signal when this occurs it is more than likely your video card. Depending on what type of computer you have and what options came w/ it, you may have just an "onboard" video card, which means it is actually part of your motherboard. Even if this is the case you can add another video card to one of the expansion slots and it will override the old one. You shouldn't have to change anything in the bios, just pop the new card in and boot up. Once you get back into your desktop it should go through the found new hardware deal.
If you want, I can come by and help you install it some time. I'm a network tech for the school district.

phatdaddy · #10 01-21-2009, 08:02 PM

sounds like a plan, i'llpm ya

i tried swapping monitors and that didn't help, so i think it is another problem.