Computer Problem - Please Help

1. It can be a bad graphics card
2. It can be a bad monitor.
3 Or you have to reinstall the OS.

Sounds like...
1. Loose plug in the screen assembly or motherboard to the display, or
2. Display has gone to the big recycle bin in the sky.

Wait a couple of weeks. I bet SOMEONE (Walmart?) will have a Black Friday laptop for $199...

Does it ever flash up that it cant detect the display?

everything that was posted above sounds like it might be it. It could also be the system board itself. If you have another video card slot (not sure if you have AGP or PCI but you could try putting the video card in a new slot and seeing if its the video channel on the motheboard that is bad.

Last Edited by Blitz on 11/04/2009 09:04 PM

Laptop model please.

i would say at least 50% chance its the graphics hardware or maybe the screen itself.

it could be anything... a brief flash of blue would mean that windows has an error preventing it from starting.. you could try system restore, or reformatting.

Could be some system files got corrupted, perhaps due to something that was installed, or it could be bad RAM, or a hard drive, a recent loss of power while the computer was running...

Plug the monitor into the laptop to see if you get a display on it.

If the monitor doesn't show a display with the laptop connected to it, it's a safe bet its the monitor.

If you do get a display from the laptop it could be the graphics card, if you have one installed. Could also need updated driver.

If you do not have a video card installed then it is an integrated video processor in the motherboard that has possibly gone bad.

Also make sure all your cables are connected properly and snug as well as you video card if you have one.

Hope this helps with your troubleshooting!

thanks people.
blitz this sounds like it may work.

yes sometimes it will say there is nothing to display. but this is only when it seems like its trying to turn on. it flashes nothing to display very quick, then goes blank, repeats.

not a bad monitor, got a new one.

not a brief flash of blue, it's like the color red is not being displayed so everything is tinted blue.

Also try making sure that the video card is placed correctly into the video card slot.

Because the card can do "chip creep" because it heats up and cools down it can cause it to start to slip out of it's socket.

Hello, it could be many things, but my guesses are:
1- faulty power supply (not enough power to hardware)
2- memory going bad

Does your laptop still boot?

also its not a laptop, its a pc, i've just been forced to use this laptop for the time being.

Make sure all the pins are lined up correctly. I assume because you got a new monitor it was doing this for the last one as well?

If not make sure all the pins are lined up correctly

Err I meant does your PC still boot?

sounds like a video card driver or faulty video card.. you can try reseating the card, or buying a new one.. you can get basic ones for very cheap on newegg.

You just have to know if you're using an AGP or PCI-Express card.

i really feel like it is the video card. so there is more than one slot for this? i'll have to open it up and take a look. wish i knew what it looked like. it just looks like a green board with a bunch of computer crap right?

The videocard has a connector to your VGA monitor cable. However, it might be that you don't have a videocard, but rather that your GPU (graphical processing unit) is embedded with the motherboard.

Does your PC still boot?

OP forgot to tell us its a P3 900Mhz with one of the first CD Drives ever made that belongs on the side of a curb.

By the way, I have built many PCs but I have never encountered a faulty videocard. I'd check for bad memory modules first and faulty or weak power supply.

Heh... But serious, my AMD 350 mhz still runs fine :)

It really depends on your motherboard. Some have 2 some do not.

gateway gt5228, only about 700 bucks nothin fancy..

nVidia GeForce 6100
pci slot express?

thanks again people

yep, everything runs, sounds come up like it started, but no display

According to the specs I have read you have an integrated graphic card. As stated previously I have never encountered a bad graphic card, and a faulty integrated videocard is really a slim possibility.

Have you already checked the monitor via your laptop that it's working correctly?

Does your PC still boot?

Forget the last question in the above, I have read you already replied to that.

OP I have to go soon. Your PC still boots, so faulty memory modules is a small possibility.

You should check whether the monitor is working fine with your laptop.

If your monitor does work well, a possible cause is faulty power supply. Nowadays GPUs takes a lot of energy. If the power supply is faulty or to weak it can power the CPU and everything else, except the GPU. But most likely you will experience "hangs" of the system in such case.

Plug your monitor into your laptop to test to see if it is the monitor or something on the PC.


If the monitor does the same thing on your laptop then it is probably going out.

If it doesn't do the same thing then it's most likely your video card.

If her video card has a fan on it that went out or stops after a certain time that would "act" like a bad video card.

I know. Still I haven't encountered one in more than a decade.

Most likely, bad cable.

2nd, monitor itself is dying.

Lastly, video card problem.