Replace Video Card?

[lowlow42]

Hi, I currently have my friend's computer at my house, and I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with it. When I turn it on, the tower goes on, but nothing shows on the monitor. My initial thought was that the video card has went bad, but I also remember a computer technician had once told me that "When people think the video card has went bad, sometimes its the motherboard instead." What do you guys think?

The video card is not integrated with the motherboard, it is the kind that can be replaced (PCI ?). The computer is a Compaq Presario 5WV271 5000 series. The video card is a "8mb Nvidia TNT2".

Any help is appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[888888]

Once had a computer that would on occasion turn on fine, but no image would show up, and then it would start beeping. I tried switching out the video card but to no help. I tried turning it on again a week later and it worked fine. Motherboard problem most likely. Maybe the battery?

Hmmm... or maybe overheating? This was a long time ago anyway so I don't remember.

[Scottie]

My daughters power suply died last week but all the lights came on but it was the power suply.

I thought it was the video to.

[Faustus]

Could be alot of things, to bad there are no beeps to speak of.

A cheap PCI card to work in that slot should be so common as to fall out of trashcans. Try and switch it and see what happens.

[kyemeng]

Could be a lot of things going wrong. The last time this problem occurred, I was at a friend's place trying to diagnose the problem. The hdd was whirring away. Check all external connections and all seems to be intact. Next check the monitor and after fiddling with the controls, it seems that the brightness was turned all the way down!

[hudsonf]

My wifes computer had the same problem as Scotties daughter. The computer would start to come on then stop. All the lights were on but I couldn't hear the hard drive loading windows and the monitor was blank. If you can find someone with spare parts try swapping the video card and power supply one at a time to see if this fixes your problem. Forgot to add that there was no beeps.

[rallynavvie]

If all the fans and lights come on but the drives aren't spinning, the computer doesn't POST, and there are no BIOS beeps then it's very likely the power supply. That is as long as nothing else has changed, like new hardware or something. If it was working before and then suddenly stopped working with the symptoms above then I'd guess power supply.

[lowlow42]

Ok, the drives spin, all the tower lights are on. As for the monitor, I've tried 3 different ones. So perhaps it is the video card. The only thing is, I dont want my friend to spend money on a card, and then that not be the problem. You know?

Nevertheless, will any video card work in this particular computer, or am I looking for a specific one?

P.S. Thanks for all the help so far!

[bazooka]

You could try and reseat the card.

Maybe it is loose.

[lowlow42]

True, but I tried that right when I recieved the computer. If you look at the blue part (where the monitor plugs into), you can tell it has been jammed. Can that be the reason why the card went bad?

[bazooka]

True, but I tried that right when I recieved the computer. If you look at the blue part (where the monitor plugs into), you can tell it has been jammed. Can that be the reason why the card went bad?

It could

I am just guessing.

[lowlow42]

Okay, well I will try finding the same video card and replacing it. I'll see how it goes. Thanks for all the help!

[lowlow42]

will any video card work in this particular computer, or am I looking for a specific one?

???

[bunyip]

That's what I do when I want to verify a video card, either take one out of another machine and put it in the suspect machine or take the suspect card and put it in a working machine to see if it's OK. It doesn't have to be the same type of card.

Depending on what Operating System you are running, it will either drop back to default VGA mode or PnP-auto-detect the new card.

[bunyip]

I should qualify that and say that if you are putting a test card in the suspect PC, it should be the same interface - either AGP or PCI, so that you are also checking the motherboard slots.

[lowlow42]

Ok, what I plan on doing is taking the card out, and then take it to my other friends computer shop, so he can perhaps swap it, or check if the card is even defective at all.

[jimmalenko]

Tell your friend to take it to a computer shop to be repaired.

<dusts hands>


Seriously, if you get lights and spinning and it's as per normal in that regard, then you're looking at possibly the PCI slot itself, the video card itself, or the monitor lead.

It really is a process of elimination - Move the existing video card out of the PCI slot its in and put it into another slot. It it works, it was the PCI slot. If not, then the PCI slots are probably OK. Next, put a different video card (BTW, you can put any PCI video card into it, it doesn't have to be the exact same one) into the same PCI slot as the old card. If it works, it was the video card. If not, then try that new video card in a different PCI slot. If it works, then it was probably a combination of the PCI slot and the old video card. If not, then both the video cards and the PCI slots are probably OK. If you get to this point, then try the current video card in another machine. This can eliminate a "combination of" error that sometimes happens. If the old video card works flawlessly in another machine, obviously it's not faulty.

If you get to here, I'd then take it into a computer shop.

[lowlow42]

Yeah, alright. Thanks

[lowlow42]

Oh, and I'm sorry, but its not PCI, its AGP. Nothing really important, but just letting you all know.

[gmatov]

I'd suggest that everybody here who digs into their own computer should buy a Power Supply Tester.

I am not endorsing this company, but did buy one from them, along with sundry other parts.

It is a Powmax, 10 bucks from them, 20 bucks for the identical item from other online vendors, as well as the computer show this weekend.

I think 5 green LEDs, if they all light up, PSU is good. If 3 or 5 or 12 volts is gone, corresponding circuit is dead in the PSU. Built in resistance load.

Pull the lead off the Mobo, plug into tester, turn on or plug in.

You CAN get frustrated when fans and drives spin up, it "must" be good, but if the circuit feeding the board's traces, 3.3 and 5 volts, pos and negative, are gone, no boot up, no video, no RAM, no CPU.

This is a link to the page with the Tester, last item on the page.

http://3btech.net/powersupplies.html

I am not pushing them, just too many posts lately with questions that could more quickly be settled, yes or no, with a tester.

Cheers,

George

[lowlow42]

Yeah, I know what you're talking about, I've used a few before. Unfortunately I dont own one, I might take a ride to CompUsa sometime this week and see what I can come up with. But thanks for the link, I might order one from there.

[Skoorb]

If the computer appears to try and bootup, but nothing happens, then it's probably the video, or the memory. I had that problem this weekend from bad memory. It sounded kind of like it was booting up, but it didn't. If you get even less life - like the motherboard light (if there is one) is on, but about nothing else happens it could be a bad Powersource or CPU (I've had both of those happen for that reason).

[Craig Tucker]

Turn on the monitor :P

[Capmaster]

Turn on the monitor :P

[lowlow42]

Turn on the monitor

Lol, I've made sure of that.

[gmatov]

Lowlow,

I go to CompUSA at least weekly, and have never seen one there.

Still, I had hunted for one, and all the other vendors I had looked at sold the identical Powmax, same blisterpack, same misspellings in directions for use, at twice the price.

I bought that and 2 PSUs with free shipping and they were here in 2 days.

may buy more PSUs but don't need another tester.

Cheers,

George

[Faustus]

I wouldn't buy from Compusa if your not sure what the broken part is. They like to try and hit you with a restocking fee when you least expect it. When I'm unsure I pick my parts buying by return policy and not by anything else.

[lowlow42]

That is true, I see what you're saying. And as for the power tester, one of my friends has one, but he lives 50 miles away. Although I will see him next week no matter what. So I guess I'll wait until then. I mean 10 bucks isn't much at all, and for it to be at my house in 2 days, isnt bad, but I think I can wait for my buddy to let me borrow his.